by Rev. Donald A. Ross, Retiring Moderator.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore”. Psalm 133: 1-3.
As the Lord may be pleased to help us, we shall now look for a short time at this psalm, Psalm 133, with particular emphasis upon the first verse.
As to when this psalm was penned there is dispute, but we can well imagine occasions when it would have been sung; for example, when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were joined together as a united kingdom under one king, King David; and when the house of Saul and the house of David came together in unity. How appropriate this psalm was for this occasion. On a more spiritual level, this psalm was appropriate when the people would gather to the yearly feast at Jerusalem, under that one banner of the Word of God, and around the ordinances of God. What a suitable occasion that would have been, do you not think, for this psalm to be sung; an occasion when there was unity among them. Of course it was not only in the Old Testament that there were times of unity. On the day of Pentecost, (which we read about in Acts chapter 2) there was great unity among the brethren, even the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, as is very obvious from that chapter.
But sadly, of course, we see in the history of the church and in the history of God’s people that there has been disunity. We do not have to look far in the Word of God to discover that. There was the case of Abraham and his nephew Lot. There was sad disunity between them, and the only way they could live at peace was at a distance from each other. Then there was disunity between Paul and Barnabas, “and the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other,” Acts 15: 39. So we have these and other examples of both unity and disunity recorded in the Scriptures.
In our own day, in the Protestant world, (and we are not referring to those professed Protestants who are not Protestants at all, but to those whom we would regard as truly Protestant) it is not easy to attain to unity. Such are the differences between various protestant groups and denominations with regard to certain practices and doctrinal views, that there cannot be close unity; but only such unity as there was between Abraham and Lot — unity at a distance, as it were. However, we trust that we, as a denomination, do know something of this unity among ourselves, and of how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. As the word “behold” indicates, it is something to be wondered at, desired and sought for.
Having said that we shall consider briefly:
1. The brethren who are spoken about here.
2. The basis of the unity that is referred to here.
3. How this unity is described by our text: “How good and how pleasant”, and, “It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garment; as dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion.”
4. Our duty with regard to this unity.
First we shall consider who the “brethren” are. The people of Israel, of course, were brethren in the sense that they were one nation or body, and had one religion — the true religion. So likewise the visible church or church of God today is one body with one religion, which is the Christian religion. However, as “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9: 6), so not every one in this one body, the professing church of God, is truly one of the spiritual brethren, who are spoken of here.
That which puts us really among the brethren is our being united by faith to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Within the visible church, which professes the true religion, there is the invisible church, that is, those who are truly united to Christ by faith. It is this union which not only unites them to Christ but also to one another, making them brethren. This body of spiritual brethren is not made up of natural families. No doubt some seem to think that, but that is not how it is, (although there are some whole natural families in it). Those who belong to this spiritual family were gathered in to be brethren, “one of a city and two of a family” (Jeremiah 3: 14), and were brought to be united by faith to the Redeemer; and it is this which made them part of the household of these brethren.
Also, they are brethren because all of them have been born again, “not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever,” I Peter 1: 23. Natural brothers are born of the same parents. The spiritual brethren have all been born of the same incorruptible seed of the word of God, which has been made effectual to their regeneration by the Spirit of God. Thus they are made new creatures in Christ Jesus. At the same time they are consequently brought to be united to Christ by faith; and that also, as I said, puts them among the brethren.
Furthermore, they have this glorious Person, Jesus Christ, as their elder brother. Surely, then, this marks them as these brethren. Christ Himself said a notable thing about those who are His brethren: “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And He stretched forth His hand to His disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister, and mother,” Matthew 12: 48, 49. These, then, are some pointers to show us who the brethren are.
And of course, although they have this privileged position of being spiritual brethren they have nothing to glory in, as far as they themselves are concerned. It is all by the grace of God that they are what they are — that is, part of this blessed spiritual family. They have to say, “By the grace of God I am what I am”, 1 Corinthians 15: 10. “by the grace of God I am brought into this number. Where was I before? Truly, I was of my father the devil, and among the children of wrath even as others.” So they are not a boastful people, but a humble people; and they are full of wonder at the mercy and grace of God which reached down to them to put them among the brethren.
What a wonderful family is this: the family of God made up of these spiritual brethren. Are you in this family, friend? It is a family that will last forever: and a family that will never be broken up as the families of this world are broken up by death.
- Having said that, we shall notice in the second place a few things about the basis of the unity in this family and among these brethren. Of course, the very word “brethren” suggests unity, and clearly implies togetherness. But with regard to this spiritual unity, we must remember that its basis is the Word of God. We mentioned already the words that the Saviour spoke to His disciples: “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father . . . is my brother.” To do the will of God is to be a doer of the Word of God, which reveals the will of God, and this doing is basic to this unity. Obedience to the Word of God is fundamental to this unity.
Those who are united as brethren in Christ Jesus, with Christ as their Head, stand upon the Word of God. It is the ground of their hope and it is the rule of their faith and practice. It is required of them in maintaining and strengthening their unity that they be standing four-square upon the Word of God. This is what they are to strive for; this is what is required by the Word itself; this is what is required by the Father; this is what is required by the Elder Brother. They take their stand upon the Word of God and seek to be united in the things of the Word of God. This is very basic to this unity, for its foundation is the Word.
Now, you hear those who speak with great lamentations about disunity in the Protestant world. Well, of course it is sad when we cannot all agree on the things of Christ; but many of those who speak of unity do not mean unity based four-square on the Word at all, and they would like to make those who want scriptural unity to feel guilty about present disunity. What they want and what they are seeking is a unity which has very little of the Word of God in it. They may be united socially, and they may be united in their own kind of religion, but that is not the unity of the Word of God, and therefore it is not the unity of the brethren.
There is much lauding of the ecumenical movement as the great vehicle of unity, but as someone once said about that kind of unity, “It is unity in the dark.” It is not unity in the light of God’s Word, but in the darkness of men’s minds. The unity they have on the whole, is to speak well of one another, irrespective of what religious beliefs they have. The unity they desire is to have “men’s person in admiration” (Jude 16) and not the person of Christ. So false and corrupt is the unity of the ecumenical movement that it embraces the Man of Sin, and in many instances has embraced the multi-faith movement. This is the kind of unity which is in the World movement. This is the kind of unity which is in the World Council of churches and this is the kind of unity that worldly men speak well of. It is a deplorable unity in ungodliness when the Word of God is put out. We read of such unity in Revelation 17: 13, 14, “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb.” These words describe the unity of false religion.
The unity therefore which Christ requires among the brethren is that they be standing shoulder to shoulder on the Scriptures. That is the kind of unity in the church which the great Head of the church requires. I trust we have something of that unity among ourselves.
You will remember that it was said to certain believers in the church in Philippi “that they be of the same mind in the Lord,” Philippians 4: 2. How are we to be of the same mind in the Lord? The Lord reveals His mind to us in the Scriptures and we cannot be of the same mind in the Lord unless we are observing the Scriptures. “What saith the scriptures?” must be our question in seeking unity, Romans 4: 3. But before we can be united in following the Scriptures we are to be united as to this fact: that the Lord does indeed speak to us through the Scriptures, and directs and commands us by the Scriptures, and that Holy Scripture is His revealed will. So we must “be of the same mind in the Lord”, by adhering to the Scriptures especially in our doctrine, in our worship and in our practice. This is true unity. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity;” standing shoulder to shoulder in the things of Christ, in doctrine, in worship and in practice. This is unity!
Let us remember, too, that while there are denominations that would go along with us as far as scriptural doctrine, worship and practice are concerned, there is one aspect of practice that they are very slow to go along with us in, and that is discipline. The exercise of discipline is essential for the well-being of the church Christ. There must be unity with regard to the need for discipline and in exercising discipline. That is what the church should ever seek, prayerfully and graciously.
Furthermore in connection with the business of the church and the affairs of Christ’s cause, we have to make judgments or decisions. We must seek unity when doing so. Our chief concern must not be to assert our own opinion but, at the throne of grace, to seek that we would have the mind of the Lord, and thus have unity in judgment. It is by prayer, and by searching the Scriptures, and knowing the Scriptures, and by knowing the mind of the Lord through the Scriptures, that we are to attain to this unity, for, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him,” Psalm 25: 14. We are to seek unity, then in all the judgements that we come to in connection with the cause of Christ.
There must also be unity in love. The fact is that among ourselves we can err in our judgments in church courts by reason of human frailty, lack of discernment, false zeal, or somebody going away on a tangent of their own without considering the mind of the Lord. When there is not the unity in judgment that there ought to be, at least there is this unity in love which will keep the brethren together and be a bond between them. To dwell thus then, together in unity, is the exhortation of the Scriptures.
What about the great task of spreading the everlasting gospel — where we go and what we do? What need there is for a united front in going out to “the world that lieth in the wicked one.” Paul said to the Philippians, in connection with their maintaining and spreading the everlasting gospel, that they were to have “one mind”. With regard to “the faith of the gospel”, they were to stand fast in one spirit and strive together with one mind. He wrote to them: “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together,” shoulder to shoulder, “for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1: 27. Therefore, we today must with one mind and one spirit be propagating the faith or doctrines of the gospel so that sinners may know them: propagating the gospel in its entirety, so that sinners may believe it. To work together in unity: this is the effective way of spreading the gospel.
- We shall now notice the descriptions that are given to this spiritual unity. “How good and how pleasant it is,” says the psalm.
Well, how good and how pleasant it is when families are together in harmony. How good and how pleasant when families hold together; when there is the bond of love between husband and wife, between parents and children; but what a sad affair when the family is broken up. Here is disunity indeed.
Surely when we say of human families as they live in unity, “How good”, “How pleasant”, we should be more ready to say so about spiritual affection between parents and children, between husband and wife, it is pleasant in the sight of the community, pleasant among men. How much more good and pleasant to see unity in love and peace in the family of God. How we should ever desire it, strive for it, and be careful to maintain it. It is good, it is pleasant to have the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
This goodness and this pleasantness of unity are highlighted by the further description which follows: “It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.” The sweet fragrance of the ointment was good, and pleasant. How sweet that fragrance was; and there is a sweet fragrance, I tell you, in spiritual unity. Surely we know it among ourselves. What a sweet fragrance there is when there is unity between two of the Lord’s people. When there is unity in the church there is a sweet fragrance there also. Yea, it is a fragrance that enters heaven. And how good and pleasant it is when the sweet fragrance of unity wafts across, as it were, to our neighbours, a sinful world, to have an effect for good. Truly, it is good, it is pleasant.
The occasion of that precious ointment being put upon the head of Aaron was, I understand, his ordination to the priesthood. Well, when we have the ordination and induction of godly men to the ministry of the gospel, it is good and pleasant and it is a time of gladness. So likewise spiritual unity in the church is a time of goodness, it is a time of pleasantness, among the brethren.
Then the Psalmist says that this dwelling in unity is, “as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion.” How refreshing for the grass and herbs, after the heat of the sun has been beating down, to have the dew descend upon them. Well, if we know this unity, and I am sure we do, we know that there is a refreshing in it. It is refreshing to the soul as we go through this weary wilderness. “Behold, how good and how pleasant” is this dwelling in unity, for it is as dew — refreshing to the souls of God’s people.
Also have you not seen the dew in the morning, as the sun shines upon it, reflecting the light of the sun and all the colours in the garden? Well, there is nothing like unity among brethren to reflect the love of God, which has been “shed abroad in their hearts” — to reflect it in the church, and to reflect it among themselves. If there is that manifestation of love it will be seen by others. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” John 13: 35.
Then too, when the dew settles upon the earth it causes the blessing of fruitfulness. Dew is the symbol of the blessing of the Lord. Having been told that this unity is as “the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion,” we are then told: “for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” When there is this unity, it is a time when the blessing of the Holy Spirit is most likely to be poured forth? Is there a time more likely for the Holy Spirit to be poured forth. We think not, for the Psalm says, “for there,” in that place where there was unity, “the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” This unity, then, is a precious thing.
- Now, in conclusion, our duty is to seek after this unity. When, by the blessing of the Lord, it is in our midst, it is to be maintained. The Psalmist here is commending it when he says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is.” But not only does the Word of God commend unity — it commands it. There are many parts of scripture which, of course, command it. There was disunity among the believers in the church of Corinth, and Paul was urging upon them that there should be unity among them. This disunity was, of course, in connection with judgment, and Paul says this, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment,” 1 Corinthians 1: 10. Yes, unity is commanded. To “dwell in unity” is something we must seek grace for. Let us seek grace to have it, and to maintain it.
Let us remember too, that apart from the commands of scripture, there are many other things in the Scriptures whereby we are constantly directed and urged to unity. Take for example, the Bible itself. What do we have there? We have one Word. Without contradiction, there is unity in the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. This itself is a call to the Church to be united.
The very God whom we serve is one God; Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Head of the Church, the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in His intercessory prayer, prays that as He and the Father are one, so His people also may be one. Surely this is an aspect of that oneness: that they be united in mind, in judgment, in doctrine, in worship, in practice; and when there is that unity among them, that is an answer to His intercessory prayer. Oh such unity is indeed something which we also must be praying for.
Think also of the relationship between Christ, the Head, and His body, the church, there is unity! Think of Christ the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride; there is unity! There are so many things in the Scriptures calling us constantly to this duty and to be seeking that we would have much of this good and pleasant unity. In heaven there is perfect unity. What would be a little of heaven on earth? It would be “the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.”
As I said already, how necessary and effective is this unity with regard to our spreading of gospel. We cannot labour in the Lord effectively if we are not of one mind in the Lord. The Saviour says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand,” Matthew 12: 25. Unity is something to be sought after very much when you read such a solemn truth as this.
Well then, when we are blessed by having scriptural doctrine, worship and practice; when we are blessed in being given the mind of Christ in His Word in connection with these things; and when we are favoured to have the Reformed Faith among us, it ever becomes us to continue to be of one mind in these things.
Let us remind ourselves too, that prior to 1893 there was much disunity in the church. What caused that disunity? Error! Error caused disunity in the Free Church of that time. Rev. Donald MacFarlane came out from that church, and many with him, to come to this: unity in doctrine, worship and practice; and there was wonderful unity indeed among those brethren who stood fast. We have often heard older ministers and others say, that there was extraordinary unity in our church in those early years. There was a remarkable bond, a wonderful togetherness among the people throughout the whole church.
Then coming down to 1989, we know that prior to the Synod of that year, and at that Synod, there was grievous disunity. There were those who were seeking to bring into the church unscriptural things that were never in the church before, and who were making excuses for back-sliders; all that caused disunity. Some would have us believe there was no wrong in one’s attendance at Romish mass, although we had always believed and taught that it was wrong. Thanks be to the Most High we were not left to go along with them. Had we done so, then the world would have had every right to brand us as hypocrites, for we would have been going back on a Scriptural belief which was always in our church. Then too, disunity was caused by those who insisted on the idea that one can be brought back into office, or brought back into membership without showing repentance. How ludicrous! Even in the family we expect the child under chastisement to acknowledge that he is wrong before there is going to be a proper relationship restored between the parent and the child. So there were those among us who were striving to bring such things into our midst and who were thus causing disunity; but they have taken their leave. How thankful we should be that there is a goodly measure of unity among us. They have gone their own way and we are in the old paths where we have always been; and it is to the Lord Himself that our thanks are due for enabling us to hold fast. Now we should prayerfully seek to ever maintain this unity among us and to avoid those things that cause disunity.
There are many things that will bring disunity. Sadly, Peter erred and brought disunity into the church in Antioch, Galatians 2: 11-14. Let us remember that Peter was a man of God, but on that occasion he was the instrument for bringing in disunity. We should be careful then to be on our guard lest we be ensnared by the devil to embrace something that is quite erroneous, and be the cause of disunity. We need to be kept; and let no man think he is above such things as embracing error and causing disunity. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall,” 1 Corinthians 10: 12.
Also, we must avoid enmity, because enmity is something that can quickly bring in disunity. Jealousy can cause disunity. “Having men’s persons in admiration” — that can cause disunity. Then, in the church in Corinth there was indifference to the presence of a certain scandalous sin in their midst — that was creating disunity. In certain of the churches mentioned in Revelation there was the condoning of sin in their midst: and such condoning of sin causes disunity, and results in spiritual death.
Most certainly, it is possible for that sad, sad state of indifference to prevailing sin to come into the church, and for those who are truly God’s people to be asleep; but, says the great Head of the church, “Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light,” Ephesians 5: 14.
Well, these are things that we should remember so that we would be of those who are prizing unity and seeking and striving for unity. It is such a blessed state for the church to be in. “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” Peter says this: “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3: 8, 9. Let us ever be of one mind, whatever problems or tasks the church is faced with. Whether it be it in connection with erring brethren or in connection with false brethren, or in connection with heresy; be it in connection with judgements or church courts, or whatever, let us be seeking this: to be ever of one mind. It is a strong church in which brethren stand shoulder to shoulder. That is a church that is powerful against the devil. United we stand, but a house divided against itself shall fall.
May God bless His Word to us. Let us conclude.