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Holiness and Biblical Unity |
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By Rev. Keith Heberer Chaplain, Vandalia Correctional Institute Vandalia, IL |
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History is replete with the efforts of men to produce unity within the church. The oneness that Christ longed for is exemplified in John 17:21 where He prayed that “they may all be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee” (KJV). Records indicate that the first attempt at such unity was made by the Council of Clermont in 1095 as the “Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus I asked for Western assistance to drive out the Moslem Selkjuk Turks from his land. Pope Urban II truly hoped to help him and thereby create a common effort between East and West that would bring back the dream of unity.” Yet, rather than “helping the Eastern Empire, the crusaders of the West sacked Constantinople and the Church of Holy Wisdom in 1204 and further estranged the Byzantines from Rome.” This less-than-successful venture was succeeded by a meeting of the Lateran Council of 1215, which had a two-fold goal. First, the Council intended to address the even greater schism that had been precipitated by the previous attempt. Secondly, it sought to succeed where the Council of Clermont had failed by developing a “sure-fire plan” which would guarantee this ever-elusive unity. Unfortunately, the meeting of the Lateran Council was “preceded with the uncharitable reminder of the faults of the East without mentioning the faults of the West.” Hence, this second undertaking, like its predecessor, ended in ruin. In doing so, it established a precedent for all future ecumenical efforts, such as those by the World Council of Churches that would rely on the acts of men to bring about Biblical unity.
Thus, the question, Why? Why have repeated endeavors to address this issue been met only with disappointment? Has it been the result of poor preparation or a lack of planning on the part of participants? Has it been because those involved in the process were insincere in their motives? Though one or both of these possible explanations may have had a part in past failures, neither answers the question completely. In every instance, these failed undertakings can ultimately be attributed to a lack of insight as to what true Biblical oneness is and how it is realized.
To genuinely appreciate Scriptural unity and the means by which it is achieved, it is necessary to first possess a clear and thorough understanding of the true nature of the New Testament church. This is one of the items that Adam W. Miller was alluding to in Basics for Belief, where he noted, “Wrong ideas of the church naturally lead to inadequate concepts of Christian unity.” It must be said that the church is a spiritual body that consists only of “born again” believers. The word “church” comes from the Greek term ecclesia, meaning “called out.” Consequently, we find Peter speaking to the church as those who have been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God; which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet. 2:9-10 KJV). As such, by His grace the redeemed became a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” whose greatest joy is “to shew forth the praises of him” (1 Pet. 2:9) Who was responsible for this remarkable spiritual transformation.
The “him” to whom Peter refers is Jesus Christ, the One Who came to “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). According to John 10:9, He is the door through which sinners must pass if they hope to be saved and become part of His glorious church. In the mind of Paul, Jesus is the “head of the body” (Col. 1:18) Who sets the “members in place as it hath pleased him” (1 Cor. 12:18). For the physician Luke, He is the One Who “added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).
Absent this realization, misguided individuals will continue to mistakenly think of the church as the sum total of all Christian groups. Thus, they will go on wasting valuable time and resources with vain attempts to unite the church of the living God with those who may well be part of a group and/or denomination, but are not actual members of the body of Christ.
Paul condemned all such practices when he wrote, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God . . . . Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:16-17). How much better off the church world would be today if it would simply accept that the oneness for which Jesus prayed can only be a present reality among those who know Him as Savior?
Another key to the actualization of Biblical unity is awareness as to the importance of Biblical holiness in the entire process. When addressing holiness, the writer refers to what D.S. Warner spoke of when he said, “In the Gospel, it is understood to mean, freedom from sin and the possession of the Divine Nature.” With this noted, any doubt as to the role of holiness as it relates to oneness can be forever settled by examining the early church in Corinth.
A person need not read far in Paul’s first letter to the troubled congregation to discover that it was splintered along a number of lines. This included individual loyalties to personalities such as Paul, Apollos, and Cephas, who had served among them in the past (1 Cor. 1:12). The apostle eventually speaks to the root cause of this particular situation as well as the divisions that persisted within this plagued church, in chapter 3:1-3. There he comments, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Hence, the unsettling predicament within the Corinthian church could be directly attributed to the fact that a number of the “brethren” were behaving in a “carnal” rather than a “spiritual” fashion. About this, the Beacon Bible Commentary defines the world “carnal” as “a severe term” used in reference to sensuality and/or that which is “under the control of the fleshly nature instead of being governed by the Spirit of God.” The apostle Paul would confirm this and expound upon it in Romans 8:5-9, where he states, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.”
Thus, Paul reveals that the “carnal mind” does not accept God or the things of God, including Biblical unity. Instead it is vehemently opposed to the Lord and all that He values. For this reason, it can never “please God” as it continually seeks to gratify itself at the expense of all else. In light of this, the apostle writes under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, offering but a single solution that believers be rid of carnality and filled with the Spirit of God. Paul declares this to be the only hope for the brother who is otherwise destined to produce “envying, strife, and divisions” (1 Cor. 3:3) in the body.
This necessitates what the Church of God Movement has long referred to as a “second work of grace,” sanctification, “the baptism with the Holy Spirit,” or “the second cleansing.” Whatever the phraseology, it remains a work of God that is initiated by Him through His Spirit upon and within the hearts of the “brethren.” As with all else in the life of the Christian, this cleansing is to be received by faith.
Such was the case for the 120 who in response to the command of Christ, were gathered together in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). This was also true of the Gentile believers who were at the home of Cornelius as Peter arrived and began to speak of Christ (Acts 10). Finally, it was most surely the case as Paul arrived in Ephesus and there, “finding certain disciples, asked, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” (Acts 19:1-2).
In addition to faith, it is an experience reserved for the Christian who is willing to surrender the entirety of his life to Christ. F.G. Smith wrote in What the Bible Teaches, “The seeker must make a complete surrender to the whole will of God, a perfect consecration of time, talents, and all to His service, and himself be sacredly the Lord’s for time and for eternity.”
Romans 12:1-2 supports Smith’s remarks: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Ultimately, Smith concludes, “When this perfect consecration is made, God will be pleased to send his Holy Spirit in sanctifying power, purging the heart from the very nature of sin, and will himself take up his abode in the pure and devoted soul.”
With this truth firmly in place, there are two issues that are worthy of remembrance. First, the “perfect consecration” mentioned by Smith is not to be approached from a legalistic point of view. In other words, it is not the product of the sort of fear, dread, or obligation that always accompanies legalism. Rather, it is the result of an utter desperation to realize the fullness of Jesus in one’s life. Paul expressed this perfectly in Galatians 2:19, where he expressed his desire to “live unto God.” Hence, he wrote in the next verse, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
The second issue is that this “purging of the heart from the very nature of sin” by the Spirit does not leave a person without the “qualities which properly belong to human nature” and thus make him or her immune to temptation or the possibility of sin. Paul acknowledged this, writing, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air; But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:26-27). Hence, in Galatians 2, Paul confronts Peter for his failure in this respect, as Peter reacted in a hypocritical fashion toward the Gentile believers solely on the basis of whether or not his Jewish brethren were present.
One might wonder what impact sanctification has on the “qualities” that are so closely associated with “human nature.” The Church of God Movement has taught that it restores them from their “perverted condition” caused by the fall of man. As Warner noted, while “a wholly sanctified man will possess natural pride or self-respect, feel displeasure at injustice, have the disposition to be provident, have physical appetites, will desire pleasure, and have a sense of humor,” he yet “will be saved from the perversion of these.”
One other question worthy of discussion pertains to whether a “second work of grace” brings about a uniformity of thought and opinion among the sanctified. Acts 15 reveals that this is not the case. In this instance, a disagreement that ensued between Paul and Barnabas as to whether or not John Mark was to accompany them on their second missionary journey. Scripture indicates that the dissent was so sharp that it caused the pair to go their separate ways in ministry. It is important to note that the debate between Paul and Barnabas was not driven by unsanctified egos run wild. Instead, it was the product of two godly men who had far different opinions on a matter that was subject to debate. Further-more, there is no evidence to indicate that this situation did anything to diminish the common love that they had for each other and for Christ.
No doubt, it was this truth burning in the heart of D.S. Warner when he wrote “The Bond of Perfectness.” Verse 2 and the chorus reads,
O praise the Lord for love divine that binds us all together! A thousand chords our hearts entwine Forever and forever. O brethren, how this perfect love unites us all in Jesus! One heart, and soul, and mind we prove the union heaven gave us.
One is forced to wonder why a great schism exists within the Church of God Movement and many of its individual congregations. Shouldn’t we be the most unified of people? Should we not be “a voice crying in the wilderness,” and be leading the way in practicing Biblical oneness?
As pastors, it is convenient and, at times, rightfully so, to lay the blame at the feet our our people and a consumer-driven mentality that has become common among so many. Hence, more than a few of our congregants no longer “endure sound doctrine.” Instead, with “itching ears,” they have forsaken the truth and in its stead enter our sanctuaries desiring nothing more than “fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
Daniel Homan and Lonni Collins Pratt note that the last thing many Americans are searching for is a gospel that “challenges, disturbs, unsettles, and leaves them feeling like someone is at the center of your existence on a major remodeling project.”
Preachers would do well to remember, however, that they have been ordained by the Lord as prophets to the nations (Jer. 1:5). As such, they have not been commissioned to necessarily preach what their people come seeking. Rather, they are to speak the very words that God Himself has put within their mouths (Jer. 1:9).
Ministers committed to fulfilling this charge must continue to declare the truth of a “second work of grace” regardless of the whims of those who sit in their pews. Yet, this writer is convinced that the greatest hindrance to Biblical unity is the carnality which persists in a great many of our pulpits.
Surely, this is what the Lord had in mind in Ezekiel 34:1-8 when He spoke of shepherds who failed miserably in their care of the sheep because they were consumed only with self-interest. One recent writer speaks of Christian “leaders who are filled more by the thrill of adoring crowds than by their opportunity for quiet communion God.” Can there be any doubt that this condition is widespread within the Church of God Movement? Can there be any question that a large number of our pastors are driven more by personal ambitions and insecurities than a persisting hunger to preach the full Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The challenge before the Church of God Movement does not stem from a lack of knowledge on this subject, but from a lack of personal experience. Far too many have simply studied the truth of a second cleansing as a means to pass a particular course in college or seminary or to appease an ordination board. Yet, they have not realized it on an individual level as something Christ died for (Heb. 13:12) and wills for their lives (Eph. 5:26). Is it any wonder that they seldom preach on sanctification? Even on those rare occasions when they do, they are deficient in conviction and passion that only come by having been personally purified by the Spirit. Their sermons not only reflect this, but even worse, the lives they live before their people do as well.
What can be done to rectify this lack of unity? First, I believe that there must be a renewed emphasis on the truth of sanctification. It must once more be one of the hallmarks of the church of God. It should be taught loud and clear among old and young alike, whether in the local church or in the halls of higher education. Even more so, it must be modeled openly and consistently by the one presenting it. There is no substitute for the witness of a sanctified life. Furthermore, that individual must stress the importance of the second work of grace in the life of the believer and be prepared to lead others into this liberation.
Second, ordination boards should demand more of applicants who come before them. They should be asked whether they have been filled with the Spirit. They should question the experience itself, such as when, where, and under what circumstances. Likewise, they ought to describe the purifying work that the Comforter is presently doing in their lives. Then they must ultimately ask how they are going to present this truth on a steady basis and in a clear manner to those under their charge.
Third, established pastors must make themselves accountable as to what they do and do not declare from their pulpits. Understandably, some might wonder if this is going too far. Could an effort like this infringe on what is to be the responsibility of the Spirit alone? However, one is reminded of Paul’s remarks in Galatians 2. There he describes a trip that he made to Jerusalem in the company of Barnabas and Titus. In verse 2 he writes, “And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.” In light of this, is it unreasonable to suggest putting a system in place which would ultimately serve to promote the clear and consistent preaching of sanctification?
R. Eugene Sterner noted, “The unity which prevails in the church of God is not a forced one, dependent upon formal membership, discipline, creed or supervisory structure. It depends upon inner unity, voluntary cooperation, and love for the common cause.” Yet, to this list, this writer would include the absolute necessity of the holiness that the baptism with the Holy Spirit produces. Without this, none of the issues that Sterner stresses as being paramount to Biblical oneness is remotely possible. Instead, unity will remain ever-elusive and God’s people will continue to fracture. With the lost souls of people hanging in the balance and Jesus’ prayer for His people that “they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee” (John 17:21), this writer implores the church of God to rise up to this challenge and lead the way into true Biblical unity.
This article is adapted from a chapter in the book Here We Stand, vol. 2 compiled by Donald W. Neace (Winchester, KY: Pastors’ Fellowship, 2006) 36-49
Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “Council of Clermont” (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council of Clermont)
Miller, Adam W., Basics for Belief, “That They All May Be One” (Anderson, IN: Publication Board of the Church of God, 1961) 10
Metz. Donald D. Beacon Bible Commentary, “1 Corinthians” (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1968) 330
Smith, F. G., What the Bible Teaches (Anderson, IN: Gospel Trumpet Co., 1914) 181
Smith, 181-182
Newell, Arlo, Unity through Holiness (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 1991) 8
Newell, Unity. 8-9
Hymnal of the Church of God (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 1953) 414
Radical Hospitality (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2002)
Crabb, Larry, The Silence of Adam (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) 31
We Reach Or Hands in Fellowship (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 1963)
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