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 Can
We Be United?
By David A. Cox
Often, in the religious world people will lament the fact that there
is so much division. The division is often excused by people saying
that the Bible cannot be understood alike, but such an attitude
eliminates any hope of true biblical unity. In seeing the need for
unity and Christ's desire for it (1 Corinthians 1:10; John
17:20-21), religious groups believing entirely different things will
gather together, agree not to discuss the points of division and
will have a so-called "unity meeting." The question is, "If this is
not unity (which it is not) can Biblical unity be achieved?" I
believe that the Bible teaches that we can be and are expected to be
united and the Bible can be understood alike (Ephesians 4:3; 5:17).
The religious division that exists today is a result of men
following what men say through their creeds, confessions of faith,
disciplines, manuals, etc. rather than what the word of God has
said. The truth is determined in many cases, by what conventions and
synods proclaim as truth, rather than what the Scriptures say.
Biblical unity is impossible to obtain while there are
denominational bodies which teach conflicting doctrines from the
various creed books, but claim to be followers of Christ. Jesus in
His prayer to the Father for unity among the believers said,
"Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth" (John 17:17). As
Jesus continues His prayer we see the result of this was so all the
believers would be united. "Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they
all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me"
(John 17:20-21). Christ prayed that His disciples and those that are
taught by the word would be one. The unity Christ prayed for was for
those in the first century as well as today. This unity which Christ
prayed for is commanded of those that follow Christ. Paul exhorted
the Corinthians to be of the "same mind and the same judgment" (1
Corinthians 1:10) and he further told the Philippians "Let us walk
by the same rule, let us mind the same thing" (Philippians 3:16).
In order to achieve the unity of which Paul was speaking and for
which Christ prayed, we must all use the same standard as our
authority in religious matters. We recognize this with regard to
other facets of this life. If a man goes to build a house, would he
not use the proper standard of measurement? If a lady was cooking a
recipe, would she not follow the standard of measurement specified?
The answer to the previous two questions is yes, of course. Those in
the first century were united because they "continued steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42). They used the only standard of
authority for the things that they practiced in religion. The unity
that existed among the Christians in the first century was the
result of their being taught by the apostles to be of the same mind
and judgment, and their understanding Christ's desire for those who
would believe through the inspired word of God.
Why then do we not use the only divine rule? The answer is that many
do not have the proper attitude toward the word of God. Numerous
examples are written for our admonition concerning those who thought
they could change things to what they desired instead of following
the teaching of God. Examples include Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus
10), Uzzah (2 Samual 6), the children of Israel want a king instead
of Judges to rule over them (1 Samuel 8), Naaman (2Kings 5), etc.
These examples resulted in divisions, death, pain, etc. Let us
determine that we are not going to allow our attitude toward what
the word of God teaches to be altered by popularity, family
relationships, preconceived ideas, allurement of the things of this
world, etc.
Yes, we can have unity! And we can have the kind of unity that God
desires us to have. What is taught in the Bible is very important
because it teaches us the truth and we will be judged according to
it (John 17:17; 12:48). Let us be keenly aware that the Bible is
God's inspired revelation to man, and it teaches us what we should
do to be pleasing and faithful to God in order to receive the crown
of life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Titus 2:15; Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy
4:7,8). The apostle Paul made it clear to the Galatians that they
should be able to understand the gospel that was taught and be able
to recognize error when it was taught (Galatians 1:6-9). To be able
to recognize error, we all should heed the exhortation of Paul to
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God rightly dividing the word
of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Let us recognize that when the divine
rule is followed, there can be the kind of unity God desires. ~
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How
Can "Three" Be "One?"
By Roger Lindsey
(The above graphic is from Fred Liggin’s booklet “Mark Your Bible”
and is derived from other such depictions from other sources. It
shows plainly what is and is not true concerning the three that make
up what we call the “Godhead.” The following article is a part of an
exchange with a man who asked the important question about the
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, in particular how Christ Jesus
could be “one with the Father” and not be the Father. I’m hoping
that together these will help in understanding what the Bible
teaches about the relationship between God the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. If not, at least I tried.)
The term “God” is used of three different Beings in the Scriptures
as far as I can see. Although this doesn’t become clear until Jesus
begins to teach, it doesn’t come as a surprise when you read the
account of the creation when God speaks of “Us.” So “God” refers to
a group of three Beings, and there is only one such group. To say it
another way, “God” is a description of this group of Beings. They
are three Beings, but they are collectively “God.” When Moses said
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” he is saying that
those collectively known as God (elohim, a plural Hebrew word) are
collectively the only Lord (YHWH, meaning self-existent, not
created).
They are not one Being, but three. They are all three God; each one
is God. They are the only ones who can be described as God. They are
the only ones who can be described as Lord in the sense that the
Bible uses it of them. They are all three God, but they are not just
one Being.
Going back to the prayer on the night He was betrayed, the Lord
prayed this:
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe
in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father,
are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the
world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me
I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in
them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that
the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You
have loved Me.” (John 17.20-23)
When the Lord said that He and the Father were “one” this is the
sense in which He meant it. If we are “in Christ” and Christ is “in
us” then we are “one” with Him. That doesn’t mean that we become the
same person as Him. So the Lord was not saying that He and the
Father were the same Person; they are not. So when John the baptizer
heard that voice from heaven after he baptized Jesus, it was the
Father speaking, and He was speaking of His Son.
When the Lord taught us to pray, He taught us to pray to the Father
through Him. We can only approach the Father through Jesus Christ,
so we pray to the Father in Jesus’ name (that is by His authority,
Colossians 3.17). They are not the same Person, but two. But they
are both God, that is what the Hebrew writer means when he says that
Jesus was the “express image” of God. Jesus showed us how God would
behave as a man, finished the work that was necessary for our
salvation, and now is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He
is not the Father, but He is God. ~
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