Search
Now we will begin to consider the matter of the ground of the church. The testimony of the church is the content of the church, and the ground of the church is the outward appearance of the church. Everything created by God has two aspects: an inward aspect and an outward aspect. Everything has content and appearance. We cannot find anything that has only one aspect. It is impossible for something to exist with only one of these aspects. This is a great law, an important principle, in the universe.
Similarly, the church has two aspects, both content and appearance. We often lean toward one aspect, however, when we speak concerning the church. Either we pay too much attention to its inward aspect, its content, or we pay too much attention to its outward aspect, its appearance. But the truth in the Scriptures is balanced. Just as the Bible shows us the content of the church, it also shows us the appearance of the church. The content of the church is the testimony of the church. We have already seen that the content, the testimony, of the church is to express Christ. The appearance of the church includes many points that are related to the matter of the ground.
We must admit that those who love and pursue the Lord do not have much problem with the content of the church, but they have many problems related to the ground of the church. Throughout the ages among those who love the Lord, the problems that have arisen concerning the church were seldom related to the content or the testimony of the church; rather, almost all of them have been related to the outward appearance or the ground of the church. If the children of God could properly deal with the ground of the church, there would be almost no problems related to the church. We want to look at the matter of the ground of the church during this conference in the hope that we can help God’s children on this point.
From the outset we need to affirm one thing: God is uniquely one, and therefore almost all things in the universe are also single, pure, and one in substance. The universe is not two but one because its source—the God who created it—is one. This is the case with the universe and even more so with the church. Essentially, the church is not dual and surely not plural but one. The production of the church is one, the nature of the church is one, the existence of the church is one, and all other aspects of the church are one. In brief, we can say that everything related to the church is intrinsically one. Since this is a principle, we can infer that the ground of the church is also one, not many. We must hold fast to this principle. There is no justification for the church having many grounds. Since the source of the church is one and the nature of the church is one, the ground of the church must be one. Whoever thinks that there can be more than one ground for the church is wrong in principle. Since the church is uniquely one, there cannot be more than one ground of the church. We must affirm this from the very beginning.
When we open our eyes and look around, however, we see that the church has numerous grounds. According to the statistics, there were more than fifteen hundred different grounds by 1914. This is according to the statistics of over forty years or nearly half a century. Half a century ago the church which is uniquely one already had more than fifteen hundred grounds; today we believe that there are even more. There is no need to look at another time or another place; simply look at where we are at the present time and the present place. Do we see many different grounds of the church? Surprisingly, the one ground of the church has been divided into many different grounds. According to proper reasoning, no one who is fair and just could come to the conclusion that this is right. It is logical to conclude that since the church is one, the ground of the church also must be one. But today’s situation is not in agreement with this principle. Incredibly, the church has multiple grounds; the one church has many grounds. This is not reasonable.
What is the proper ground of the church? The church should have only one ground; this is a definite principle. An intelligent person does not need to find the biblical revelation. By simply inferring from the principle, he definitely should say that the church has only one ground. God does not do things contrary to His principles. Therefore, if we look into the Bible, the matter becomes even clearer. The church is a matter of being one, not two. If we carefully read the Bible, we will see that the church is described as being one whenever it is mentioned. The church is simply one. Therefore, the ground of the church also should be one.
Of the many grounds that exist today, is any one of them right? What is the right ground; what is the proper ground of the church? This is what we hope to make clear as we consider the matter of the ground of the church. As we consider the ground of the church, the first thing we need to see is the oneness of the church, which is what we ordinarily refer to as the unity of the church. Strictly speaking, the oneness of the church does not depend upon the church being united but on the church being one. Since the church is one, it has an inherent oneness. The church does not need uniting; the church is simply one. The church has an inherent quality called oneness.
What is this oneness? In Ephesians 4:3, this oneness is called “the oneness of the Spirit.” What is the oneness of the Spirit? The oneness of the Spirit is just the Spirit Himself. The Spirit is the very oneness, the essence of the oneness. The Spirit is one. This one Spirit is in you, in him, and in me; He is in millions of us who are saved. It is not enough to say that the Spirit in us is the same. The Spirit in every one of us is the one and the same Spirit. The Spirit in you is the Spirit in me, and the Spirit in me is also the Spirit in you. The Spirit in millions of us who are saved is the one Spirit, not simply the same kind of Spirit but the same one Spirit.
There may be some newly saved brothers and sisters who doubt this, saying, “How could the Spirit in so many of us be only one? To say that the Spirit is the same may be easy, but to say that the Spirit is one is really hard to understand. How could the Spirit who is in you, who is in me, and who is in so many others be only one?” We can use a simple illustration to answer this question. Look at all the electric lamps in a meeting hall. If we turn on the switch, electricity flows into all the lamps. Those who understand electricity know that the electricity in all the lamps is only one; it is not only the same kind but the same one. The electric current flowing in the many lamps is one and the same. Not only so, when evening comes, thousands upon thousands of lights throughout the city of Taipei all share the one and same electricity; all have the same one electric current.
It is the same with the Spirit’s entering into the saved ones, whether in ancient times or modern times, in China or elsewhere. Every saved one has the Spirit within him, and this Spirit in all of us is one and the same—the one Spirit. This Spirit is the oneness among us. The Spirit within the church is the oneness within the church. This is like the electricity within light bulbs being the oneness in and among the light bulbs. They are in unity because they are one. There is a oneness within them. Brothers and sisters, I believe that we can understand this now. You have the Spirit in you, I have the Spirit in me, and someone else has the Spirit in him; all the saved ones throughout the ages in all places have the Spirit in them. This Spirit is the oneness of the church. Therefore, when we meet a brother and realize that he is a brother, there is a response within us—we simply love him, we delight in him, and we desire to be near him. He also responds in the same way. Even though we did not know each other previously, it is as if we are old acquaintances when we meet. Immediately, something leaps within each of us, as if deep is calling unto deep—the Spirit deep within us responds to the Spirit deep within him. This response from the deepest part of our being is the oneness, that is, the oneness of the Spirit, which is the oneness of the church.
I would like to say a few more words. In the example we gave earlier, one brother met another brother, and the two had not previously known each other. Once they found that they were brothers in the Lord, they responded to each other and were drawn to each other; they were really warm and loving toward each other. However, if they have an extended conversation, they may get into trouble, because if they continue to talk, one will naturally ask, “Brother, what church do you belong to?” When a question concerning the church is asked, their faces will immediately turn cold. If the conversation continues, one will ask further, “What are the beliefs of your church? What is your attitude in regard to the Holy Spirit?” The other one may answer, “With regard to the Holy Spirit, we shake whenever we pray.” When the one who asked the question hears this, his face will not only turn cold but also stiff, and he may say, “Oh, this is too much! God is a God of peace, and He wants us to be peaceful and quiet. Peacefulness is the work of the Holy Spirit, but shaking cannot be the work of the Holy Spirit. I cannot tolerate anyone who shakes while praying.” Brothers and sisters, do we see this? When the two brothers first met, they immediately touched the oneness of the Spirit. They both have the Spirit within them. Despite the fact that one is for quietness and the other enjoys shaking, both of them have the Spirit. When they met, because the Spirit leaped within them, leaping in this one and in the other as well, they responded to each other. Although they are two, the Spirit in them is one in actuality. However, instead of caring for the leaping and the responding of the Spirit within them, they soon can only argue with one another. This is disastrous! One is occupied with the thought of shaking, and the other is filled with the thought of quietness. When one hears about shaking, he becomes upset and feels that it is unbearable. When the other hears about being quiet, he feels deadened, thinking that the Spirit is not present in this kind of quietness. In this way they will fight against each other in their mind. Their spirits echo each other, but their minds are in conflict with one another. It seems as if the oneness of the Spirit is missing; it has leaked out through the conflict in their minds. Their mind, their thought, has overcome their spirit, and as a result, the two no longer want to see each other. Moreover, they dislike praying together, because one cannot pray when the other is shaking, and one is impatient when the other is waiting quietly.
This shows that the oneness of the Christians has encountered a problem. What is the problem? The problem is with intellect, reasonings, practices, and opinions. But even considering all of these things, God has put the Spirit of God, once for all, into the depths of the being of every saved one. This Spirit of God within us is our oneness. As the saved ones, we all have the Spirit of God in us; therefore, we have the oneness. However, because of differences in our flesh, in our disposition, in our desires and preferences, in our views and opinions, and in our judgments and decisions, the oneness is damaged, and it seems as if we have lost the oneness. In reality, however, the oneness cannot be lost. It has merely suffered a setback; it is hidden and withdrawn because it has been conquered by our self. This means that our soul-life, preferences, emotions, thoughts, opinions, views, ideas, and judgments have overcome the Spirit and suppressed the oneness in us. Thus, our oneness has been damaged and seems to be lost. In actuality, the oneness is still present because this oneness, which is the Spirit Himself, can never be lost.
The oneness of the Spirit is simply one; that is, it is not related to being united together. This oneness does not need to be united together; it is simply one. If we disregard our thoughts and care only for our spirit and the response in our spirit, then there will be a situation of oneness among us. If Christians care for the spirit in them instead of caring for their outward thoughts, then a situation of oneness will be manifested in the church. This is not a matter of uniting together through human effort; rather, it is a living out of the oneness of the Spirit among the believers.
In Ephesians 4:3 the apostle not only speaks of the oneness of the Spirit, but he goes on to speak of seven “ones” in verses 4 through 6. If we carefully study these seven “ones,” we can see that they are divided into one group of four and another group of three.
In the Bible the number seven signifies completion. The seven “ones” of the church spoken of here convey, to a large extent, the meaning of completion. These “ones” are sufficiently complete; there is no need to have any other “ones.” If the church has these seven “ones,” the oneness of the church is sufficiently complete. In the Bible the number seven is sometimes divided into six and one, but mainly it is divided into four and three. Four is the number for the creatures, while three is the number for the Creator because God is the Triune God. The number for the church in this age is seven. In Revelation we see seven churches; furthermore, these seven churches are divided into two groups, the first three being in one group and the last four being in another. The church is a “seven,” which is derived from the creatures plus the Creator, that is, man plus God. This is the church. The church is an entity of God being added into man, that is, three added to four. Man alone on earth cannot be the church, nor can God alone in heaven be the church. One day God came down from heaven to the earth and added Himself into men; thus, the church was brought forth. Three was added to four to form seven; that is, God was added into man to produce the church.
Four of the seven ones of the church are mainly on the side of God, and the other three are mainly on the side of man. I am not dividing them absolutely; I only want to show the seven fundamental items of the oneness of the church. The first four basic items are counted backward from the end of verse 6. Let us read the section from verses 4 through 6, which says, “One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” We should first pay attention to the way the verse speaks concerning God. It says that God is the Father of all. He is your Father, and He is my Father; He is the Father of all of the believers. He is the source of life; we are all out of Him and begotten of Him. Not only so, He is over, above, all of us. He is also through all of us. He bored through all of us, going through you to me, and then from me to someone else. He connects all of us by going through us. Without Him, we would all be separated; with Him, we are all connected. This may be likened to the electric current flowing in light bulbs. When the electric current is absent, the light bulbs in the building are separated, but when electricity flows into the light bulbs, all the light bulbs are connected. Instantly, electricity flows through one bulb to another bulb. Before I can finish saying the word flows, the electric current has already flowed through the bulbs. Before I can say another word, it has returned. This electricity continuously flows through the bulbs and thereby connects them. Not only so, the electricity also dwells in them and fills them. This shows that our one God and Father, as the source, not only is through all of us but also dwells in all of us, filling us, saturating us, and completely mingling Himself with us. He is such a God.
How does this God go through us? How does He fill us? How does He mingle Himself with us? We all know that God put Himself into the Son. To God, this Son is the Son, but to us, He is the Lord. God put all of Himself into the Son, and the Son came to be our Lord that we may believe in Him and receive Him. He passed through death and resurrection and entered into the Spirit. The Spirit descended from heaven with the Son and the Father. Therefore, at this time, all three persons of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are in the Spirit. When we repent to the Father and receive the Son as our Lord, the Spirit enters into us. When this Spirit enters into us, the Son is brought into us; moreover, when the Son is brought into us, the Father who is in the Son is also brought into us. Thus, when the Triune God enters into us who have received Him, there is a oneness within us. This oneness is the Triune God. We become one Body because we have this oneness within us. Thus, this is a story with four layers: the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. Therefore, this portion in Ephesians first speaks of one Body, then one Spirit, then one Lord, who is the Son, and then one Father, who is God. If we speak in reverse, the order would be the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the Body. These four items are related to God. Of these four, the Body is also related to us.
God’s desire in this universe is to work out this four-layer story. These four layers are a mystery. If someone were to ask me what the Bible speaks of, I would tell that person that it speaks of the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the Body. In the first chapter of Genesis there is God, the Father of all lights and the source of life. In the New Testament this Father is in the Son; everything of the Father is in the Son. At the end of the Gospels the Son is in the Spirit. Then at the beginning of Acts this Spirit has entered into thousands of people so that the Triune God is within them. As a result of this mysterious oneness, they became a mysterious Body. Since that time, this Body has begun to be transformed and to grow, and it will keep growing until it becomes the New Jerusalem at the end of the Bible. The New Jerusalem is the Body. In this Body there is the Spirit, in this Spirit there is the Son, and in this Son there is the Father. The entire Bible speaks of these four layers—the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the Body. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. This is the entire Bible. I believe that all the readers of the Bible should see this thoroughly. The God who is spoken of in the Bible involves these four layers. The Father is at the center, then there is the Son and the Spirit, and finally there is the Body. These four, which form a set, a group, are the mystery of the universe.
Brothers and sisters, the church is one because the Triune God is within it. This is a series, a group: one Father, one Son, one Spirit, entering into one Body. The Body is one; the Spirit is one; the Son, the Lord, is one; and the Father, God, is also one. This God is the Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all, being mingled completely with those who are saved as one entity. This is a fulfillment of the Lord’s prayer in John 17. The Triune God and the church, which has been saved by grace, are completely joined together and completely one. This is one group.
In addition, there are three other “ones”—one hope, one faith, and one baptism. Hope is for the future. As those who have been saved by grace, those who are the church, we may have different opinions, yet we share the same hope. For example, consider the previous example of the two brothers: one is a shaking brother, and the other is a quiet brother; one disapproves of quietness, and the other disagrees with shaking. Obviously, these two have widely divergent opinions. The Spirit in them is one and the same—this is not a problem. However, they have two outward expressions—this is a great problem. The quiet one, however, may ask the shaking one, “Brother, even though you shake and shake, where will you be in the end?” The shaking one would answer, “One day I will be in glory.” On the other hand, the shaking one may ask the quiet one, “Brother, you are quiet all the time, but where will you be in the end?” Surely the quiet one would also say, “I will be in glory.” This is the one hope they share. No one who is saved is without this hope of glory. A brother expressed it really well when he said, “Our future is the same, so our journey today must also be the same.” Thank the Lord, we really have the same one future, the same one hope. Throughout the generations, Christians in various denominations have had many differences in doctrines, yet they have one and the same hope. If someone is different in the matter of the one hope, he must not be saved nor a member of the church nor a brother of ours.
There is also one faith. This faith is our belief, not an idea, opinion, or understanding. Sometimes two brothers who do not know each other meet and discover that they are mutually brothers in Christ, and they speak of spiritual matters. For example, when they speak of baptism, one brother may say, “I believe that baptism by immersion is right.” The other brother may say, “I do not believe that it is necessary to be immersed; sprinkling with water is sufficient.” Here are two different beliefs, two kinds of faith. But is this really faith? These are not matters of faith; rather, they are opinions or views. What is faith? Only that which we must believe in order to be saved can be called faith. We can be saved even if we do not believe in sprinkling or if we do not believe in immersion. Therefore, things such as this cannot be counted as faith.
Sometimes brothers come together and speak concerning the matter of rapture. One may say, “I believe in the rapture before the great tribulation,” and another may say, “I believe in the rapture after the great tribulation.” It appears that these two brothers differ in their faith, but actually, this is not a difference in faith. Whether one is pre-tribulation or post-tribulation is of no consequence. If we do not believe in a post-tribulation rapture, we still can be saved. Likewise, if we do not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, we also can be saved. We cannot be saved to a greater degree by believing in a pre-tribulation rapture, neither can we be saved to a lesser degree by believing in a post-tribulation rapture. We may believe differently, but we are both saved just the same. Please remember, belief that is unrelated to salvation cannot be counted as faith. What then can be counted as faith? The only thing that can be counted as faith is what we must believe in order to be saved; it is the things that, if not believed, will keep us from being saved. This is what is called the one faith. The one faith is not related to beliefs that are according to our opinions or views; it is the faith, the belief, that brings in salvation.
Sometimes the sisters may speak regarding head covering. One sister may say, “I really believe in wearing a head covering. Since we are sisters, we should cover our head.” Another sister may say, “I do not believe in it. Head covering was an ancient custom in Corinth; I do not believe it is a commandment from God.” Here, again, we see two different beliefs. One believes in head covering, and the other does not believe in head covering. However, such beliefs cannot be counted as the faith. They are opinions and not the faith. One believes in head covering and is saved; the other does not believe in head covering and also is saved. One is not saved to a greater degree by believing in head covering, nor is one saved to a lesser degree by not believing in head covering. These beliefs cannot be counted as the faith, the one faith.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that there are no truths related to baptism, rapture, and head covering. There are indeed truths related to these matters. However, we need to remember that beliefs related to views and opinions concerning the truth are not the same as beliefs related to the faith. Views and opinions concerning the truth are views and opinions and should not be counted as items of the faith. One of the seven ones of the church is called “one faith.” The faith associated with the one faith causes us to be saved. This is the faith in which we believe in the Son of God as our Savior, the faith in which we receive the Lord Jesus into us. He is the Son of God anointed to be our Lord. God put Himself into His Son and made Him our Lord. God not only conveyed His Son to us through His Spirit by preaching but also by transmitting Him. We receive Him when we say, for example, “Amen, You are the Son of God, the Savior appointed by God, and the Lord of all set up by God. God is in You, and You are my Lord. I receive You from my heart.” When we receive Him in this way, we believe in Him. This is the belief of the one faith. Every genuine Christian has the one faith, regardless of whether he shakes or is quiet. Anyone without such faith is not saved; anyone without such faith is not our brother or our sister. Those who have such faith are our brothers and sisters. A sister may not believe in head covering, but she has faith. A brother may not believe in baptism by immersion, but he still has faith. Another may not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture or even in a post-tribulation rapture, but he still has faith. Dear brothers and sisters, I absolutely believe that each one of us has faith in us. We all have this faith. This faith is the one faith of the seven ones of the church.
Sometime ago in a certain place I met a very dear brother. He came to our meetings to listen to messages because he genuinely enjoyed the fellowship with us. When he observed that we all prayed at the same time during the meeting, he asked, “Brother Lee, where did the practice of praying at the same time originate?” I said, “It probably came from the Spirit. After 1935, sometimes when we would meet, there was a certain kind of atmosphere and everyone would spontaneously pray at the same time.” He nodded his head and said, “No doubt this came from the charismatic movement, the Pentecostal movement.” Then he shook his head and said, “This is really regrettable! Really regrettable! I thought that your meetings were the best, but I never would have imagined that there could be such a bad thing as everyone praying at the same time. The presence of this practice among you is really a stain.” After I listened to his words, I dared not say anything, nor could I. Within me, however, I said, “We feel that it is all right to pray at the same time, and you feel that it is not all right. Either way, it does not matter. But if we dispute over this matter, with one considering it as a defect, and the other considering it as a good thing, this will become troublesome to us, and we will have a problem with one another.”
We must know the one faith that is indispensable to the church. Our oneness must be based on this one faith, not on opinions concerning the truth. God is in His Son, His Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit comes into every one of us, making us one Body. One God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body—this is the one faith. Is God one? Yes! Is the Lord one? Yes! Is the Spirit one? Yes! Is the Body one? Yes! Is this one God in us? Yes! Is this one Lord in us? Yes! Is this one Spirit in us? Yes! Are we in the one Body? Yes! We all have these items, and we all believe these items. This is the one faith. Concerning outward practices, one may be in favor of praying one by one and another favors everyone praying at the same time. The first may consider everyone praying at the same time as a stain, but the second may consider it a glory. This is something in addition to the faith. As children of God, we must see that we should require people to have only the one faith; we should not consider other opinions, views, or ideas as fundamental beliefs. Whether we pray while standing or pray while kneeling down, whether we pray at the same time or pray one by one, whether we pray silently or pray loudly, whether we pray with still hands and feet or pray with our whole body shaking—everything is all right, and nothing is unacceptable. Let me ask, brothers and sisters, should we count all these different opinions as fundamental beliefs of our one faith? Can we ask everyone to be the same in these matters? This is absolutely impossible. Therefore, we should not include these matters in the fundamental faith. The fundamental faith does not concern these matters. The fundamental faith is concerned with the one Father being in the Son, the one Son being in the Spirit, and the one Spirit being in all of us, making us the one Body. One Father, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body—this is the one faith.
Oh, dear brothers and sisters, if the children of God would disregard all the outward matters and see that only the one faith is absolutely necessary, we would be clear regarding the ground of the church. There would not be an immersion sect or a sprinkling sect, a pre-tribulation sect or a post-tribulation sect. All the differences would be gone, and only the one faith would remain. It does not matter if we are for immersion and others are for sprinkling, or if we are for pre-tribulation and others are for post-tribulation; we all have the one faith—we all believe that the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in us, making us the one Body. Because we all have this one faith, we are all in the one Body, which is the church.
Finally, there is another “one”—one baptism. What is this one baptism? Does it refer to baptism by immersion or baptism by sprinkling? Actually, it refers to neither immersion nor sprinkling. This one baptism denotes baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. In baptism we confess that all we are and all we have are accursed and that all that we deserve is condemnation and death. Through baptism we died, we were buried, and we have been resurrected together with the Lord. Thus, from now on the Lord Jesus as our life is living out through us. This is genuine baptism, and this the one baptism. On this point all the children of God are the same. If we speak of baptism only as an outward practice, however, it will become a troublesome matter.
I would like to tell you some of the practices of baptism so that we will understand that there is a great variety of practices concerning it. There is baptism by sprinkling, and there is also baptism by immersion. Regarding baptism by immersion, there are further details. There is face-down baptism, and there is also face-up baptism. There is baptism with one immersion, and there is baptism with three immersions: once in the name of the Father, once in the name of the Son, and once in the name of the Spirit—as if only this way will count. Such disputes actually exist. Someone asked another person, “What kind of baptism did you have?” He answered, “I had face-up baptism.” The first person said, “This does not count. According to John 19:30, in His crucifixion the Lord Jesus bowed His head and delivered up His spirit. Since our baptism signifies that we died with Christ, we should bow our head and be face down.” Furthermore, there are those who argue, saying, “Brother, in what kind of water were you baptized? Was it artificial water or natural water?” They consider baptism in the meeting hall as something unacceptable. They say, “Look at the examples in the Bible. In the case of the Lord Jesus, He was baptized in natural water. And in the case of Philip, he baptized others in natural water.” However, some over-spiritualize the matter of baptism. The Salvation Army is such an example. Those in the Salvation Army simply wave a banner over people’s head and consider that as baptism. The Quakers, who spiritualize things even more, do not want anything outward, so they only receive a spiritual baptism. They want only a spiritual reality, not physical water, not even a banner. The children of God have serious disputes concerning the matter of baptism, and as a consequence, we have been divided.
The one baptism spoken of in the Bible, however, is one, just as there is the one faith. By faith we believe into Christ and are in union with Christ. In baptism we acknowledge that we have been terminated and that we have died and been buried. After baptism, everything involves Christ being our life. When we believe in this way, the Triune God comes into us. When we are baptized in this way, the old creation in us is terminated. In addition, we also have the hope of glory. Therefore, these three—one faith, one baptism, and one hope—form another group.
Therefore, the first group that constitutes the reality of the oneness of the church consists of one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one God; the second group consists of one hope, one faith, and one baptism. In reverse order, they are one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body, and then one faith, one baptism, and one hope. The one Body is the main item of the first group, and the one hope is the main item of the second group. Combining these two main items, we have one Body with one hope. The church is one Body today with one hope in the future. The one Body comes out of the entering in of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The one hope is obtained through faith and baptism. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit comes into us, causing us to believe and to be baptized. After we believe and receive the Triune God, having been baptized into Him, the Father, the Son, the Spirit are all in us, making us one mystical Body with one hope of glory. Therefore, through one faith and one baptism we have received one God, one Lord, and one Spirit so that we are one Body with one hope. These seven “ones”—one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one Body, one faith, one baptism, and one hope—are the reality of the oneness of the church, the base of the oneness of the church.
Thank and praise the Lord, we have these seven “ones.” Whoever does not have these seven items is not a brother in the church; whoever has something more than these seven items is a member of a sect. If we have only these seven items, we are persons living in the church. Anything less is a problem, and anything more also causes trouble. We can have only these seven “ones”—one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Thank and praise the Lord, we have these seven “ones.” We should not drop any of them, nor should we add anything to them. We should keep only these seven “ones.” If we do, there will be no divisions; instead, we will have the oneness of the church and the ground of the church.
Since we have looked at the essence and the reality of the oneness of the church, we need to look at the indivisibility of the oneness of the church. In the New Testament there are many portions which emphatically speak of the church being one, which cannot and should not be divided. Since the nature of the church is one, the church cannot be divided. Any reason for division is improper. No reason can be used as a basis for dividing the church. We have clearly seen in the previous sections that the church is one; her nature, that is, the Triune God, is one—the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. Therefore, the Body is one and cannot be divided. Just as God is one, the church also is one. Just as God cannot be divided, the church cannot be divided. We must hold fast to this firm principle.
For two thousand years no one has been able to give a good justification for the division of the church. There is no such reason in the Bible. The church is one; the nature of the church is one. The content of the church is the unique God Himself. Therefore, no matter what reason a person uses to divide the church, it is an offense to God, and it is condemned by God. No matter how good, how lofty, and how logical the reason, division is not permitted by God. It is God who says that the church cannot be divided, because it is one.
However, for two thousand years, Satan has continually used man’s flesh in relation to the church to oppose God and to act contrary to God. God says that the church is one, but men insist on making the church many. God says that the church cannot be divided, yet Satan is determined to divide the church through the flesh of men. We can look at the situation on the earth today and see the extent to which the church has been divided. Not only is there an Eastern Orthodox Greek Church and a Western Roman Catholic Church, there are also Protestant churches. We have already indicated that according to statistics in 1914 there were more than fifteen hundred sects among Protestant churches. We may not accept this figure, but what is the present situation in Taipei? We have no idea how many “churches” there are in the East Gate district alone. In this district there is a Baptist Church, there is a Presbyterian Church, and not far away there is a Lutheran Church and a Methodist Church. There are a great variety of “churches,” which is actually like a “church” marketplace.
A church in a given locality is the expression of the universal church in that locality. Therefore, there should be only one church in a given locality just as there is only one church in the whole universe. The church in the universe is one, so the church in a locality should also be one. Today, however, the church has been divided by men. This is man’s greatest offense to God. We know that the church is the Body of Christ and the dwelling place of God; it has a particular function before God. However, if a body is cut up, it is finished; if a dwelling place or a house is taken apart, it is also completely useless. The church today has been cut up, and no one knows into how many pieces it has been cut. This is a divided situation altogether. Can anyone justify this? Everyone must condemn it! Everyone must, according to God’s Word, say, “This is from Satan!” Satan is damaging the dwelling place of God. Satan is damaging the Body of Christ. If a body is a little sick, it may not be important, but if it is cut up and dismembered, it is finished. The reason the church has lost its power and its authority on the earth is because the church is divided. Wherever there is division, there is no blessing of God; wherever there is division, there is no presence of God. Conversely, wherever there is oneness, there is the blessing of God; wherever there is oneness, there is the presence of God.
I must repeat that the gospel preaching in today’s Christianity is so pitiful because the church is divided. If the church was in oneness, without division, if it was a testimony of oneness, the dwelling place of God and the Body of Christ, in which there is one Spirit, in whom is the one Son, in whom is the one Father, that is, in which the entire Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—dwells, then the gospel preaching of the church would be altogether different. It would be full of power and authority and the presence of God, and there would be absolutely no need to use any worldly means to entice people. The apostle Peter said to the lame man, “Silver and gold I do not possess, but what I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene rise up and walk.” Then the man instantly arose and began to walk and leap, praising God (Acts 3:6-8). This is the gospel, this is the power of the gospel, and this is the authority of the gospel. However, today the church has lost this authority because the church is divided. Without the Lord’s presence, power, and authority, the church has to resort to pitiful methods and use material benefits to bring in false believers when it preaches the gospel. What a pitiful situation! The church has fallen into such a state because it is divided. Once the church is divided, it is no longer the church.
People frequently ask us, “Why do you say that others are not the church?” Actually, we never say this. We absolutely admit that everyone who is saved belongs to the church. We acknowledge that they are children of God, our brothers in the Lord, members of the Body of Christ, and constituents of the church. However, I must ask, “Do you think the place where they are standing is the ground of the church? Do you think their ground is the ground of the church? No doubt they belong to the church, but they do not stand on the ground of the church. They belong to the church, but they are not on the ground of the church. This is similar to someone who is a member of a household but who no longer lives in the house. Look at the various denominations and groups in today’s Christianity. Is their situation the situation of the church? Do they have the ground of the church? Do they have the nature of the church? Do they have the content of the church? Anyone who is fair and reasonable would shake his head and say, “No, they do not have the ground of the church, the nature of the church, or the content of the church.” We acknowledge that many of those who are in the denominations and organizations belong to the church. The persons are right, but their ground is wrong. They are right persons in wrong places. They have lost the nature of the church, the content of the church, the testimony of the church, and the ground of the church because of their place. These things were lost because of division. Once the church is divided, it is no longer the church. Once there is division, there is no church. The church must not be divided.
How did people divide the church? The Bible anticipated and spoke of this long ago; it predicted different ways that people would divide the church. Even though the church has been divided into nearly two thousand groups throughout the past two thousand years, the Bible describes eight sources of division.
Looking to spiritual giants is the first basis for dividing the church (1 Cor. 1:12-15; 4:6). This is not something new; it is an ancient matter which existed even in the first century. Some of the Corinthian believers who were for Paul said, “We are of Paul; we were saved through Paul’s gospel preaching.” Another group said, “We are of Apollos. We follow him because he is so good in expounding the Scriptures.” Still another group, speaking of Peter, said, “We are of Cephas. He is the number one apostle, so we are for him.” This shows men in their flesh uplifting spiritual giants. Paul truly helped people to be saved, Apollos surely was good in expounding the Scriptures, and Cephas was really the leading apostle. However, for the Corinthian believers to uplift them and belong to them, and thereby to separate themselves from others was to act in their flesh; this is not allowed by God.
In today’s Christianity, however, people actually consider this kind of division as being a glorious matter. Someone may say, “I am a Lutheran,” which means, “I belong to Luther.” Another may say, “I am a Wesleyan. I belong to Wesley.” We should not belong to Luther or Wesley because we consider them to be spiritual giants. Was Wesley crucified for us? Were we baptized in the name of Luther? This is what Paul asked the Corinthians when he said, “Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1:13). Paul really knew how to speak. In chapter 3 he told the Corinthians that he belonged to them. He said, “Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas...; all are yours” (v. 22). The Corinthians said, “I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ” (1:12). Paul turned it around and challenged them, seeming to say, “Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas—all are yours. It is not that you are ours; rather, it is that we are yours.” Today people say, “I am of Luther” or “I am of Wesley,” but I believe if Luther and Wesley were alive today, they also would say, “I, Luther, belong to you,” and “I, Wesley, belong to you.”
Dear brothers and sisters, we should never uplift any spiritual giant. In his Epistle Paul strongly rebuked the Corinthians concerning this matter. He seemed to be saying, “Why do you esteem me beyond what has been written in the Scriptures? You are proud, yet you use me as your ground. You highly appreciate me but look down on Apollos; this is altogether of the flesh and according to the manner of men in the world. People in the world exalt men and form parties. But these things should not be in the church. In the church only Christ is the Head, all the glory should go to Him, and all the people should belong to Him. If this was our situation, there would be no division in the church.”
The Scriptures also speak of dividing the church by taking the instrumentality, that is, the source, of our salvation as the one to whom we should belong. Among the children of God, many will not say that they belong to someone, but there is still a general atmosphere of paying attention to the person who preached the gospel to them or who baptized them. This is also not allowed by God (1 Cor. 3:4-8, 21-23). I believe that some of the Corinthian believers said, “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos,” because they were either saved through Paul or edified by Apollos. Since they were saved through Paul and edified by Apollos, they considered the instrumentality of their salvation or the instrumentality of their edification as a basis for their loyalty. Today many are like this. One says, “I was saved through So-and-so and therefore I should belong to So-and-so.” Another says, “Because I was saved in such-and-such a denomination, I should belong to it.” Still another says, “Because I was perfected by such-and-such a mission, I should belong to it.” God is not pleased with this. May we forget who led us to salvation, and may we also forget who baptized us. May we see that there is only one Christ, who is our Savior and who was crucified for us, and that we were baptized into His name and belong to Him. We should bear only the name of Jesus, and we should say, “I am saved by Christ,” nothing more.
I can still remember hearing someone rebuking another, saying, “Were you not saved in such-and-such a denomination? Why do you not belong to it now? You are an ungrateful person; you are a person who drinks the water but forgets its source; you are a person who forgets his origin.” This sounds very reasonable, but who is our source? And where is our origin? Our source is Christ, and our origin is in heaven. Only a fleshly person would count those who are saved through him as his own. Only a fleshly person would require those who are saved through him to belong to his “church.” Dear brothers and sisters, we need to be rescued in this matter. Neither the instrumentality of salvation nor the instrumentality of edification can be the basis of where or to whom we belong. We must be “ungrateful” ones; we must be ones who “forget their source,” because God is not pleased that we belong to any person or any organization, and He is not pleased that any person or organization would bring people to himself or itself. The instruments used by God—all the Lord’s workers, all the works, and all the missions—must turn those who are saved and edified through them over to God Himself and to His church. All those who come to work in Taipei, after saving and edifying some people, should pass them to the church in Taipei. This is the proper way. I should not keep those who were saved through me, and you should not keep those who are saved through you. Look at today’s situation. Those who are saved through the Presbyterian Church belong to the Presbyterian Church, those who are saved through the Baptist Church belong to the Baptist Church, and those who are saved through whatever denomination belong to that same denomination. This practice, which divides the church, is absolutely condemned by God.
May the Lord have mercy on us! We should not belong to anyone, and we do not want anyone to belong to us. We should belong only to our Lord Christ, to God Himself, to His church on earth. In whatever place we are saved, we belong to the church in that place. After Paul saved some people in Corinth, he gave them over to the church in Corinth. After Apollos edified the saints in Corinth, he turned them over to the church in Corinth. Peter, that is, Cephas, worked in Corinth and gained fruit; afterward, he gave the fruit of his labor to the church in Corinth. These three servants, who were used greatly by God, did not set up their own “church” in Corinth. Rather, they all participated in the building up of the church in Corinth, the one local church in Corinth. It was the pitiful Corinthian believers who divided Paul, Apollos, and Cephas. This is exceedingly foolish. Paul absolutely did not agree with this. He told the believers in Corinth, “You say that you belong to me, Paul; but actually I, Paul, belong to you. As an apostle and a servant of God, I am for you; I do not ask that you be for me. You are not mine; rather, I am yours.”
We need to see clearly that the early apostles worked for God in different places, but they all gave the fruit of their labor to the church in that place. Those in Corinth gave their fruit to the church in Corinth, and those in Ephesus gave their fruit to the church in Ephesus. Wherever they worked, they turned their fruit over to that place. Today’s situation is different: those who are saved are kept by those who save them. One keeps those whom he saves, and another keeps those whom he saves. When a person who belongs to a denominational church is not kept securely and joins another group, then that group is accused of sheep stealing. But where do the sheep belong? Whose sheep are they? The sheep belong to heaven; they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. No man or organization can reckon the sheep as his own or its own. Today’s Christianity is truly pitiful; it is so pitiful that there are even fights over souls. This is too shameful! We should never have a share in something that divides the church like this.
The third way of dividing the church is to consider oneself as being of Christ in order to separate from others (1 Cor. 1:12-13). In the church in Corinth, there was another group of people who said, “It is wrong for you to be of Paul, to be of Apollos, or to be of Cephas. We are not of any one of them. We are of Christ.” Actually, it is also wrong to use Christ as a label to separate from others. The fact that we belong to Christ is right, but if we use this fact to label ourselves and separate ourselves from others, we are of the flesh. Some may say, “You are all sectarian; you all are in denominations. I am outside of denominations; I am nondenominational and extradenominational.” Even this kind of speaking is fleshly. It is improper to use spiritual facts to label oneself and thus separate from others. No matter how good a matter may be, it should not be used as a factor to separate from other children of God. The church absolutely should not be divided. Every division should be condemned, no matter the type or the reason.
The fourth kind of division is because of differences in doctrinal views. For example, the Baptist Church believes in baptism by immersion, and the Presbyterian Church believes in the administration of the church by the elders. There is nothing wrong with such beliefs. Baptism by immersion is not wrong, and the elders’ management of church affairs is not wrong either. But it is wrong to separate from others because of these beliefs. I believe that it is proper for God’s children to be baptized by immersion, and I also admit it is right for elders to take care of the administration of the church. But it is neither right nor permissible in the Bible to separate from others because of these matters.
We must be very clear concerning this one thing: We should not consider mere doctrinal views as the fundamental Christian faith. The fundamental faith of Christians is the one faith, which we have already considered, that is, believing that God is in the Lord, the Lord is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. This series is the mystery of the universe; it is also the mystery of the union of God with man. In this mystery there is not only God nor simply man but God and man joined together as one. But how did this God enter into man? It is through the one faith. When we believe in Him and receive Him, He enters into us. Having one faith, we still need one baptism. In baptism we absolutely confess, saying, “All that I am and all that I have should be terminated and has been terminated. I am baptized in the name of the Lord, and now I belong to the Lord. I died and have been buried with the Lord; I also have been resurrected with Him. Now He is in me as my everything, and He lives Himself out through me.” This is the one baptism. In faith we are joined to Him, and in baptism we are terminated in Him. Furthermore, there is one hope, which is the hope that we will be in glory one day. The first four items—one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body—form a group, which is the main structure. The latter three—one faith, one baptism, and one hope—form another group, a subordinate group. We can have a part in one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body by one faith and one baptism. By the one faith He enters into us, and by one baptism we are terminated in Him and He lives out through us. In this way we are in one Body. Moreover, we also have one hope of entering into glory. These seven ones are the fundamental faith of a Christian; they are also the faith of our salvation. This faith is absolutely necessary. If we lack this, we are not saved. If we lack this, we do not have God. If we lack this, we do not have the Lord. If we lack this, we do not have the Spirit in us and, therefore, are not a part of the Body but are outside of the Body. However, once we have this faith, we have God, we have the Lord, we have the Spirit, and we are in the Body. This faith is common to us all; we all share this faith within. This faith is unique, and it is simple and basic.
However, because of our peculiar mind, we all have different views concerning many matters in the Bible. We absolutely believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, that the Bible is the Word of God, that every verse, every sentence, and every word are divinely inspired. We have no problem with this. Nevertheless, when we read the Bible, I see baptism by immersion, but another sees baptism by sprinkling. Both of us believe in the Bible, but after reading the Bible, he thanks the Lord, saying, “Lord, thank You for showing me that baptism by sprinkling is right,” and I pray, “Lord, praise and thank You for giving me the light to see that baptism by immersion is the proper way.” We both praise the Lord, but afterward when we come together, we argue with one another. I say, “Brother, it is really right to be baptized by immersion. When the Lord Jesus was baptized, did He not go into the Jordan River? And when Philip baptized the eunuch, did they not go into the water? If baptism was by sprinkling, why did they need to go into the water? Brother, it is very clear, and there can be no argument.” Yet he might say, “Don’t rush! Let me talk to you. If baptism were by immersion, why doesn’t the Bible say that the Lord was immersed in the Jordan River? Since the Bible does not say this, clearly this baptism was not immersion. In ancient times the sandals worn by the Jews were very simple and could be easily removed. After they removed their sandals, John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus went down into the river and stood in the shallow part. Then John simply sprinkled some water on the Lord Jesus and baptized Him. I also have seen a picture from an ancient time that shows the Lord Jesus being baptized by John. It shows two men standing in shallow water with John sprinkling water upon the head of Jesus. Therefore, baptism is surely by sprinkling.” Have you seen this? In my opinion, baptism by immersion is based on the Bible. In his opinion, baptism by sprinkling is also based on the Bible. Both are sincere believers of the Bible, both quote the Bible, and both have the common faith, but on the matter of baptism there is no oneness.
Let me give another example concerning the matter of the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath Day. Those who believe in the Sabbath Day fully believe in the Bible, and those who believe in the Lord’s Day believe even more in the Bible. Both groups of people believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They both believe that the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. They have no problem in these matters. However, one who believes in the Lord’s Day finds proof in the Bible and says, “The apostles definitely commanded the believers to set aside material offerings on the first day of the week. The believers also met together to break bread on the first day of the week. Therefore, in the New Testament age the Lord’s Day should be kept.” But a brother who believes in keeping the Sabbath, says, “No! Can the word of God be annulled? In the Old Testament God clearly commanded His people to keep the Sabbath. If this commandment can be annulled, then dishonoring our father and mother would be acceptable, and stealing would not be a sin. Is this sensible? How can nine out of the Ten Commandments be kept, but another one be annulled? Look at the Lord Jesus. He would go into the synagogues on the Sabbath while He was on earth. Look at the apostles in Acts. They also would go into the synagogues on the Sabbath. This shows that the Sabbath has not been annulled in the New Testament.” Both brothers are very confident in their speaking, and they feel that they have proof from the Bible. Even though both sincerely believe in the Bible, ultimately they cannot be one.
Therefore, if everyone pays attention to such matters and considers them as the faith, then the church will be in a poor situation and divided into sects. Yet in today’s Christianity this poor situation actually exists. This is because in addition to the one faith, believers consider their doctrinal views, whether right or wrong, to be a part of the faith. We absolutely must not consider doctrinal opinions as part of the basic faith. The basic faith is uniquely one, but there can be many doctrinal opinions.
Human mentality is strange. In the church there are people with all sorts of strange thoughts; furthermore, they all base their thoughts on the Bible. They can find many “doctrines” from the Bible as grounds for their strange suggestions. When I was young, I met a group of Christians who said that the church should not love the world. Based on this conviction, they decided that any brother who came to their meetings must have his head shaved and should wear shoes made only of cloth. If someone wore leather shoes and had enough hair to be parted in the middle, they would push him out of the door. Moreover, they also decided that the sisters could not wear a long gown popular in modern China. Instead, they could wear only blouses with skirts or with long pants. If a sister was not dressed in this way, she would be accused of loving the world and would be forbidden from coming into their midst. In the beginning I was quite touched by them, but gradually I felt that this was not right. According to their decisions, a good number of Christians could no longer meet with them. This illustrates how Christians can have strange thoughts. Some people find many doctrines in the Bible and use them as a basis for dividing from others. I would like to say a strong word: All of these activities are of the flesh! The church cannot be divided. Those who do not have a shaved head can come, and those whose hair is shaved can come also. Those who wear cloth shoes can come, and those who wear leather shoes can come also. Those who wear Western style suits can come, and those who wear Chinese style clothes can come also. Everyone can come. The church absolutely cannot be divided. We should ask only whether a person has the one faith, whether he has the Spirit within, whether he has the Lord, and whether he has God; all other things should not matter.
Let me give you another example. In northern China there once was a group of believers who were very zealous, who loved the Lord very much, and who were very much blessed. When they sang hymns in the meetings, they would sway their bodies and clap their hands simultaneously. Sometimes people who came into their meeting would leave after sitting for a short period of time. If one was asked why he left, he would say, “I cannot stand the swaying.” Sometimes one of the swaying ones would go to a place that had quiet meetings, and he would leave after sitting for less than five minutes. If he was asked why he left, he would say, “I cannot bear it. The meeting is too rigid and quiet.” What should we do? Do the swaying brothers have the one faith? They do. Do the quiet brothers have the one faith? They do as well. However, because of insignificant matters such as swaying and being quiet, these groups of brothers cannot be one, even though they have the one faith. Should these matters be counted as the faith? Should these matters be used as a basis for being one or for being divided? Absolutely not! These things are altogether human opinions, human views. If we use such things as a basis for doing something unconventional and unorthodox, and thereby separate ourselves from others, this is a fleshly act which is absolutely not pleasing to God. In Galatians 5:20 the Greek word for sectsmeans “heresies,” referring to schools of opinion. This means that people use doctrines or opinions to form sects; that is, they divide from others because of different practices based on a certain doctrine. Verse 19 says that sects are a work of the flesh, an action by the flesh; hence, it is condemned by God.
According to the Bible, even such matters as eating only vegetables and observing days must not be used as a basis for dividing the church. Romans 14:1-6 shows that it is all right to eat vegetables and to observe days, and that it is also all right to not eat vegetables and to not observe days. He who eats and he who observes, eats and observes to the Lord. Likewise, he who does not eat and he who does not observe, does not eat and does not observe to the Lord. He who eats and he who observes should not despise him who does not eat and him who does not observe. Likewise, he who does not eat and he who does not observe should not judge him who eats and him who observes. The former should not reject the latter, nor should the latter refuse the former, because both the former and the latter have been received by the Lord. We all have been received by the Lord, so we should receive one another. We should not say that we cannot take it, nor should we say that we cannot bear it. We need to bear it even if it is unbearable, unless we do not want to be Christians. If we want to be Christians, we cannot avoid meeting some peculiar brothers. But no matter how peculiar a brother may be, we still need to bear him and cannot be separated from him.
The church really is a mystery; it is a great matter. Countless numbers of peculiar people have been saved throughout the ages, and they are all our brothers and sisters. They all belong to the church. We need to receive them, and we cannot be divided from them. Even those who preach the word have idiosyncrasies. Some of the preachers stand straight—even perfectly straight—when they preach, without moving their body at all. But they are full of power to move people. Many people admire preachers who are so dignified and proper, considering them to be true servants of God. But other preachers leap and jump and cry and shout when they preach. Once I saw a brother preaching the gospel, and it was truly “exciting.” While he was preaching, he would jump around on the platform and then suddenly jump off the platform. That was truly difficult for me to take. Nonetheless, hundreds and thousands were saved through him. What can we say? Our God is so great and so mysterious that we simply cannot limit Him. Perhaps we prefer preachers who behave properly. When we see a man with well-mannered preaching, we may praise him highly, thinking that this kind of behavior is befitting to a servant of God. If we see someone leaping and jumping while preaching, we might say that he is crazy and does not look like a servant of God. Therefore, we may not listen to his preaching. However, those who prefer action may approve of him, saying that this kind of preaching can stir up people and touch their feelings. For them, well-mannered preaching is rigid and dead, and it instantly puts people to sleep. Therefore, it is intolerable. Nevertheless, all of these things should be tolerable to us. We all need to be broken. We must remember that the oneness of the church needs only the one faith. Having one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body is sufficient. We cannot make other demands on our brothers. A brother may jump and swing, but does he not have God? Does he not have the Lord? Does he not have the Spirit? Is he not a member of the Body? He has God, the Lord, and the Spirit! And he is a member of the Body! We must acknowledge that he is a brother. We need to bear the cross; there is nothing else that matters. In like manner, there is no problem in being well-mannered and quiet; one should not be condemned for being “deadened.” We all need forbearance with one another.
Many of the divisions of the church exist only because of different views that the believers have concerning the truth. Certainly, the truth is absolute, but the Scriptures allow for different doctrinal views. However, the Scriptures absolutely do not permit us to divide over our different doctrinal views. First Corinthians 1:10-13 and Titus 3:10 show that to be sectarian, to be divisive, is absolutely condemned by the Bible. The Bible allows us to keep this day or to keep that day, but the Bible does not permit us to divide over our different concepts concerning the keeping of days. We may have a different view concerning the truth, but we cannot be divided from others because of our view. We must bear with those whose views are different from ours. Even if we feel that it is proper to be baptized by immersion and to be quiet, we should bear with those who are for sprinkling and swaying. The church should not be divided because of these things. These things are not the basic faith; these are simply our views concerning the truth. To be the children of God, to keep the oneness of the church, we need to tolerate these things. Our heart should be enlarged; it has to be as large as the heart of God. God does not require us to have the same doctrinal concepts; God requires us only to have the one faith. What we do is acceptable, whether it is done one way or another way, as long as we have the one faith. This is the oneness of the church. We should never divide from others over doctrines. The Bible absolutely does not permit us to be divided because of doctrines, even the best doctrines.
Of course, this does not mean that there is not an accurate understanding regarding a particular matter. There is an accurate understanding of the truth regarding baptism, regarding the Lord’s Day, and even regarding all other matters. Concerning these matters, the apostles have given us complete and precise teachings. But while they were accurate and serious in teaching, they were tolerant and broad in attitude and practice, not requiring uniformity. On these matters, even when the believers practiced differently from what the apostles taught, the apostles said they must be allowed to practice in their way. But the apostles absolutely would not allow for the formation of sects and divisions related to these matters. They absolutely insisted that the church could not be divided. Today we also must insist on this matter. Truth involves accuracy, but many different views concerning the truth must be tolerated. There should not be any division because of different views regarding the truth. We absolutely must avoid division. The church is a undividable entity.
There are also divisions because of racial differences. In 1 Corinthians 12:13 the apostle says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks...” According to their natural life, these two races cannot be one. The Greeks absolutely could not be one with the Jews, and the Jews considered Gentiles as swine and dogs. The differences between them were very serious. But once they came into the church, they could not be divided because of these differences. Today we should not be divided into a white church, a black church, or a yellow church. These divisions are unacceptable. In Christ, these distinctions in the flesh have been annulled. Of course, when different races of people meet together in a church, they have different backgrounds, customs, dispositions, languages, and thoughts and concepts. This is not an easy matter; this is a severe test for people. Nevertheless, the Lord does not permit division. Even divisions because of racial differences are not acceptable.
Another great source of division is related to differences in nationalities. The Episcopalian Church in England is called the Anglican Church, the Church of England. There is also a Chinese Christian Church in China. These are examples of divisions according to nationalities. Divisions by races are not permitted by the Lord, and divisions by nationalities also are not permitted. They are unacceptable (1 Cor. 12:13). This is of the world and of man.
Another unacceptable basis for division is divisions that come from differences in social rank (1 Cor. 12:13). In the church, both slaves and freemen are brothers and should not be divided. In the early days, slaves had no position in society and no protection of the law. A master, once he bought a slave, could kill the slave at will and not be held accountable before the law. Therefore, distinctions in status were very great. But in the church there can be no such distinctions. In the church there are no distinctions based on social rank. We cannot associate only with highly educated ones because we are highly educated. We cannot do this. It is a beautiful thing when one who is highly educated can sit together with an illiterate brother. The life of Christ is in both; hence, there should be no distinctions of social ranks.
Over twenty years ago in Shanghai there was a “church of the rickshaw pullers,” a “church” for those who pulled rickshaws. All the rickshaw pullers who were saved worshipped there. This is really wrong. There is no such distinction in the church. Those who ride the rickshaws and those who pull the rickshaws are brothers alike; hence, it is wrong to be divided because of social rank.
The last kind of division is division because of certain spiritual weaknesses or mistakes. This also is wrong. Of the seven epistles written to the churches in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, at least five of them contain rebukes regarding mistakes and weaknesses of the churches, but the Lord did not tell the believers to leave these churches. Rather, the Lord called for overcomers in the churches who would supply and help others so that the churches would be revived.
In summary, there is no basis in the entire New Testament for anyone to divide the church. The church should not be divided. These things should not be only doctrines to us. We need to consider whether or not we have a situation that causes us to be divided from the children of God. God’s children have been divided, and while we do not bear the responsibility for this, we must ask, Is there a divisive situation among us? Do we have opinions or proposals which cause us to be separated from others? We must remember that any reason for division is wrong. We cannot justify any division. We should condemn all divisions among the children of God. We need to realize that it is sufficient for a person, through one faith and one baptism, to be joined to the Lord and God, and to be part of the church, which is the one Body, by the Spirit. We do not need anything more than this, but anything less than this is insufficient. If we have this, we have the oneness of the church and are in the oneness of the church. All that we require is the oneness of the church. With the oneness of the church, we should let go of all our differences; we should not let any difference be a reason for division. May the Lord give us grace!
