1. Absolute accord in matters of conscience. Romans 14:1-6.

2. Always the same mind and opinion in methods and details in the Lord’s work.
a. Paul and Barnabas differed widely along these lines. Acts 15:36-40.
b. James and his congregation at Jerusalem or at least some that came down from Judaea differed from Paul and his co-laborers at Antioch. Acts 15:1, 2.
c. Peter and Paul differed in their manner of procedure. Galatians 2:11-14.

3. lt's not an instantaneous full and complete understanding of all truth the moment the Holy Spirit's received. Nor is it always the ability to clearly comprehend the facts when first presented. It's not infallibility, nor freedom from mistakes.

What's comprehended in scriptural oneness, and true basis?

Christ alone is the true and only basis of unity: “all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28. This is exactly the ground occupied by the early church, and by taking the same position we stand identical.

All Christians on earth can unite in Christ.

Paul says in Ephesians 1:10, “That he might gather together in one all things in Christ.” Only by recognizing all saved people everywhere as our brethren in the Lord and members of the same universal family, extending to them our warmest Christian love and fellowship, and placing no human barriers between us and them, can we steer clear of the sin of division.

Abide in Christ only and we are one, as Jesus expressed it in His prayer, “that they may be one in us.” That is the secret.

One thing that holds good people away from this sweet fellowship and visible unity is the denominational walls that have been built up. Obliterate these and a great forward step has been taken towards universal oneness in Christ. And, brethren, this must be our attitude. If we put up any unscriptural walls and barriers of our own between ourselves and other Christians we become sectarian; but by abiding only in Christ and holding all Christians everywhere as our brethren in the Lord, and extending to them the warmest Christian love and fellowship, and yet valiantly and loyally standing for every principle of truth and visible unity of God’s people, and declaring this in all boldness and with authority, will, I believe, bring about the gathering together in one of all those who are in Christ Jesus.

There's a true basis of unity and work, the only basis upon which all God’s people can unite. It's not a gathering to any one particular body as a group, for such a gathering will not restore the truth, nor the church, to primitive conditions.

Our gathering must be to Christ—“All one IN HIM.” “TO HIM shall the gathering of the people be.” Jesus Christ must be the hub and center of our work. His life, power and Spirit must permeate the entire body.

Without this any movement is a failure. . .

A blessed sweet internal blending of spirit, spiritual fellowship, a oneness of HEART and SOUL, termed “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” Ephesians 4:1-3.

This was visibly demonstrated in the members of the church, “With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love.” When God’s people everywhere really measure to this standard in heart and practice, the pristine glory and oneness of the church is restored. This is absolutely vital and essential, and without this glorious experience and practice there CANNOT BE scriptural unity. All other phases of unity are dependent upon this. To endeavor to reach and attain it on any other grounds, to approach it by any other route, is simply time wasted and misdirected effort. No local assembly, no general group or body of Christians, no matter how high a standard they preach or profess, have reached or attained Bible unity until the truth expressed in Ephesians 4:1-3 is actually experienced and manifest among them. Paul further shows what this means in actual demonstration. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” Ephesians 4:31, 32. Brother, this is the practice of scriptural oneness. It is the only kind that will convince the world, and this is exactly what Jesus prayed for. An organic unity without this is like a shell without the kernel, like a railroad locomotive without fire and steam. . . .

For a group of people to accept certain great outstanding truths and boldly stress them is not sufficient in itself to produce Bible oneness, or restore to the church primitive conditions. The mere joining oneself to or affiliating with a visible movement, be it ever so orthodox in teaching, will not bring us into the unity experienced by the church as recorded in Acts 4:31-33. This has been demonstrated time and again, and today there are abundant visible proofs of this. People holding the same doctrinal teaching may be rent asunder by internal strife, jealousies, lack of confidence, evil speaking, suspicions, and schisms of various kinds. Nor will the uniting of many groups of Christians into a general body produce scriptural oneness.

Right at this point I desire to present the means to an end, the essentials to scriptural oneness, the true and only basis of unity among all Christians.

A. The blood of Jesus. We enquire, what made the primitive Christians one?

Here is the answer—“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the BLOOD OF CHRIST. For he is our peace, who hath made both one; . . . so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by THE CROSS, having slain the enmity THEREBY” Ephesians 2:13-16. . . .

B. Vital personal relationship with Christ. There's a true basis of unity. Here it is—“ALL one IN CHRIST JESUS” Galatians 3:28. “To HIM shall the gathering of the people be.” Jesus in His prayer expressed it thus—“That they may be one IN US” John 17:21. This is exactly the ground occupied by the early church. All Christians on earth can unite in Christ, and it is the only basis upon which they ever will be one to the Bible requirement.

C. Finally the great condition, the all potent means of perfect unity among God’s people, is the glorious experience of sanctification. . . . May I again emphasize the fact, the incontrovertible truth, that Bible unity comes and results from a definite experience in the soul, in being of “one HEART and of one SOUL,” and this results from being “filled with the Holy Ghost” and possessing the “great grace” of God. Acts 4:31-33. . . .

Standing united on those great cardinal principles of truth that are essential to a well grounded Christian faith.

These fundamental essential principles are the following:

A. Belief in a personal God, the eternal Father in heaven. “One God.”

B. Jesus Christ the one Savior and only hope of salvation. “One Lord.”
(1) His deity, co-eternal with the Father, the Godhead of three persons in one.
(2) He was manifest in the flesh, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary.

The great atonement, Christ’s propitious death on the cross, His blood the only cure for sin.

His triumphant resurrection from the dead, alive forevermore.

His ascension into heaven “crowned with glory and honour,” and His present intercessions at the right hand of God.

The personality of the Holy Ghost, third Person in the eternal Godhead, the Sanctifier and abiding Comforter.

The Divine Trinity.

The inspiration of the Scriptures.

A deep heartfelt and practical repentance essential to a sound conversion.

Entire sanctification.

Free exercise of [the gifts] of the Spirit in the church.

Divine healing of the body.

The visible second coming of Christ.

The general resurrection of the dead.

The general judgment and final reward of the righteous in heaven and the punishment of the wicked in hell.

The oneness of all God’s people on earth. This comprehends the “unity of the Spirit,” and striving together for the faith of the gospel, “one body in Christ”—the church, cohesive . . . institution destined to carry the gospel to all the world.

Unquestionably on these great principles the primitive church, before the great apostasy began to work, were one.

On the same fundamental truths she can unite today.
[ The End ]