Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

Missionary NumberLESSON HELPS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19, 1954THE FIELD fS THE WORLD,THE S/rErD (S THE WORD OP GODVOLUME LIII WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1954 NUMBER 9Christian UnityRev. Wm. Young, B.A.in the Reformed Presbyterian WitnessFrom time to time we hear or read statements strength of the Church of Christ. Indeed it is veryboth directly and indirectly to the purity and ly do so.about the scandal of divisions within the ChristianChurch. A letter in a recent issue of the "GlasgowHerald"was more specific and referred to the scandal of six separate Presbyterian bodies in Scotland.Much is often said and written about the harm thatsuch divisions do and the obstacle that they presentprobable that we today would not enjoy the light andliberty that we do had there not been those, in ourown land and in otherlands, who believed it to betheir duty to break with a Church which had departed from the word of God and become corrupt in doctrine or practice.to those outside the Church. Strong appeals are alsoItmade to Church members to end this may be that thereunhappy stateare unions that could bemadeof affairs. Such statements and appeals are apt to today without any sacrifice of principle ortruth. This is a matter which each Christianperplex the minds of devoted Church members of allbodymust conscientiously decide fordenominations who are not by any means schismaticsitself, and it is a matter that has been given much careful and prayerfulbut who have a deep love for that branch of Christ'sconsideration. Where it is feltChurch in which they were nurtured and inthat union would inwhichthey came to know and love the volveSaviour, and whose disloyalty to Christ and His Word, that is toogreat a price to pay. Mere outwarddistinctive testimony they felt it their duty to mainuniformity is notso desirable an end in itself that it must be purchasedtain.at that cost.Are the divisions within the Christian Churcha scandal ? It would seem that there are other features of Church life that are much more of a scandalthan this. Think, for example, of the way in whichsome of the great historical facts on which the Gospel rests are questioned and denied even by professing Christians. Or think of the nature of muchWe can have real Christian unity without uniformity. There is a very real sense in which theChurch of Christ is one. The true Church of Christ,the Church invisible, consisting of all who love theLord Jesus, is not now divided and never has been.While ecclesiastical planners are so much concernedChurch membership today and the large proportion about organic unity, the true fellowship of believers,of Church members Who are admittedly not Chris which knows no barriers of nation, class, cast or sect,tians at all in the New Testiment sense of the term. goes on. We bless God for the many evidences ofIt is to be feared that these things do far more tohinder the Church's testimony and influence than thedivisions within the Church.It must surely be admitted that those who weretrue Christian unity and for co-operation amongChristian people of many denominations in evangelism, temperance work, Bible distribution and foreignmissions. The desire for Christian unity, whichresponsible for some, at any rate, of the divisions should be deep in the heart of every true believer,in the Church were led of the Spirit of God. It seems should lead us whole-heartedly to support all suchclear that many of these divisions have contributed united efforts, in so far as we feel we can consistent