THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT NO. 1

^[p. 40] THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT NO. 1

The endeavour “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4: 3) is the right principle, but the unity of the Spirit exists, and therefore the many members are but one body. The unity of the body could never be seen by the world, for it is by and in the Spirit. The oneness, being of one accord and of one mind, ought to be seen and was seen before the truth of the unity of the body was revealed. The unity being by the Holy Ghost always exists independent of man; the oneness which would be the practical working of it has failed, because of the unfaithfulness of man. The unity of the Spirit if maintained in power would necessarily lead to oneness, which is spoken of in John 17, where it is not unity of the body, but oneness of mind as with the Father and the Son. The saints baptised by the Holy Ghost are one body; that is the unity of the body, and this I endeavour to adhere to, and according as it is owned as already existing, oneness follows, but there was oneness (Acts 2) before the unity of the body was revealed; the external unity was never visible save as there was oneness, “one mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4: 2). The unity exists in and because of the Holy Ghost. The house is the visible thing on earth, the body of Christ is not visible. The truth of the body was revealed after the church was set up, and consequent on the rejection of Christ from the earth. It was then revealed that when He is personally rejected from the earth, His body is here by the Holy Ghost. We read “the church, which is his body”; but the church was the visible thing constructively set here on earth, and it was spoiled in man’s hands. The body cannot be spoiled, for it never was in man’s hands. The church was not always spoiled: it began well. It was and is still God’s habitation on earth, but ruin came in. The body remained intact, though the oneness was indeed soon lost, but there never was a thought of ‘manifesting the corporate unity of the body of Christ’,

^[p. 41] as you say. It could not be. The powers and principalities may see it now, the world will see it in the character of the bride, the heavenly city, hereafter. We must take care and not confound what is really the body of Christ — “the Christ”, with the constructive thing — the assembly set up here on earth. I admit the assembly ought to exhibit the power and grace belonging to Christ because it is His body. If failure has disorganised the assembly, as indeed is the case, and as a whole it is no longer what it ought to be, it becomes every true heart, while its history (Revelation 2, Revelation 3) continues, to be an overcomer — to overcome the state of things current, to purge himself from the vessels to dishonour, to ally himself openly and succouringly with those who are like-minded in this action, even they, who thus purged, “call on the Lord, out of a pure heart”. It is simple enough. The unity of the body remains — it is by the Holy Ghost; I endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. All the members ought to own the unity of the body, but they do not. I seek to do so, and one member being right helps all the rest. In seeking to own it I join with those who seek in like manner, and as we seek we succour others, we honour our Lord, and are helped and encouraged by the Spirit, who, according to the will of God and the heart of Christ, is ever working to this end. There is no schism in the body, there could not be. The church is divided and split up into different sections, but the body is not. There is but one body. To talk of bodies is inconsistent and unscriptural. The faithful member acts faithfully to Christ, and when he and one or more do the same they are in practical concord — of one accord and one mind, and they are a voice and a witness to the rest of their brethren, who are still involved and entangled in the corruptions which have disorganised the church and made it a huge outstanding worldly system. Christians have the Spirit, but they are not alas! endeavouring to keep the unity of Spirit. If they were they would be faithful to the Head and to the members too, for you cannot be faithful to the one without being so to the other; but in Christendom there is neither the one nor the other. Souls are saved, and they are content. The ark that saved them, I may say, is little thought ^[p. 42] of. If Christ is thought of and known as Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the members here are sought and nourished and known to be in the unity of the Spirit, and then, when known, we endeavour to keep in the bond of peace with every saint.