In The Master's Service

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UNITY AND PEACE

Elder R. K. Blackshear (deceased)

From "Good Will" Jan. 1956

I don't know of anything that is of more importance to the church than unity and peace, but I am at a loss as to how to bring these things about universally. I do know that if we had more unity we would have more peace. Webster says, among other things, that unity is harmony; agreement; as, to act as one, and of course there can be no peace and tranquility unless the members of our churches agree on everything pertaining to doctrine, order and practice. We may disagree about minor or external things and still get along together in union and peace, but we cannot hope to be harmonized unless we are agreed on the fundamentals of doctrine and practice.

Paul said, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph. 4:1-3. We notice the first admonition was to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called, and when we have complied with this admonition it will not be too hard to live in peace; but even after this is done, Paul admonished the Ephesian brethren to ENDEAVOR to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and so we see that we must continue in our efforts to keep the peace. This means, to my understanding, that each of us must desire the welfare of the church above everything else, and that we are not to fall out over unimportant matters that do not interfere with the unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit comes about when each of us is guided by the things the Spirit teaches, and this unifies us in our hearts and minds.

The Spirit will not unify us when serious differences arise, because the Spirit will not lead us differently. There is a carnal unity and peace and there is a spiritual unity and peace, and the two can never mix as one. It is possible for people in the church to be unified in the wrong spirit, and when such is the case the light grows dim and if there is no repentance it will soon go out.

The reason Paul gave the above admonition to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace was because he knew that God's children still had their carnal minds, and that they might do things this mind dictated. The Prophet Amos asked the question in the long ago, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" And we know the answer to that is that they CANNOT! If one believes in salvation alone by the grace of God, and another believes that it takes the works of the sinner and the grace of God to save us in heaven, how could they walk together? They could not do so without continual bickering and quarrelling.

If one believes that God has predestinated and fixed all things that come to pass, and that everything takes place according to God's unchangeable purpose, while another believes that God's predestination has to do with the eternal salvation of His people but does not govern all they do in this life, there would be no unity or peace between them. If one believes in gospel regeneration, and another believes that sinners are called from death unto life by the voice of Jesus alone, and that this takes place at the appointed time of God, they could not occupy the same bed peacefully. If one believes in keeping a clean church, and for this reason advocates applying strict discipline, while another thinks that we should love each other too well to deny them church membership, or that we should at least make allowances according to the prominence of the member dealt with, how could they enjoy each other's company in the church? If one believes in the resurrection of the body, and another does not believe this grand doctrine, where would their unity be?

God's children should love each other, yes, but they should love the Lord and His commandments more than they love one another, for the church cannot prosper unless they hold sacred the wonderful truths of God's word. When the writer became burdened to join the church I wanted two things above everything else, and these were: To unite with a people who felt as I did, poor and needy, wholly dependent upon God for His blessings, and a people who were clean, honest, truthful, righteous and Godly. I didn't feel worthy of these sorts of people, but I had seen so much rottenness and corruption in the world that I longed for a clean atmosphere, and I felt that such a people as this could help me to live better. I found folks like this in the Old Baptist Church, and they have been wonderfully good to me; I am still not worthy of their fellowship, but I wouldn't care to live without it.

The church has made mistakes and divided over things in the past that they should not have divided over, but —DALL—0D the divisions in the church have not been over trivial things. Some of them could not have been —av—0koided, and unity and peace be maintained. Some could be restored to fellowship by making proper acknowledgements and proving their repentance, but some have gone so far from the original marks of faith and practice that they could not be fellowshipped, but each trouble should be settled in the locality in which it occurred. If a church has ever been justified in withdrawing from a member, members or churches, we know there can never be a righteous coming together simply by having all factions to lay down their differences and agreeing to live as one. When we argue that each faction of Primitive Baptists should lay down their differences and reunite as one body, we virtually agree that ALL factions were equally wrong and that leaves us no righteous example or branch to follow. I know that all churches make mistakes, but I am not ready to say that some have not more faithfully contended for Bible doctrine and practice than others, and when I am convinced that all have erred to the same extent I am ready to quit the church and seek spiritual companionship elsewhere, or just stay at home.

Brethren, we cannot modernize the church, because it was set up by our Lord two thousand years ahead of any other organization on earth. It was made modern in the beginning, because it was as our Lord wanted it, and everything that has been added to or taken from it has detracted from rather than added to its beauty and comfort. What was right for the church to preach and practice in the days of the Apostles is still right, and even though we can and do have better church buildings, which is as it should be, we must preach and practice the same things they did.

Let us pray that God may give us strong men, faithful to the cause of our Lord and Master; men who are satisfied with the true doctrine, order and discipline of the Bible, and who will contend for those things to the bitter end. I hope to love the church above all things else, and I have learned that there can be no peace where there is no spiritual unity.