CHRISTIAN UNITY
[p. 167] CHRISTIAN UNITY
Genesis 11:1 - 9; Acts 2:41 - 47; Acts 4:23 - 37
I wish to say a word in regard to christian unity. It is a subject of all importance, for it is bound up with, and is properly the outcome of, the gospel. The gospel involves the revelation of God, and when God is revealed we come to see that unity is in the Godhead; that is what has come to light in the Son become Man. Thus the Persons in the Godhead come into view, and we see the wonderful spectacle of divine unity; so that in the proclamation of the glad tidings the unity of the Godhead is brought into evidence. God is One, and all unity upon earth flows from that. God will not tolerate any other unity upon earth than that which is the result of His testimony.
Now, beloved friends, I desire as briefly as I can to convey to you some idea of the character of christian unity. You will have observed in the chapter which I read in Genesis that the descendants of Noah had unity before them; they would band themselves together in defiance of God, their object being their own exaltation; that was the end in view in the structure which they proposed to build; a structure which has many counterparts today. The object in view was to build a city and a tower to reach to heaven, so that man should have a name. You have there the germ of all human workings; you have indicated the object in view in all human activity away from God from that day until this.
Man as isolated feels himself of little importance; he feels himself a very little speck on the earth, and hence he would promote unity with his fellows; a unity by which his fame should be increased, by which his reputation should be augmented. And you have, as I said, in that the germ that has given [p. 168] birth to every earthly empire and combination of men from that day to the present; the end in view is that man should have a name. That is what lies at the bottom of all centralisation; the fame of man after the flesh. There is no thought of benevolence in it: every empire that over existed is a “beast” according to Scripture; and not even a tamed beast, but a wild beast. Now a beast has no conscience, no heart. The empires of men are marked by selfishness, and the same principle applies to every corporation, every banding together of men, whether trades unions or business corporations; all have in view the establishment of a name and greatness for man.
Now God will not tolerate that; and it is a sign of the last days that the present moment is one of centralisation, brought about by men to establish their own greatness on the earth; and every bit of ground they gain is taken from God and from Christ. I only mention this as, a warning; men are returning rapidly to that which God overthrew in the plains of Shinar; and the whole will culminate in anti-christ, “who opposes and exalts himself on high against all called God”, 2 Thessalonians 2:4. They are working in this land and other lands, and every day brings its own development of the denial of Christ’s claim.
Now I wish to show you what God brings to pass. God has brought to pass a unity of His own, and nothing in a way more evinces His blessed nature than that in the formation of His unity on earth He should have in view the blessing of all these families who were banded together against Him at Babel. The first mention of the gospel had reference to these families. I dwell on this so that you may have the character of God before you. God took Abraham out of the midst of this Babylonish world, which had departed from God, and the gospel of [p. 169] which He spoke to Abraham had in view that all the nations of the earth should be blessed. God looked out on the families in revolt against Him, and He had thoughts of blessing for them. Abraham saw Christ risen to be the vessel of blessing; that in him all the nations of the earth should be blessed. God said, as it were, ‘You are trying to bring about a unity: let Me bring unity to pass’. And this is the advice one would like to give to all men. No true follower of Christ could have part or lot in any unity apart from God’s unity; that unity which God brings to pass; and if any one of you is in connection with any such unity, I would counsel you to abandon it. God has formed a unity.
The Lord Jesus Christ became Man; He has answered God by His death in regard to the lawlessness of Babel, and He has gone up into heaven. But before He went up to heaven He formed a company of men here upon earth; they had been attracted to Him, and as He was received up into heaven they gazed on Him; their affections were completely won. As here upon earth, they are marked by subjection to the only authority that remained upon earth, now that Christ was in heaven; that authority was the Scriptures. They had abandoned lawlessness; the Righteous One had brought them into righteousness, and hence into unity. They were subject to divine authority, and therefore they were suitable for God’s unity. They were subject to the Scriptures, and were together “with one accord”, and the Holy Spirit came down from Christ in heaven on that company, and He formed unity here upon earth. It involves blessing to all the revolted families. That is the magnificence of God’s grace, that He formed His own unity here in the presence of men, and the Holy Spirit came in such a character that tidings should reach the revolted families, so that all the different families [p. 170] represented there should hear. They heard spoken in their own language “the wonderful works of God”, Acts 2:11. God’s name, God’s reputation, is what marks that unity. The wonderful works of God were spoken of. The wonderful works of man’s genius to which he points with pride were not before them; within that circle we hear of the wonderful works of God; these are worth hearing about. And they are proclaimed in the tongues of the revolted families, that all might hear of the wonderful works of God.
Well now, I want to show from Acts 2 that unity, practical unity, flows from the fact of souls coming under the influence of the gospel. We are told that “they that gladly received his word were baptised”. Peter’s word came to them from that circle. I need not enlarge on his sermon. The point of it was that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ; that Man was in glory, and the result of the presentation of that glorified Man was that three thousand were subjected to Him. I do not dwell upon it, I only want to show the result: “they that gladly received his word were baptised”; they severed their connection with the lawless world. They came into what God had established, as separate from the lawless world, and above all from the world of judaism, which was Babylonish, which receives the glory from man and not the glory that comes from God only. It was a lawless world, and “they that gladly received his word were baptised”. It is a peculiar touch, to my mind, this forty-first verse; they severed their connection with the lawless world.
Well now, many things are said of them, but I would only touch on one or two things which marked them. You will see at a glance that what marked them was a happy and holy unity. I wish to show that the effect of the gospel rightly received severs from the world and results in a divine unity [p. 171] here upon earth. It is not viewed in chapter 2 exactly in connection with the testimony as it is in chapter 4, but it is simply the blessed and happy effects of the divine nature. This is what chapter 2 presents; the results of the gospel received in their souls. In verse 44 we read: “all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need”. Now, I regard that passage as presenting the result of the gospel; a company brought together, happily engaged in the things of God. They valued the things of God and enjoyed them, and there was evidence of affection and care for one another. Each man thought of his neighbour; there was among them the activity of the divine nature. I want to distinguish between this and the unity in chapter 4, and then I shall close.
Chapters 3 and 4 show us the character of the apostles’ testimony; that is, that they were not engaged with their own reputations, but with Christ’s name. What marked the christian unity was that His name was to be great instead of our name. Wherever you find a man, be he christian or not, who has his own name before him, he is Babylonish; he is virtually a Babel-builder. But what marks the apostles is Christ’s name — “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk”, Acts 3:6. Peter said he had neither gold nor silver, and he had no reputation, but Jesus of Nazareth had a name of renown. Peter boldly states in chapter 4 that there is none other “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”, Acts 4:12. That is what marked Peter and John in their testimony. Now, Satan was against that name. The injunction of the religious leaders in chapter 4 was not simply that they should not hold certain doctrines, but that they should not teach or preach in that name.
[p. 172] But the divine intention is to maintain that name.
Now I want to show you that the end of chapter 4 presents to us a unity in support of that testimony; not exactly a unity seen as formed by the gospel, as in chapter 2, but a unity in support of the testimony. I feel that is what should exercise our hearts. “Being let go, they went to their own company”. Alas! many in our day have no company, but in the early days the preachers and teachers had a company, and they went to it and found sympathy. When things are according to God the preachers and the company are in unity; hence we find they went to their “own company”. And what was in that circle? Their prayers indicated that they were exercised about all the counsels of God. They quote Psalm 2. You can always tell where people are by their prayers. The whole world was banded against God and Christ; and this company was for God and for Christ. I wish just to read their prayer: “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus”.
[p. 173] Is not that a wonderful prayer? I need not enlarge on the chapter. That company was in entire sympathy with God’s testimony. And then God answered. God is for that company in power, and we read, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together”. That was the company which God supported; the company that were thinking of His testimony; of the “name of thy holy servant Jesus”. All the power of man’s empire levelled against that company could not touch it. The place was shaken where they were assembled. The shaking was not like the shock of an earthquake; that would inspire terror; but it was indicative of the power of God that was for them; it was from God’s hand, and inspired confidence in the company assembled; and “they spake the word of God with boldness”. Another mark of the company you will notice was that they sold their possessions, not only that distribution might be made, but they “brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet”. They recognised the apostles who represented the authority of Christ. The surrender of property in chapter 4 has reference to the testimony, the donors indicated their sympathy with the testimony.
Well now, I have done. I hope I have made clear to you the marks of christian unity. It really flows from the Godhead. But the unity which God proposes is unity in variety. In the future the whole universe, with all its different families, will be united. All the courts of the tabernacle were joined together by golden taches so that it should be one tabernacle. This speaks of the whole universe being bound together in divine love. There will be all the different families, but all will be bound together in a unity of variety. All will be pervaded by the spirit of sonship.