UNITY IN ACCORD WITH THE MIND OF GOD
A. J. McSeveney
2 Timothy 2: 19–22; 1 Corinthians 10: 15–17; John 17: 3; Romans 15: 6
Reference was made earlier today to the wonderful prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17. There are many things in that chapter that are very deep. One thing that has been on my heart is the desire of the Lord Jesus in verse 21 that “they may be all one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us”. That unity refers to the Father and Son being the only
object of the saints and consequently the saints having only God’s thoughts. (J. N. Darby, Synopsis Vol. 3, pp.391, 392). I would like therefore to say a word concerning the need for unity among the saints that is in accord with the mind of God. Many may desire unity of a lower character. The Lord Jesus, however, truly desires unity among His people, but unity that is in accord with the mind of God. Well, I feel encouraged to turn to these scriptures because as the saints have to do with the cross and the Spirit they can be said to have the mind of Christ, and therefore will also desire unity that is in accord with the mind of God.
I read firstly in 2 Timothy 2, because I believe we need to begin there in order to arrive at unity according to God’s thoughts. It is very blessed to read through the Acts of the Apostles and see the Pentecostal gifts and how all things were held in common. It is even more wonderful to see the activities of the apostle Paul in setting up local assemblies and appreciate the power that was seen in those days. I have to say, dear brethren, that we are not in those days now. Paul, before he went to be with Christ, mourned that all in Asia had turned away from him. He also mourned that someone who had been with him—Demas—had now left him “having loved this present age”. In other words, breakdown had come into the Christian profession. That breakdown has continued to the present time. Every Christian has part in it but it is sad to think that many are content with the breakdown of Christendom—
even in this country where there is so much to encourage with the many who know Christ as their Saviour, we can see the evidence of this all around. Every church, chapel and steeple is a witness to the breakdown. How our Lord must feel this. He desires unity but He sees denominationalism. Christians are content to gather in their own church building and perhaps join for united gospel testimony and then happily return to their own gathering and perpetuate the sin of denominationalism. That term simply means that persons build a system around a doctrine, and often a wrong
doctrine, and describe themselves usually with a term of their own devising. Dear brethren, that is ecclesiastical sin. It is in complete opposition to the desire of the Lord Jesus for unity according to the mind of God.
What am I to do in the midst of such breakdown? I have come to know the Lord Jesus. I appreciate all He has done for me. He has become the hidden Man of my heart. He governs my personal life. He governs my family life. What can I do in faithfulness to Him in the midst of such denominational breakdown? 2 Timothy 2 tells me what I must do. As appreciating the grace of the Lord and owning the supreme place that He has in my life, I name His name and depart from iniquity. I separate from denominationalism and pursue the blessed features seen in the life of Jesus—righteousness, faith, love and peace. It is not that I leave the great house but I pursue a separate pathway within the great house. The wonderful thing is that in doing so God does not leave me a unit but provides others who are similarly exercised and have in like manner sacrificed family links or business links in faithfulness to Him. Beloved brethren, that is the only way we arrive at unity according to the mind of God.
Many of the brethren here will have read Mr. Darby’s pamphlets ‘Separation from Evil, God’s Principle of Unity’ and ‘Grace the Power of Unity and Gathering’ (J. N. Darby, Vol. 1, pp.352–377). Perhaps we are not so familiar with the background in which such pamphlets were written. At the same time as brethren were being gathered through grace and by separation from evil, another movement commenced called ‘The Evangelical Alliance’. Such persons wanted to remain within their systems and only join for gospel work. Mr. Darby did not take issue with these dear Christians’ desire for unity but the way they went about it (J. N. Darby, Vol. 4, pp.77, 78). The pamphlets we have mentioned set out the way Mr. Darby felt we arrive at unity. Dear brethren they still hold good today and 2 Timothy 2 is the way that we arrive at unity that is in accord with the mind of God and acceptable to Him.
I turn to 1 Corinthians 10 because it shows how the unity we arrive at in 2 Timothy 2 is maintained practically. 1 Corinthians gives us light as to how we are to conduct ourselves in our local assemblies. We do not claim to be the assembly, but we seek to walk in the light of it and desire that assembly features may be seen. We express our fellowship together by partaking of the emblems at the Lord’s supper. That may not be a test to some of us, but we all will be tested during the week as to whether we are prepared to maintain unity that is in accord with the mind of God. In 1 Corinthians 10, temptations are mentioned. If we fail in these temptations we may be right ecclesiastically but we will be wrong morally and disrupt unity amongst the saints. However, the way the partaking of the emblems is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10 is designed to help us resist temptation. It has been well said that chapter 10 is reflective (F. E. Raven, Letters, p.75). That is, when temptations arise during the week, we are to reflect on our partaking of the emblems and thus be maintained. The way the emblems are presented here indicates that primarily I am to reflect on the fact that the blood of Christ has been shed. It is a test as to how much the blood of Christ has really affected my heart. I may preach to others about it but what does it really mean to me? Do I reflect upon the love that underlay the shedding of His precious blood? Is that the pre-eminent thing in my mind and in my heart when faced with temptations? Or do I sin and lose my own way and disrupt unity that is amongst the saints. Dear brethren, one would speak feelingly—we must be preserved morally. We need to be in a right pathway ecclesiastically but we must be preserved morally.
Reflecting upon our part in the Lord’s supper would help us in relation to our judgment of the world. As I think upon my partaking of the emblems I retain a judgment as to the world that crucified Christ. Prior to Mr. Darby’s death, he expressed his dread of worldliness (J. N. Darby, Letters Vol. 3, p.112). Beloved brethren, the
way to be preserved from that is to keep soft in our hearts as to the death of Christ. We also ought to remember that we are associated with the dear saints with whom we partake of the emblems. The beloved saints ought to have the first place in our lives on this earth, transcending even our own families. No one needs to tell us to gather with our brethren. We treasure their company and remember that they have put their hands to the loaf. We all ought to be clear that we cannot limit what is represented in the loaf to those we have fellowship with. However, we also ought to accept that most believers are not available to us because of their associations. Yet, there are a few who are available and our desire as affected by what is represented in the loaf, ought to be to gather with the saints whenever they gather. That, dear brethren, is how I believe unity according to God’s thoughts is practically maintained.
In John 17, verse 3, it would appear that the enjoyment of unity according to the mind of God is linked with the experience of eternal life. There have been a lot of tears shed over the truth of eternal life. Many will know that Mr. Raven was taken to be with Christ a good deal younger than Mr. Darby and Mr. Stoney. It is clear that Mr. Raven suffered an almost unparalleled amount of pressure from 1888 to his death in 1903. It is a question whether we fully appreciate the sacrifice undergone to bring out this wonderful truth. It is an even greater question whether we know anything experimentally as to the truth of eternal life. What then is eternal life? I take it that it simply involves the enjoyment of eternal relationships. It is blessed to realise that because if we walk according to 2 Timothy 2 we may be deprived of the enjoyment of natural relationships. It is wonderful to think that God would grant us the compensation of the enjoyment of eternal relationships. Eternal life does not relate to our family life or business life or anything of this flesh and blood condition. It is heavenly in character and on the other side of death altogether. It is there we can enjoy our part as the brethren of Christ and experience the love of the Father. Have we touched that ‘circle of affections all divine’? Have we reached in our experience to the other side of death or are we more happy being on this side?
God’s desire is that man’s heart may be satisfied and for us that involves eternal life. The form this takes at the present time is in the knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. That involves a sanctified company for the Father and the Son on the other side of death, if all were in that area, what wonderful unity would be enjoyed. Do we long to be there, or do we prefer, like Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Numbers 32, to live in our business and family circumstances. All this is testing because we may, like these tribes, be contending for something we are not in the enjoyment of ourselves.
(C. A. Coates, Outline of Numbers, pp.373, 374). However, God has made every provision that we may enjoy eternal life. As we accept Jesus as Lord and appreciate God’s love towards us, we then understand that God has reconciled us through the death of His Son and has secured a sanctified company, and thus we can enjoy eternal life. If we all take that pathway in our moral history, we can all experience eternal life and thus enjoy unity that is according to the mind of God.
It would be wrong to say that eternal life is equivalent to the service of God. However while they can be distinguished they cannot be separated. Eternal life is the platform on which the service of God proceeds. Eternal life while mainly objective also involves a quality of soul (J. Taylor, Vol. 100, p.216). In the presence of the Father, saints are conformed to the image of His Son. This leads to the way that we express unity according to the mind of God. In Romans 15, verse 6, we read “that ye may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. In other words, unity according to the mind of God is expressed in the service of God. It is wonderful that this should be mentioned in the epistle to the Romans. When we are first converted we find Romans very precious because it points to the way that we have been delivered. However, as we progress in our Christian life, we see that there is more to Romans than deliverance. There are things that are in Christ Jesus, there is the mystery, there is sonship and here in Romans 15 there is a remarkable reference to the service of God. While we are sons individually, in this verse, we merge together and with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What wonderful compensation that is for those who arrive at unity according to the mind of God through separation.
It is a real thing to go to brethren you once walked with and to tell them, that although you love them, you must walk in separation. Nor do tears stop there. You will find that you shed tears in the testimony of our Lord. You weep tears in your own bedroom that only God knows about. The thing that confirms you that you are in the right pathway is your part in the service of God. That is where we see one another at their best and are able to express unity according to the mind of God. It is also from that elevated standpoint that we take up evangelical service. As an individual, having part in unity according to the mind of God in its highest form, I can evangelise and be like Paul whose desire was to present every man perfect in Christ.
Well dear brethren, the emphasis is on each one of us as to whether we are looking for a lower kind of unity that God cannot accept or whether in our exercises, we have really before us unity that is according to the mind of God. May the Lord help us in these things, for His name’s sake.
Address at Ormond Beach/Bunnell
17 December 2004