W. L. Totty There is an ecumenical movement abroad among the denominations today to unite, and some among the church of Christ have sanctioned that movement. However, there is but one way to please God in unity, and that is to be united on his word. To unite upon a compromise is disrespectful to God and will do nothing except to revamp denominationalism. God's word is the same today as it was in the first century when it was written. It will be the same when Jesus Christ returns to the earth, and woe to the man who tries to alter it! There were some in the church at Corinth in the days of Paul who were not satisfied with the word of God, and they sought to add to it by wearing the names of Paul, Apollos, and Cephas, as well as that of Christ. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were good faithful me who preached the truth of God; and there was nothing in their preaching that justified the Corinthians in wearing the names of men. Paul asked them, "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Cor 1.13). Paul was so displeased with their wearing the names of men that he said he thanked God that he baptized non of them except Crispus and Gaius, lest people should say he baptized in his own name (I Cor 1.14). This plainly shows that if two churches are teaching two different doctrines, at least one of them is not the church of Christ; and it is possible that neither would be the church. For two churches, teaching different doctrines, to be right, it would be necessary that Christ should be divided. We must wear the name of him who was crucified, the one into whom we were baptized. Paul told them that he would not speak unto them as unto spiritual but as unto carnal because of the divisions among them (I Cor 3.1-3). Persons in the church, even the whole congregation, who are carnal and cannot be called spiritual certainly cannot be fellowshiped, according to the teaching of God. Paul said unto those who were faithful at Corinth, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? an what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with and infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them? and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,..." (II Cor 6.14-17). In this Paul was speaking of spiritual things, not marriage, as it is sometimes misinterpreted, for the context clearly shows that it refers to the worship of God. We are not to have fellowship with people who pervert God's plan in anyrespect. From whence comes division? It comes by following false teachers. The prophet Jeremiah said, "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord" (Jer 23.1-2). False teachers are sometimes cunning. They may emphasize love to the extent that it covers every fals idea. We must not, of course minimize love. God is love, and we must have love in preaching the gospel; but our love must be for the truth. The Holy Spirit inspired David to say that he hated every false way (Ps 119.104). And Solomon said, "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Pv 6.16-19). If the Lord hates those things, we must hate them too in order to be like him. When Paul went to Thessalonica to preach the gospel, the unbelieving Jews stirred up a riot against him, saying, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts 17.6). The apostle Paul, when he came to the end of his life, said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (II Tim 4.7-8). We must, likewise, love the truth enough to fight for it if necessary and always be ready to suffer for it if we expect to receive a crown of righteousness as did Paul. The Bereans were more noble than those of Thessalonica in that they searched the scriptures daily to see whether or not Paul was preaching the truth. Many today would say the Bereans did not love or they would have accepted Paul's teaching without question, but they demonstrated their love for the truth by investigating. Let us be as noble as the Bereans were and prove all doctrines and practices by the Bible before we accept them as being worthy of our fellowship, for we cannot serve two masters. --THE INFORMER, Vol. 26, Nos. 30, 31, 32, 33.
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