“Basic Christianity, Part 17” by Romans
Youtube Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUnDKD1NMH4
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Last week, we looked at a particular facet of Basic Christianity that I have said is a forgotten, and even a discarded facet of Christianity. That facet ~ plain and simple ~ is Unity. Christianity has, across the board, accepted the unacceptable lie that we are many members in many bodies. That is evidenced by the hundreds and hundreds of denominations that blanket the planet. There are denominations, each with memberships in the millions, who do not recognize as brethren or as saved, anyone who is not a member of their exclusive conclave.
That is not a description of the Body of believers Jesus prayed for on the night before His crucifixion. I quoted this last week, but it is certainly worth my reading, and your hearing, again: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).
We are not one. In complete agreement with Jesus' desire for Unity and Oneness, the Apostle Paul wrote, “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; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6).
Of this Albert Barnes writes, “The unity of the Spirit - A united spirit, or oneness of spirit. This does not refer to the fact that there is one Holy Spirit; but it refers to unity of affection, of confidence, of love. It means that Christians should be united in temper and affection, and not be split up into factions and parties. It may be implied here, as is undoubtedly true, that such a unity would be produced only by the Holy Spirit;
and that, as there was but one Spirit which had acted on their hearts to renew them, they ought to evince the same feelings and views. There was occasion among the Ephesians for this exhortation; for they were composed of Jews and Gentiles, and there might be danger of divisions and strifes, as there had been in other churches. There is “always” occasion for such an exhortation; for: (1) “unity” of feeling is eminently desirable to honor the gospel.
At this point, there is a cross-reference to the author's comments on Jesus' prayer for unity in John 17, that I quoted when I opened tonight's discussion. There, he writes, “Neither pray I for these alone ... - Not for the apostles only, but for all who shall be converted under the preaching of the gospel. They will all need similar grace and be exposed to similar trials. It is a matter of unspeakable joy that each Christian, however humble or unknown to men however poor, unlearned, or despised, can reflect that he was remembered in prayer by “him whom God heareth always.”
We value the prayers of pious friends. How much more should we value this petition of the Son of God! To that single prayer we who are Christians owe infinitely more real benefits than the world can ever bestow; and in the midst of any trials we may remember that the Son of God prayed for us, and that the prayer was assuredly heard, and will be answered in reference to all who truly believe.
All may be one - May be united as brethren. Christians are all redeemed by the same blood, and are going to the same heaven. They have the same wants, the same enemies, the same joys. Though they are divided into different denominations, yet they will meet at last in the same homes of glory. Hence they should feel that they belong to the same family, and are children of the same God and Father. There are no ties so tender as those which bind us in the gospel.
There is no friendship so pure and enduring as that which results from having the same attachment to the Lord Jesus. Hence, Christians, in the New Testament, are represented as being indissolubly united - parts of the same body, and members of the same family. On the ground of this union they are exhorted to love one another, to bear one another’s burdens, and to study the things that make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
As thou, Father, art in me - This does not affirm that the union between Christians should be in all respects like that between the Father and the Son, but only in the points in which they are capable of being compared. It is not the union of nature which is referred to, but the union of plan, of counsel, of purpose seeking the same objects, and manifesting attachment to the same things, and a desire to promote the same ends.
That they also may be one in us - To be in God and in Christ is to be united to God and Christ. The expression is common in the New Testament. The phrase used here denotes a union among all Christians founded on and resulting from a union to the same God and Saviour.
That the world may believe ... - That the world, so full of animosities and fightings, may see the power of Christian principle in overcoming the sources of contention and producing love, and may thus see that a religion that could produce this must be from heaven. This was done. Such was the attachment of the early Christians to each other, that a pagan was constrained to say, “See how these Christians love one another!”
Continuing Albert Barnes' Commentary, “and, (2) There is always danger of discord where people are brought together in one society. There are so many different tastes and habits; there is such a variety of intellect and feeling; the modes of education have been so various, and the temperament may be so different, that there is constant danger of division. Hence, the subject is so often dwelt on in the Scriptures, and hence, there is so much need of caution and of care in the churches.”
In the bond of peace - This was to be by the cultivation of that peaceful temper which binds all together. The American Indians usually spoke of peace as a “chain of friendship” which was to be kept bright, The meaning here is, that they should be bound or united together in the sentiments and affections of peace. It is not mere “external” unity; it is not a mere unity of creed; it is not a mere unity in the forms of public worship; it is such as the Holy Spirit produces in the hearts of Christians, when it fills them all with the same love, and joy, and peace in believing. The following verses contain the reasons for this.”
Last week, I focused on the occasions in Scripture of the two-word phrase, “one another.” I want to ever so slightly modify that focus this evening, and expand it to also include where both words occur in Scripture, but not consecutively. I say that because sometimes in King James English, the phrase we find is “one to another.” The thought there is the same, and it serves the same purpose in highlighting the Unity we should be striving for. So let us begin...
As I began my review of Scriptures that included the words “one” and “another,” not necessarily consecutively, I came upon a very important event that we must also look at where Christian Unity is concerned. Let me set the stage for this. After seeing a vision three times, Peter is directed by the Holy Spirit to go with men who had come seeking him. We read that direction, “Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them." (The Holman Christian Standard Bible, Acts 10:28).
Peter had no idea what was going on when he was on his way to meet with Cornelius, a Roman Centurion no less, who would become the first Gentile convert. The Church had existed for some ten years when this took place. The Apostles had gone out and preached to Jews, Jewish converts and proselytes, and to Samaritans.
But Gentiles were off their RADAR. The idea of preaching the Gospel to Gentiles had apparently never occurred to any of the Apostles. I want to call to your attention to Peter's words when he comes into the company of Cornelius that includes that words “one” and “another.”
We read, “And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:27-28). The idea of Gentiles coming to Christ was so alien to Peter, he actually said, even after being told by the Spirit not to doubt anything, and that He had arranged this meeting, Peter said, “...it is an unlawful thing” for me, a Jew, to be here with you.
I just noticed for the first time something very interesting: Peter did not say, “Ye know that it is unlawful for me a Christian to be with one of another nation.” But here we are 2,100 years later, and while Christians don't think it is unlawful for us to be with others of another nation or race, we either hesitate to participate in, or even forego the opportunities to be with or even recognize as God's adopted children, and fellow recipients of Grace and forgiveness, and heirs of Salvation, those who don't look like us, or speak our language, or who are of a different race or nation.
This dissension has had a powerful negative impact on Christian Unity, has been a grievous black eye on the Body of Christ, and has served to sorely undermine our witness to the world. We have not given the world a picture of what Christian love and unity and racial harmony is all about because we have not lived it. And we have not lived it because even though we may pay it lip service, and write it on bill boards and bumper stickers, we don't think it, and we don't believe it.
Yes! I know that this is not not true of every Christian, but it is the exception that proves the rule. I am a member of a Small Group that meets weekly. One of the members of that group told us that his minister had a program where a school bus went into a nearby black neighborhood to pick up some children to be a part of the Church's Youth Program. A member approached the minister and gave him an ultimatum: “Either they go or I go...” The minister replied, “There's the door.”
I would be remiss if I did not include the end of that story. A week later that member came back and apologized to the minister for issuing that ultimatum, and he asked him to forgive him for his bringing racism and prejudice into the Church.
That kind of hateful attitude cannot exist in any Denomination, any Congregation, or any Spirit-filled Christian. It is such a contradiction to the sacrifice of Christ and the Word of God, that there are no words to even try to explain it, much less defend it.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:9-14).
I'd like to focus briefly on one phrase in particular, “if any man have a quarrel against any.” In those instances where a man or woman who claims to be a follower of Christ, voices wholesale dismissal, disrespect or disdain of another race or nation or culture, did he have a quarrel with any of them at any time? What are Jesus' thoughts about this? He said in Matthew 5:21-22: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:”
Is not the “anger without a cause” that Jesus spoke of the very definition of racism and prejudice? He equated it with murder as did the Apostle John when he wrote, and in so many words in 1 John 3:15: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
But let's continue to unfold this issue. And if there were a quarrel with just one such person from another race or culture, and then the person naming the Name of Christ refused to forgive that person, how do they not realize the catastrophic corner they have painted themselves into, by repudiating God's forgiveness, and inviting, instead, His full wrath to be poured out of them? (See Jesus' response to Peter's question regarding forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35).
Albert Barnes writes of the Apostle Paul's words, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew - The meaning here is, that all are on a level; that there is no distinction of nation in the church; that all are to be regarded and treated as brethren, and that therefore no one should be false to another, or lie to another.
Circumcision nor uncircumcision - No one is admitted into that blessed society because he is circumcised; no one is excluded because he is uncircumcised. That distinction is unknown, and all are on a level.
Barbarian - No one is excluded because he is a barbarian, or because he lives among those who are uncivilized, and is unpolished in his manners. Scythian - This word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament.
The name Scythian is applied in ancient geography to the people who lived on the north and northeast of the Black and Caspian seas, a region stretchings indefinitely into the unknown countries of Asia. They occupied the lands now peopled by the Monguls and Tartars.
The name was almost synonymous with barbarian, for they were regarded as a wild and savage race. The meaning here is, that even such a ferocious and uncivilized people were not excluded from the gospel, but they were as welcome as any other, and were entitled to the same privileges as others. No one was excluded because he belonged to the most rude and uncivilized portion of mankind.
But Christ is all, and in all - The great thing that constitutes the uniqueness of the church is, that Christ is its Saviour, and that all are his friends and followers. Its members lay aside all other distinctions, and are known only as his friends. They are not known as Jews and Gentiles; as of this nation or that; as slaves or freemen, but they are known as Christians; distinguished from all the rest of mankind as the united friends of the Redeemer; compare the notes at Galatians 3:28.”
Here are those notes from Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek - All are on a level; all are saved in the same way; all are entitled to the same privileges. There is no favoritism on account of birth, beauty, or blood. All confess that they are sinners; all are saved by the merits of the same Saviour; all are admitted to the same privileges as children of God. The word “Greek” here is used to denote the Gentiles generally;
since the whole world was divided by the Jews into “Jews and Greeks” - the Greeks being the foreign nation best known to them.
The Syriac renders it here “Aramean,” using the word to denote the Gentiles generally. The meaning is, that whatever was the birth, or rank, or nation, or color, or complexion, all under the gospel were on a level. They were admitted to the same privileges, and endowed with the same hopes of eternal life. This does not mean that all the civil distinctions among people are to be disregarded.
It does not mean that no respect is to be shown to those in office, or to people in elevated rank. It does not mean that all are on a level in regard to talents, comforts, or wealth; but it means only that all people are on a level “in regard to religion.” This is the sole point under discussion; and the interpretation should be limited to this. It is not a fact that people are on a level in all things, nor is it a fact that the gospel designs to break down all the distinctions of society.
Paul means to teach that no man has any preference or advantage in the kingdom of God because he is a rich man, or because he is of elevated rank; no one is under any disadvantage because he is poor, or because he is ignorant, or a slave. All at the foot of the cross are sinners; all at the communion table are saved by the same grace. all who enter into heaven, will enter clothed in the same robes of salvation, and arranged, not as princes and nobles, and rich men and poor men, in separate orders and ranks, but mingling together as redeemed by the same blood...
There is neither bond nor free - The condition of a free man does not give him any special claims or advantages in regard to religion; and the condition of a slave does not exclude him from the hope of heaven, or from being regarded as a child of God, on the same terms, and entitled to the same privileges as his master. In regard to religion, they are on the same level. They are alike sinners, and are alike saved by grace. They sit down at the same communion table...
Christianity does not admit the one to favor because he is free, or exclude the other because he is a slave. Nor, when they are admitted to favor, does it give the one a right to lord it over the other, or to feel that he is of any more value in the eye of the Redeemer, or any nearer to his heart. The essential idea is, that they are on a level, and that they are admitted to the favor of God without respect to their external condition in society.
But the proof is explicit, that masters and slaves may alike become Christians on the same terms, and are, in regard to their religious privileges and hopes, on a level. No special favor is shown to the one, in the matter of salvation, because he is free, nor is the other excluded because he is a slave. And from this it follows:
(1) That they should sit down to the same communion table. There should be no invidious and odious distinctions there. (2) They should be regarded alike as Christian brethren in the house of God, and should be addressed and treated accordingly. (3) The slave should excite the interest, and receive the watchful care of the pastor, as well as his master. Indeed, he may need it more; and from his ignorance, and the fewness of his opportunities, it may be proper that special attention should be bestowed on him.
In regard to this doctrine of Christianity, that there is neither “bond nor free” among those who are saved, or that all are on a level in regard to salvation, we may remark further: (1) That it is unique to Christianity. All other systems of religion and philosophy make different ranks, and endeavor to promote the distinctions of caste among people.
(2) If people are regarded as equal before God, and as entitled to the same privileges of salvation; if there is in the great work of redemption “neither bond nor free,” and those who are in the Church are on a level, then such a view will induce a master to treat his slave with kindness, when that relation exists. The master who has any right feelings, will regard his servant as a Christian brother, redeemed by the same blood as himself... How can he treat such a brother with unkindness or severity?
There is neither male nor female - Neither the male nor the female have any special advantages for salvation. There are no favors shown on account of sex. Both sexes are, in this respect, on a level. This does not mean, of course, that the sexes are to be regarded as in all respects equal; nor can it mean that the two sexes may not have special duties and privileges in other respects. It does not prove that one of the sexes may not perform important offices in the church, which would not be proper for the other.
It does not prove that the duties of the ministry are to be performed by the female sex, nor that the various duties of domestic life, nor the various offices of society, should be performed without any reference to the distinction of sex. The interpretation should be confined to the matter under consideration; and the passage proves only that in regard to salvation they are on a level.
One sex is not to be regarded as the special favorite of heaven, and the other to be excluded. Christianity thus elevates the female sex to an equality with the male, on the most important of all interests; and it has in this way made most important changes in the world wherever it has prevailed. Everywhere but in connection with the Christian religion, woman has been degraded. She has been kept in ignorance. She has been treated as an inferior in all respects.
She has been doomed to unpitied drudgery, and ignorance, and toil. So she was among the ancient Greeks and Romans; so she is among the savages of America; so she is in China, and India, and in the islands of the sea; so she is regarded in the Koran, and in all Muslim countries. It is Christianity alone which has elevated her; and nowhere on earth does man regard the mother of his children as an intelligent companion and friend, except where the influence of the Christian religion has been felt. At the communion table, at the foot of the cross, and in the hopes of heaven, she is on a level with man;
and this fact diffuses a mild, and purifying, and elevating influence over all the relations of life. Woman has been raised from deep degradation by the influence of Christianity; and, let me add, she has everywhere acknowledged the debt of gratitude, and devoted herself, as under a deep sense of obligation, to lessening the burdens of humanity, and to the work of elevating the degraded, instructing the ignorant, and comforting the afflicted, all over the world. Never has a debt been better repaid, or the advantages of elevating one portion of the race been more apparent.
For ye are all one in Christ Jesus - You are all equally accepted through the Lord Jesus Christ; or you are all on the same level, and entitled to the same privileges in your Christian profession. Bond and free, male and female, Jew and Greek, are admitted to equal privileges, and are equally acceptable before God. And the church of God, no matter what may be the complexion, the country, the habits, or the rank of its members, is one.
Every man, on whom is the image and the blood of Christ, is a brother to every other one who bears that image, and should be treated accordingly. What an influence would be excited in the breaking up of the distinctions of rank and caste among people; what an effect in abolishing the prejudice on account of color and country, if this were universally believed and felt!”
I am going to share something with you all now that was I only shared with one other member: Shadowlou who died recently. Beginning in 2012, I was blessed to be part of a Prison Ministry, giving me an opportunity to be a part of something I never expected to be a part of. Before Covid-19 suspended my activities, I was able to go into two different Prison Facilities and, an average of ten times each month, deliver hour-long Bible Studies to the men there.
The groups who attended were mixed groups of white, black, and, on occasion, Hispanic and Asian prisoners. They were men who came in from various cell blocks, so when the Bible Study was over, not all of them would return to the same cells. But I made it a frequent point to say the following to the men as I closed.
“I am thankful that I have the opportunity to come into this Government-run Facility with my Bible, and conduct this Bible Study with you all. I cannot do this in any Public School in America because it is illegal, but I can do it here. Even though it is also run by the Government, I cannot go to any Public School Principal and say, 'Hey, I have a great Spiritual Message for the kids!' I would be thrown out, and if I did not leave when directed to do so, I would be arrested. Then maybe we could have Bible Studies together more frequently because I'd be in here with you...
Do not dismiss or under-utilize your ability to have your own Bible's in your cells, and to have Bible studies with each other every morning. I want you to look around the room and see who else came here today who is in your own cell block. And do not say to yourself, 'I can't have a Bible Study with him, he's a different race, or a different denomination.' Yes you can, do not believe that lie. In Christ we are all one. There is One God, and One Christ, and One Spirit, and One Faith. Take full advantage of the opportunity you have been given to study with each other, pray with and for each other, and to build each other up.”
What does the world see when it watches us, sees our own Congregations and Denominations? Does it see the Unity that Christ prayed we would achieve in His Name? Does it see color-blindedness? I ask this to every Congregation: If someone of another race or nation or culture came to worship with you in your Congregation, what kind of reception would he or she receive? Would he be welcomed and accepted by you as Christ loved us? Would he or she be regarded, without hesitation, as and a fellow-heir of Salvation, as a fellow-recipient of the Grace of God, and as brother or sister in the Family of God?
I cannot speak for anyone else but myself. But I can, and I am driven to, bring to your attention, the fact that as Christians, as followers and worshipers of Jesus Christ, as children of God Who is the embodiment of Love, we cannot ~ we dare not ~ for one more day, for one more minute, perpetuate the divisions and dissension and prejudice that is the disgraceful ~ yet somehow accepted ~ status quo that routinely exists in the Church.
I will close with the Apostle Paul's words to the Ephesians and to each of us, “I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:17-25).
We are members, one of another, and Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
This concludes this evening's Discussion, “Basic Christianity, Part 17.”
This Discussion was originally presented “live” on January 20th, 2021.
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