Eph. iv. 13.
THE Epistle to the Ephesians has been very fitly described as, in a special degree, the epistle of “the Church,” or God’s household among men. In the first three chapters the Apostle Paul enlarges in a profound and glowing manner upon the origin of this household in the choice of God before the foundation of the world, the redemption of its members through the blood of Christ, the experimental application of this redemption to their souls in a day of quickening power, for they are all by nature dead in sins and children of wrath, even as others, and upon his earnest desire and prayer that the portion of this family to whom he is writing would be “strengthened with might” by God’s Spirit in the inner man, and would know more and more “the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that they might be “filled with all the fulness of God.” He then passes on in the fourth chapter to practical precepts for the life of godliness, and beseeches them to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called, while he also directs them as to the way in which this is to be done. They are to walk “with all lowliness and meekness,” not with pride, “with long-suffering” and mutual forbearance in love, not with impatience and intolerance of one another’s infirmities—thus “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In one word, he entreats them to walk in unity. And he then brings before them several unities in their relations to God and to one another, that all point to this walk in unity as one of the lines in their path of progress onwards towards final perfection in Christ. He reminds them that they are “one body,” animated by “one Spirit,” and have “one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” And, further, he states that the Lord has provided means for the furtherance and completion of their growth in grace. Christ, who descended into “the lower parts of the earth,” and then ascended “far above all heavens,” has given gifts unto men—apostles, prophets, pastors,
and teachers—”for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” with a view to the following end—”till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” The perfect unity, that is the goal of the Church of Christ, embraces in it, as one of its most conspicuous features, “the unity of the faith of the Son of God.”
There is a widespread cry about union at the present day among professing Christians, but there is abundant reason to fear that it is not such a unity as is above described that is sought after. If men get unity of outward organisation, they are not much concerned about the faith. In fact, it would appear to us that it is the Papal idea of unity that is gaining ground even in so-called Protestant Churches—a huge external organisation, possessing a nominal oneness, while all within is discord. This is not the ideal of Christian unity the Scriptures set before us—it is not unity at all in any real sense.
Let us enquire briefly, then, as to the nature of “the unity of the faith” of which the inspired apostle speaks, and we shall observe, first, “the faith,” and secondly, “the unity” referred to.
First, then, a word as to “the faith.”
This faith consists in a personal living acceptance of Christ Himself as the Son of God. The production of this faith in men’s hearts is one of the great ends for which the gospel has been sent into the world; it has been sent for the express purpose that men may believe, by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the name of the only-begotten Son of God and believing, have life through His name. The gospel calls to “repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ,” and it is they who, by divine grace, obey this call that manifest the living faith of God’s elect—a faith that is invariably attended by repentance for sin. No other kind of faith is vital or saving; and no other will form a living bond of union between the true children of God.
Let it be noticed also that this faith has as its object Christ as “the Son of God.” “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?” are all-important questions as bearing upon vital Christianity. It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is the Son of man; we must believe that He is the Son of God as well. And they, who are taught of the Father, believe this with their whole heart and soul, and delight in the very thought that Jesus of Nazareth is none other than the eternal, only-begotten Son of God, possessing the same nature and attributes with the Father and entitled to the same honour. It is utterly vain, then, for men to think that they can be at sixes and sevens about the person of Christ—as to whether He is God over all or not. The faith of Christ’s Godhead belongs to the very essence of saving religion, and no man is a true Christian without it. All true believers seek to join in the apostle’s song concerning Christ. “God was
manifest in the flesh; justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
The faith, of which the apostle speaks, consists also in acceptance of the doctrine of Christ. Religious teachers in the present day distinguish unduly between acceptance of the person of Christ and acceptance of the doctrine of Christ. They seem to imagine that a man can consistently accept the one without accepting the other. But this is a mistake and a delusion. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the Father’s prophet, and we are told in the clearest and most emphatic terms that “every one which will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.”—(Acts iii. 33.) The words which the Father gave Him, He has given to us, and it is our bounden duty as well as our highest privilege to receive these words as words of unerring truth concerning the things of God, and the things of men. Every true believer in Christ, therefore, accepts the whole doctrine of Christ as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, which are inspired by the same Spirit, with which He was anointed above measure.
The very context of the words before us clearly bears out this view. For the apostle goes on to say that the perfecting of the saints, as believers in the Son of God, raises them above immaturity and ignorance, and has, as one of its objects and fruits, that they “be no more children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” Faith in the Son of God has a distinct relation to His doctrine as well as His person, and they who are well taught in the knowledge of Christ are not tossed about by every wind of error that may blow their way. It may be observed also that the apostle is not very charitable to those who advance erroneous doctrine; he speaks of them as crafty men, and evidently regards error in the faith as generally mixed up with deceit in the practice. Such men were ready to impose upon simple Christians by their plausible and deceptive speech, and he takes the straight method of condemning their sin rather than the smooth method that obtains at the present day, when the cry is heard on almost every hand, “There must be freedom of opinion,” and “Oh, he is a good Christian, though astray on some points!” no matter though the points belong to the very fundamental principles of Christianity.
Secondly, let us consider “the unity” spoken of.
And here, we observe, first, that it is real oneness of faith and practice that is presented us in God’s Word as the standard of Christian unity. There are not two ways of faith and holiness. It is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”—not many Lords, many faiths, many baptisms. Many people are apt to think that because there are so many different denominations of professing Christians at the present day that such a oneness shall never be attained, and in fact is neither designed nor attainable. But this view of the
case proceeds from unbelief. The early Christians had real oneness in the faith, and He who had power in the past to produce this, has power to do so still. There is complete oneness of view among the redeemed in heaven, and there will be a very near approximation to that blessed state in the world in the glorious time yet to come, when the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth.
Let it be secondly noticed that the true Christian ideal is union, not in any set of opinions, but “in the faith of the Son of God.” Apart from this “faith once delivered unto the saints,” no union is worth the name! This faith embraces “all the counsel of God,” and nothing less than this must constitute the confession of the Church of Christ. Some men nowadays seem to think that they have liberty to cut and carve “the faith” as they please, to take as much and as little of it as they like. But this is a false liberty and proclaims them not free men, but bondslaves to the subtlety of Satan, turning the grace of God into licentiousness. They have set aside the fundamental truth of the infallible authority of the Holy Scriptures, and they are launched upon an ocean of uncertainty and mist that will be their inevitable destruction.
It may also be added here what is generally recognised, that some sections of the Christian Church have been enabled to realise the standard of faith and unity more fully and faithfully than others. Such sections are not, however, at liberty to sacrifice any of their attainments with the object of securing greater numbers of adherents, or even a probable extension of the Kingdom of Christ. We are not to do evil that good may come—this is strongly condemned by God’s Word, and partakes of the nature of Popery and Jesuitism. We must hold fast the good at all costs, and a Church, however small, adhering faithfully and consistently in the fear of God and in dependence upon the grace that is in Christ Jesus, to His whole counsel, as given in His Word, is unspeakably better than a large, or larger, organisation that does not exemplify the same loyalty to the standard of faith and unity presented in the Scriptures.
Acknowledgments.—The Treasurer of the Dingwall Congregation begs to acknowledge with thanks the following donations received per the Rev. D. Macfarlane for Church Building Fund:—Cameron, West Achvraid, Daviot, 15/; A Friend, Dornoch, 5/; A Friend, Horisary, Bayhead, Lochmaddy, per Mr. John Macdougall, 5/; A Friend, Winnipeg, Canada, 12/3; Miss Murchison, Old Corry, Bradford, 10/. Received per Treasurer—Mr. Hector Graham, Sen., Coilmore House, Invergordon, £2; A Friend, 15 Woodside Quadrant, Glasgow, 10/; Friends in Tarbert, Harris, per Mr. Donald Bethune, £1 8s.