Introduction
One of the greatest shames felt by all
right–minded Christians is the divided state of that which professes
the name of the Lord. In direct contravention of the Lord’s own
prayer that His people “may be all one” (John 17: 21), the Church is
riven by the twin evils of sectarianism and independency. Search the
Scriptures, and you will find that there is but one fellowship, the
fellowship of God’s Son (see 1 Cor. 1: 9), and one faith, the faith
once delivered to the saints (see Eph. 4: 5; Jude 1: 3).
Furthermore, we are to “use diligence to keep the unity”, not of
what we or others have fashioned, but “of the Spirit” (Eph. 4: 3).
How then, are these things to be worked out in the difficult
situation that presents itself today? Or, to put the question
another way,
what is to be our attitude to
other Christians who follow the Lord, but “not with us”
(Luke 9: 49)—whatever may be the reason for the separation? Do not
misunderstand me, I am not now talking about fellowship. Fellowship
(at least in its full sense) may be not be easy to work out to any
great degree in the ecclesiastical confusion of the present day.
What I am talking about is
attitude. How do we
regard these other believers, and is how we relate to them pleasing
to the Lord? The issue is, of course, complex and difficult, but to
address it by retreating into isolationism is not only spiritual
cowardice, but is effectively embracing a sectarian position. A
narrow walk is Scriptural; a narrow heart is not.
Love to all the Saints
We
are often most tested by the simplest things. Thus when we read that
the Ephesians saints were commended for “the love which [ye have]
towards all the saints” (Eph. 1: 15) many of us would readily admit
that we, by contrast, fall somewhat short. The commendation was not
that the Ephesians loved some of the saints, or even most of the
saints, but
all of the saints.
This feature was all–encompassing, extending to both Jew and
Gentile, rich and poor, saints nearby and saints far away. The
Spirit of God has thus set the bar very high, and the question is
how we measure up to it. Loving those we like is easy, and we warm
naturally to those of the same social class and race (see Acts 6:
1). It is also often straightforward to get along with those who
share a similar doctrinal perspective. Here, however, it is a matter
of loving
all—and nothing less will do for God. That is why Gaius loved
even Christians previously unknown to him: “thou doest faithfully
[in] whatever thou mayest have wrought towards the brethren and that
strangers, (who have witnessed of thy love before [the] assembly,)”
(3 John 5, 6). Of course that was when there was still a semblance
of outward unity in the Church. What about now, when the nascent
“sects” and “schools of opinion” (1 Cor. 11: 19; Gal. 5: 20) have
solidified into the myriad ‘churches’ we see today? Is the
Scriptural injunction to love
all to be watered down such that we love those with whom we are
in practical fellowship
more than other
Christians (to whom we can be largely indifferent)? Now of course
those with whom we ‘break bread’ are bound to mean more to us than
saints we scarcely know, for such a thing is only natural—but why
should we be satisfied with what is merely
natural? In the one
body (inclusive of all Christians) the members “have the
same concern one for
another” (1 Cor. 12: 25, my emphasis). Has that changed?
If I say that love does not have to be to
all the saints, then I
am joining with Cain in questioning “am I my brother’s keeper?”
(Gen. 4: 9). Indifference is not love. If, in the parable, the Lord
answered the question “who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10: 29), what of
the question ‘Who is my brother?’! All attempts to
evade the issue by narrowing our definition of the word brother are
refuted by the Lord Himself who directly relates it to what is
characteristic of the
believer (see Mark 3: 35). Thus in order to suffer with the members
that suffer, and rejoice with the members who are glorified (see 1
Cor. 12: 26), there has to be a knowledge and interest that goes far
beyond the circumscribed conditions of fellowship in which we may
find ourselves today. Certainly the context of 1 Corinthians 12 is
the working out of the truth of the one body in a
local assembly, but no
group of believers today can justly claim to be the assembly of God
in a place in the way that Corinth was. At most, we are only so many
individuals walking together and seeking to do what is right (see 2
Tim. 2: 22).
Hence even in our own
locality, our love must extend to every Christian.
Scripture, however, sets no such geographical limits on the outflow
of our affections. Thus the heart of the apostle Paul went way
beyond what was merely local, and carried “the burden of
all the assemblies” (2
Cor. 11: 28, my emphasis). We do, of course, live in a very
different day to his, but the broken conditions do not excuse us
from being concerned for the welfare of
all of God’s people.
The one body is still the one body (see Eph. 4: 4), and should not
be regarded as merely an abstract concept.
The Proof of Love
So how do we know that we love the saints? The apostle John answers
this very question: “Hereby know we that we love the children of
God, when we love God and keep his commandments” (1 John 5: 2). This
statement needs looking at closely.
First, it tells us that if we love God, then we
love the children of God. Of course, “We love because
he has first loved us” (1
John 4: 19), but His love is a lever over our hearts: “Beloved, if
God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (v11). Who
are the children of God? John tells us that in his gospel: “As many
as received him, to them gave he [the] right to be children of God,
to those that believe on his name” (John 1: 12). The extent of our
love ought therefore to be very wide. Nor can we help loving because
“God is love, and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in
him” (v16).
Second, it tells that if we keep God’s
commandments, then we love the children of God. Scripture specifies
one particular commandment in this connection: “And this is his
commandment, that we believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ,
and that we love one another, even as he has given us commandment”
(1 John 3: 23; see John 13: 34). Therefore not only do we love the
children of God because we have been made “partakers of [the] divine
nature” (2 Pet. 1: 4), but we love them because we are obedient to
the divine commandment.
Third, it tells us that loving the children of
God cannot be separated from keeping all of God’s commandments.
These commandments (plural) go beyond the one command to love each
other, and encompass everything that God has set out for us to obey
in His word. It is therefore
not love to others if
I seek ‘fellowship’ with them when this involves me turning a blind
eye to things that may not be right. Such brethren may be helped out
of their path of disobedience if I make a stand; they can only be
confirmed in that path if I appear to sanction it by walking with
them. Hence in some instances, love may be severely restricted in
the avenues by which it can be expressed. However, our
responsibility to “withdraw from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2: 19) does not
absolve us of our responsibility to love. Where love is real, it
must still be expressed—even if
that is only on the knees before God.
With many others there is, happily, much more
that can be done in terms of practical ministry. Of course
righteousness may have something to say as to how our love is to be
expressed—but there remains much scope for acts of kindness (see 1
Cor. 13: 4). The narrow–minded notion of some that love is to be
kept within the bounds of those calling upon “the Lord out of a pure
heart” (2 Tim. 2: 22) is no more correct than thinking that such
need only be righteous among themselves. The idea of this Scripture
is simply that of like–minded persons pursuing both righteousness
and love—being characterised by these features—and the love will
inevitably go out to
all who the Lord loves
(see Eph. 5: 25). Indeed, there is no way that righteousness
according to God can be
pursued if it is decoupled from love.
If love is real, it must find a means to
express itself, and there are any number of these means. For
brevity’s sake, however, I shall confine myself to three of the most
important:
prayer,
practical giving and
personal contact. The apostle Paul connects all three together
in his epistle to the Romans: “as regards prayer, persevering:
distributing to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality”
(Rom. 12: 12, 13).
Praying for Other Christians
Of the three, prayer is the most important as
it is the link between the servant and the Master. Through prayer we
can understand how to proceed, both in relation to practical giving
and personal contact with other Christians. There is a particular
value, however, in praying
for those for whom we can do
little or nothing else. The writer of the epistle to Hebrews
had this in mind when he exhorts his readers to “Remember prisoners,
as bound with [them]; those that are evil–treated, as being
yourselves also in [the] body” (Heb. 13: 3). While no doubt the
application can be made general, it would appear that it is
Christian prisoners and Christians suffering for their faith that
are in view. The language used is remarkable, as it implies a very
deep level of empathy: “as bound with [them] … as being yourselves
also in [the] body”. This is much more than merely praying for the
persecuted Church in the prayer meeting, commendable as that is. It
implies that the suffering of the afflicted is
felt, almost as if it
were in our own bodies. This would give impetus to our prayers and
make them more fervent. It is also impossible to carry out this
instruction without having some real knowledge of what other
believers in other lands may be facing. Indeed, real love will
want to know. Prayer ought to be intelligent, and it is
inexcusable to imagine that vague platitudes come anywhere near
obedience to this Scripture.
I have no doubt that our relative indifference
to those who suffer for His name is greatly displeasing to the Lord.
He is not indifferent,
for He says “I
know thy tribulation
and thy poverty” (Rev. 2: 9, my emphasis). However, the Lord also
ensured that Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and
Laodicea were aware of what was happening at Smyrna, and this was
surely not done just for interest’s sake. We also ought to know what
is going on elsewhere. If a generation ago we could plead ignorance
then that is certainly not the case now—advances in communication
technology have seen to that. Furthermore, if the Scriptures tells
us that “we ought for the brethren to lay down [our] lives” (1 John 3: 16),
then surely
the least we can do is pray? When Peter was thrown into prison,
“unceasing prayer was made by the assembly to God concerning him”
(Acts 12: 5), for “if one member suffer, all the members suffer with
[it]” (1 Cor. 12: 26). We need to ask ourselves whether the doctrine
of the one body is a reality with us, or only a worthless creed.
Giving to Other Christians
Now the idea of laying down our lives down for other believers is a
severe test, but many of us struggle to part with even our material
possessions let alone our life–blood. And yet, as the apostle John
says, “whoso may have the world’s substance, and see his brother
having need, and shut up his bowels from him, how abides the love of
God in him?” (1 John 3: 17). Searching question indeed! The wallet
is not opened because the bowels (symbolic of our pity) are shut.
The need is seen, but the heart is indifferent. Why should this be?
Is it because we lack the means to give? We know that that is not
true. Indeed, the more honest would confess to having not been
content with “sustenance and covering” (1 Tim. 6: 8) and seeking
their own comfort all the while “a brother or a sister is naked and
destitute of daily food” (Jas. 2: 15). If there does not seem to be
much material need in the little circle in which I move, then I only
have to lift up my eyes (getting the divine view) and I will find
that there are many other Christians who I can assist. It was this
spirit that enabled the Christians in Antioch to determine
“according as any one of the disciples was well–off, each of them to
send to the brethren who dwelt in Judaea, to minister [to them]”
(Acts 11: 29). As John says, “Children, let us not love with word,
nor with tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3: 18). The
“collection for the saints” (1 Cor. 16: 1) was never intended to be
merely a means of circulating money among the comfortably well–off,
but a way of meeting real need. It may be that our present spiritual
poverty may be traced back to this for “he that sows sparingly” (and
the context is sowing in material things to those in material need),
“shall reap also sparingly” (2 Cor. 9: 6). Indeed the language the
apostle uses, speaking of persons giving “beyond [their] power” (2
Cor. 8: 3) and with “free–hearted liberality” (2 Cor. 9: 13) makes
plain our inadequacy in this area.
Personal Contact with Other Christians
Scripture tells us that “in [the] last days
difficult times shall be there” (2 Tim. 3: 1)—and there can be
little doubt that those days are upon us. Evil in the world grows
unchecked, and ignorance abounds in the Church. Against such a
background, Timothy was instructed to “abide in those things which
thou hast learned, and [of which] thou hast been fully persuaded”
(v14). That apostolic doctrine is now recorded for us in the
Scriptures, and forms the bed–rock by which we can negotiate our
path soberly as “simple, irreproachable children of God in the midst
of a crooked and perverted generation” (Phil. 2: 15). How thankful
we should be if, like Timothy, we are well–acquainted with “the
sacred letters” (2 Tim. 3: 15), and we can both hear and read
teaching that is truly “ministry of the
word” (Acts 6: 4, my
emphasis)!
Sadly, this is not the situation for large
numbers of God’s people. Some have little or no access to Scriptural
teaching, and what is available can be simplistic and ill–informed.
As with Apollos, there is a pressing need for many to have truth
unfolded to them “more exactly” (Acts 18: 26). False teachers abound
(see 2 Pet. 2: 1), “speaking perverted things to draw away the
disciples after them” (Acts 20: 30), but there is a corresponding
lack of leaders “able both to encourage with sound teaching and
refute gainsayers” (Tit. 1: 9). In some circles, the faith has
morphed into a kind of mysticism. What passes for doctrine is
‘supported’ by means of random Bible texts but is not, in itself,
derived from the Scriptures.
The picture painted is a depressing one, and it
is very easy to react by withdrawing in upon ourselves. However, it
is no good bemoaning the situation if there is not a corresponding
willingness to do something about it. If we have anything of the
spirit of the “good shepherd” (John 10: 11) then we will be
interested in the welfare of all the members of His flock, and will
do all we can to set them in the right path and find them pasture. I
am not talking about fellowship. All I am considering here is the
simple ministry of being an encouragement and help to the other
Christians we come across in our daily lives. Timothy cared “with
genuine feeling” (Phil. 2: 20) how the saints were getting on. Do we
take the time to find out? It is easy to sorrow over ‘the state of
things’ while living as if other believers did not exist. If we are
willing to be used, then the Lord will use us, and our personal
contacts with those of the Lord’s people we come across will be made
to count.
Conclusion
We shall one day be called to account for our
stewardship, whether of our time, our material possessions or of
divine light. These relate directly to our prayer–life, our giving,
and our sharing of spiritual things. It is a solemn word that “to
every one to whom much has been given, much shall be required from
him” (Luke 12: 48). Paul was willing to “spend and be utterly spent
for your souls, if even in abundantly loving you I should be less
loved” (2 Cor. 12: 15). That should be our attitude to
all the members of the
Lord’s flock.
