UNITY AND DIVERSITY
The rest of the chapter I am sure is familiar and would be in mind, even if we do not read it all, but the important thought running throughout it is that of unity. How important that is! It is to reflect God, the unity of God Himself; “God is one”, 1 Tim.2:5. It is not simply that there is one God – that is true, that is elementary; we get that in the Old Testament – but “God is one” is a further thought. There are three Persons, as we know, it is fatal to deny that, but the oneness of God is also of great importance, and we should be exercised never to lose sight of it, nor to lose sight of the effects in testimony of the knowledge of God as One.
This scripture has been misused by some, as we may know. They talk about ‘unity in diversity’, or ‘diversity in unity’, as if believers were justified in forming organisations according to their own ideas, and arranging what they consider to be ‘non-essential’ matters in whatever way they please. Amidst all that diversity, they say there is still unity in what is ‘essential’; this would tend to credit them with holding the truth of one body and one Spirit, and yet allow them to please themselves in the working out of it. That is far from the real truth as brought out in this chapter, where the diversities or distinctions that Paul speaks of all arise from the same Lord and the same Spirit and the same God. The effect of the variety, or diversity, is to lead to a greater understanding among the saints of the unity that is attributable to the origin of spiritual manifestations. The chapter begins that way: “But concerning spiritual manifestations, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant”, 1 Cor.12:1. The Corinthians evidently were ignorant on that point. They used the gifts to distinguish themselves and to bring in division, or disunity at least, to bring in personal followings of leaders or teachers that each party preferred; “I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas …”, 1 Cor.1:12. That was the feature that was at work in Corinth and is liable to come in anywhere at any time if we are not watchful.
We should always be concerned if there are among us divergences of thought about certain fundamental matters, including separation from iniquity, the responsibilities of fellowship, and matters connected with those things. There may be those who are going on outwardly together but have thoughts that would lead them in different directions. We need to examine ourselves whether we have any part in that or not, because if such things are not adjusted we can expect them to lead to painful division or scattering.
It is partly with that in mind that one felt it would be profitable to draw attention to this scripture, which shows how the variety, or diversity, is not intended to draw saints apart from one another or to follow leaders or anything of that sort, but to strengthen the unity that there is, and to bring it about that the saints in their testimony reflect the unity of the Godhead, and the many-sided, or “all-various” (that is the scriptural word) “wisdom of God” (Eph.3:10), which is to be made known not only to the saints, but also even in the present time to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies.
What an extraordinary thing it is when one thinks of it, that in spite of the disunity and ruin that marks the assembly publicly, yet even at the present time there is to be wisdom of God made known through the assembly: “now”, as it says in Ephesians 3 verse 10, not awaiting the world to come. There will be unity and other results of God’s wisdom seen then in a much clearer way, but even now the wisdom of God is to be made known; “manifold wisdom”, as it says in the Authorized Version, or “all-various wisdom”, as Mr Darby puts it. But that is not made known in saints all going off in different directions. It is made known by what God does; what He does by His word, by ministry in the various forms that we read of in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 – “the word of wisdom”, “the word of knowledge”, “prophecy”, the preaching of the gospel, teaching and shepherding. All these things are different aspects of the work of the one God, the one Lord and the one Spirit, and are to be seen working together in the same way as the members of the natural body work together in unity. We have not read much of that part of 1 Corinthians 12, beginning at verse 12, but I am sure we are all well aware of it – that the members of the natural body do not have to consult with one another about what each one is going to do, because they are all directed by the one head. They co-ordinate perfectly when the body is functioning normally, and they bring out the unity to which they belong, as well as the variety between them.
So in contemplating these things and praying for help about them, may we be led to give more place to the unity of the Spirit and to hold fast the one Head, so that we may all be enabled to move together in harmony according to the will of God, and to bring out in testimony the unity of the Godhead, the unity of the assembly, and the unity of the work of God as it is to be brought about in His people, in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Word in meeting for ministry, Colchester
B.E. Surtees
24 October 2016