True Christian Unity

[Gibs]

Satan has much uniformity in this world and in it's churches. But it is not Christian Unity.

Christian Unity is a jewel and is among and only in those of His Spirit of Truth. That Christian Unity is organized by Him, the Spirit of Truth sent of the Father to us by the prayer of Jesus Christ.

The Divine Unity, the Body of Christ is what it is!

None but God through Christ by His Spirit could organize the Divine and Spiritual Body of Christ which is the True Church, His Church!

Needless to say, True Christian Unity will come only by the Spirit of God with only those who love the Truth above all. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life.

None of this Christian Unity will and cannot remain where error is being put forth!

Because they know He cannot be in the midst thereof if the Worship isn't in Spirit and in Truth. That His Presence only constitutes of having Church!

Great gatherings are held and had all the time supposedly church gatherings but isn't church at all as He cannot and will not smell in it.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[Ted Oplinger]

Goodness, NO, JoeB! Uniformity is about the scarcest thing found at CA....I like that!

We don't have uniformity...but do we have unity through self-sacrificing love?

Question for the day...

Blessings!

[Ted Oplinger]

Satan has much uniformity in this world and in it's churches. But it is not Christian Unity.

Christian Unity is a jewel and is among and only in those of His Spirit of Truth. That Christian Unity is organized by Him, the Spirit of Truth sent of the Father to us by the prayer of Jesus Christ.

The Divine Unity, the Body of Christ is what it is!

None but God through Christ by His Spirit could organize the Divine and Spiritual Body of Christ which is the True Church, His Church!

Needless to say, True Christian Unity will come only by the Spirit of God with only those who love the Truth above all. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life.

None of this Christian Unity will and cannot remain where error is being put forth!

Because they know He cannot be in the midst thereof if the Worship isn't in Spirit and in Truth. That His Presence only constitutes of having Church!

Great gatherings are held and had all the time supposedly church gatherings but isn't church at all as He cannot and will not smell in it.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

True, Gibs. I agree with the thought of your post.

If I may add a bit...

Satan does have much uniformity, yes. He also has a counterfeit to true unity: the confederacy to the common cause.

Another open question to anyone...what is the difference between God's true unity, and Satan's counterfeit?

Blessings all, this morning...

[Gibs]

True Christian Unity can only be had by those who are guided into "ALL" truth by the Spirit of Truth sent from the Father.

God is Love, Truth and Absolute Justice and all who truly have love for the Truth His Spirit of Truth will come to them, it is a promise!

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh 15:26 ¶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

The disunity in the churches of the world prove this Spirit of Truth is not in the whole of the peoples in them, but in only a few who stand up in discent.

They are discounted as the "troublers of Israel".

The worldly unity in the churches is about like TNWO unity, The New World Order.

There is still True Christian Unity in this world because Jesus stated, that His Church built upon Himslf, the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

And it has stood strong, because the souls in it are rooted to the eternal Rock. This is the one True Christian Unity is found!

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[skyblue888]

There was one who wrote with authority on Christian Unity one hundred years ago exactly. It can be read from a book he published under the title LESSONS FROM THE REFORMATION.

THE REFORMATION CHRISTIAN UNITY

In the Scriptures the Reformers found the divine principle

and Christian truth of Christian unity.

Matthias said: "The Body of the omnipotent and altogether

indivisible Jesus Christ, the community of saints, is not

divided, neither indeed can be divided.

"That Church, by virtue of its eternal and immutable

unity, depends wholly on the unity of God, and of the Lord

Jesus Christ, and of His Spirit."

"It is Jesus Christ Himself, who, with the Father and the

Holy Spirit, ever dwells in His Church and in each most

insignificant portion of it, holding together, vitalizing,

sustaining, the whole and all its parts.

"Bound with each other in the unity of the life of Jesus,

many shall come together and be held in union by the cords

of a glowing love."

Huss said: "Christ alone is the all-sufficient Head of The

Church. The Church needs no other. And therein consists its

unity."

"All true unity must have its foundation in Christ."

When this fundamental Christian truth was announced, to

the churchmen it was all new and strange and hateful. And

when it was proclaimed abroad to all the people in their

own tongue, it was all the more so.

[skyblue888]

Part 2 of THE REFORMATION CHRISTIAN UNITY

How utterly foreign it was to all the realm to their

horizon may be seen in some measure in the following

standard definition of the "Mark of Unity" of the Roman

church:

This unity is two-fold; it comprises:

1. Unity of doctrine and faith, which consists in the

common accord of all the Faithful in admitting and

believing all that the teaching Church proposes to them as

revealed or confirmed by Jesus Christ.

2. Unity of government, which produces unity of

communion, and which consists in the submission of all the

faithful to their respective bishops and in particular to

the Roman Pontiff, supreme Head of the Church.

"To break the unity of faith, by rejecting even only one

point of doctrine, constitutes heresy; to break the unity

of government, by rejecting the authority of the legitimate

heads, produces schism."Christian Apologetics," Section

313.

Christian unity, the only true unity that can ever be, is

totally different from that. It is as far higher than that

as heaven is higher than the earth. And it is as far truer

than that as the precision of the Spirit of Truth is beyond

the wanderings of the carnal mind.

tbc

[JoeMo]

Quote:

open question to anyone...what is the difference between God's true unity, and Satan's counterfeit?

Great question, Ted. Here's my two bits...

God's true unity is based on love and the common goal He gave us - to:

Quote:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Matt.28:19-20)

We have a single-minded goal upon which we must have unity; and that is fulfillment of the Great Commission. Another fine point - God's true unity is only achieved through our individual and corporate unity with Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven; not necessarily with unity with each other. We could all unite behind a false goal; but it would not be God's true unity; it would be unity in rebellion against the Kingdom.

Satan's counterfiet unity is based on fear, control, and intimidation - "be like me, believe exactly like I do, and follow all the rules and regulations I have set up (be they biblical or not) or suffer the consequences". Unfortunately, that's how many denominations enforce "unity" among their adherents.

[Gibs]

Again I must try to make it clear, that True Christian Unity can only come by His Spirit of Truth sent for that purpose.

Those who do receive it will be guided into ALL TRUTH as He promised.

So that desired Unity can only come from God and when a group of believers are guided into ALL TRUTH, they have that wonderful Christian Unity as it is of Him and can be only from Him and not of men.

Christian Unity will not and cannot come from the guidance of men unless ordained of Him to be His Spokeperson filled with His Spirit as the Apostles were. These then do not weave in error.

Truth as it is in Him and His HOly Word to us is the root and foundation for it.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[skyblue888]

Part 3 of THE REFORMATION CHRISTIAN UNITY

Christian unity is far more than is any unity upon

doctrine, among Christians; and is far above that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of belief,

of Christians; and is far above that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of

Christians upon a platform of belief, of doctrine, or of

principles; and is far above that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of

submission to church government; and is far above that.

Christian unity is far more than is any union of Christians, or among Christians; and is far higher than

that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of purpose,

of Christians; and is far higher than that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of effort of

Christians in promoting a cause; and is far higher than

that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity of

association of Christians; and is far higher than that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity even of

brotherhood, among Christians; and is far higher than that.

Christian unity is far more than is any unity or all unity

of association, or of brotherhood, or of denomination, or

of federation, even of all the Christians that are in the

world, for any purpose, or upon any platform, or in any

cause, or in submission to any church government.

Christian unity is nothing less, and is nothing else, than

the divine unity itself: "the unity of the Spirit."

Note that it is not unity from the Spirit. That is, it is

not a unity of people, derived from the Spirit. Nor yet is

it, primarily, a unity that is caused among people by their

possessing the Spirit.

It is "the unity OF the Spirit" Himself.

Christian unity, then, is only the divine unity, as that

unity is in the Divinity, and of the Divinity Himself.

[Gibs]

skyblue888,

Right on, it can be had no other way!

His Blessing to all that they may see this and be of True Christian Unity, The Divine Unity of Him, Himself!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[skyblue888]

Part 4 of THE REFORMATION CHRISTIAN UNITY

That and that alone is Christian unity.

And all so-called unity of "church-governments"

of organization, association, federation,

confederation, accomplished even by Christians,

is of only human contrivance, is only a hollow

sham, is a sheer counterfeit, and never

Christian unity at all.

All who are of this true unity are one.

They are one already by the very virtue

of the divine unity itself; and they

need no "church-governments," federations,

confederations, organizations nor associations

to cause them to be one.

They are all one already; and all such

contrivances as these are only the open

confession that they have not the real

unity of the Spirit and in the Spirit--

the divine unity; and they must go about

to supply the lack by constructing a mere

human, political and worldly "unity."

All who are of this true, this divine,

unity are one. The prayer of Jesus is

fulfilled in all such. They do not have

to feel around to see whether it is so.

It is so already, and they know it; they

know it by the Spirit of Him in Whom

alone the unity is found.

They are one, from God and in God.

And their unity being in God and

coming from God, nothing that can

ever come from man can ever affect

it in the least.

It being of heaven and from heaven,

nothing from earth can ever spoil it.

In heavenly love it abides, even upon

earth.

And among all these, "there is neither

Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond

nor free, there is neither male nor

female." "There is neither Greek nor

Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,

Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free."

As applied to modern conditions, there

is neither Gentile nor Jew, Circumcision

nor Uncircumcision, there is neither

white nor black, red nor yellow, American,

European, Asiatic, nor African: "for ye

are all one in Christ Jesus."

That is Christian unity; and nothing

else is. Asiatic, nor African: "for ye

are all one in Christ Jesus."

[skyblue888]

Part 5 of THE REFORMATION CHRISTIAN UNITY

Jesus prayed for this divine unity

of believers, in order that another

great and glorious thing might follow:

that is,-- "That the world may know

that Thou hast sent Me."

And when this the true Christian unity

is found and manifested, that grand and

glorious thing does follow, and will

ever follow.

And has not the fallacious unity of

church-governments, denominations,

creeds, and federations been sufficiently

manifested in the world to demonstrate

to the world its utter vanity? and of

all things, for any such result as the

convincing of the world that God sent

Jesus Christ!

There are now more of these

"church-governments," denominations,

creeds, and federations than there

are days in the year. And is all of

this convincing the world that God

sent Jesus?--Instead of that, the

direct and well-known effect of it

all is rather to cause the world to

doubt whether God or anybody else

ever sent Him.

And now national, international, and

world Federation "unity" will no more

convince the world of that great and

glorious thing than has denominational

or credal "unity" convinced it.

Nothing but Christian unity can ever

accomplish it; and Federation "unity"

is not Christian unity.

No, no, no. Let all the fallacious and

false notions of "unity" of church-

governments, denominations, creeds,

and federations be forever abandoned.

Let only the true Christian unity be

sought and courted by each individual

soul who names the name of Christ and

of God--the unity of the believer with

the Father and with the Son, in the very

unity of the Father and the Son.

Then will the prayer of Jesus be

fulfilled. They will all be one as

the Father is in Jesus and Jesus

in Him; and the world will know that

God sent Jesus, and that He loves us

as He loves Him. The time has come

when Christian unity as it is in

truth--"the unity of the Spirit"--

will be known and manifested. For

now is the time when "the mystery of

God should be finished." Rev. 10:7.

[Gibs]

Very good Sky, and you know it is a lot as A T Jones would teach it.

Yes we are at the very time the culmination of "The Mystery of God should be Finished".

That will be a glorious day indeed!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[skyblue888]

It is from A.T. Jones :)

[Gibs]

No fault can be found in that presentation for sure, thanks Sky for posting it. The best explanation I've ever came across!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[skyblue888]

Yes, it is the best known to me too.

Not difficult to see why he was

accused of being "antagonistic to

the organized work."

sky