Lesson 217 . Unity in the Body of Christ

I used to notice a very bad character trait in myself. While in the church, among God’s people, somewhere in my corrupt heart I would assess each person’s chances of salvation and decide who would be saved and who would not. It looked very foolish. Fortunately, I did not share my conclusions with anyone, although I very much wanted to. And many times the Lord showed me that I was wrong in making such judgments, for I judged everyone by myself, relying on what I saw and heard, whereas He looks at the heart. How shameful it is to receive such rebukes. But the truth that we are all parts of the body of Christ and constitute one organism—in which each of us has his own talent, his own gift for service, and his own function—helped me greatly to correct this way of thinking. And it is Christ Who determines a person’s salvation, which is what He is now doing in the Heavenly Sanctuary.

Let us compare this body of Christ with the human body. Which organ in this body is unnecessary? None. But what if something is cut off? If it is not a vital organ, the body will live, but the person will become disabled.

The Word of God says a great deal about professed Christians. Yes, they exist in this world and are present in every denomination, but this does not mean that the church has ceased to be the body of Christ.

Faith in Jesus unites all God’s children into one family. It is Jesus Who makes us all relatives, brothers and sisters, regardless of race, sex, nationality, age, language, culture, mentality, profession, education, spiritual stage of faith, social status, or financial standing. We are all equal in Christ, Who, through the one Spirit, has made us kin to one another and drawn us to Himself.

But when this organism begins to work, so much friction and disagreement arise that one wonders how this structure is still alive and accomplishing anything.

The Lord taught that the tares would always grow together with the wheat until the harvest, and even among His disciples there was Judas; the other followers were not particularly united either. But for three and a half years these disciples were taught by the best Teacher in the world, and this united them. For example, there was Simon the Zealot, and he was one of those who hated publicans. There was Matthew the publican, who before his calling had collected taxes from his own people for the Roman treasury. And John and his brother were sons of thunder. Jesus united all of them in Himself, while they continually divided positions among themselves, unwilling to yield to one another.

And what could unite them into one whole? Jesus, the truth, and agape love, through the Holy Spirit.

At the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus pronounced His new commandment to love one another three times. And the prophetic distinction of the last-day church is that it will keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus Christ. The commandment to love one another is also included in this definition, along with the other Ten Commandments. Another distinction is that these commandments will be written not only on stone or in the Bible, but God Himself, with His own hand, will write them in my heart and put them into my mind. And I will obey not according to the letter, but according to the Spirit. And this very Spirit of God unites all of us into one whole organism.

But in every body, each organ has its own function. There are people who, like the heart, bring life and joy into every society; there are hands that do good. There are simply kind members who appear very unassuming, but who work tirelessly. And what should be done with the part of the body located just below the back? It simply embarrasses all of us, and the opening in this part sometimes poisons the atmosphere so much that it is impossible to breathe. But this too is part of the body! And if it becomes ill or is removed, the whole body will suffer and will realize that we all needed one another.

And how does Jesus look upon all of us? With love and tenderness. Each one of us is very dear to Him. There are no unnecessary organs in His body. And Christ’s final prayer in Gethsemane was for our unity and love.

What does our unity consist of? In faith in and knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He sent; in biblical teaching and obedience; in service to the world and to one another; and in love and friendship among ourselves.

Willful interpretation of Holy Scripture and the desire to rule over one another divided God’s children into different movements, and the movements themselves divided into different denominations. Today there is no difficulty in opening one’s own church, with one’s own teaching and bylaws, and calling it Christian. And the world is filled with such organizations, each claiming its own exclusivity and purity. But Jesus looks upon this division with pain. He desires not division, but unity. Yet there will be no unity in falsehood and error, except perhaps for a short time in a war against the truth. Something vile, abominable, and unclean will never become part of the body of Christ and, like a cancerous tumor, will be mercilessly removed from the organism.

Faith, truth, and love—all of this binds us together into one whole, and we recognize one another. And this unity will form the character of Christ in us and prepare us for the time of sealing. Very soon the time will come when all God’s people will be sifted and purified. God Himself will gather His people into one body from all the ends of the earth.

We read: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4–6).

And this understanding of unity in the body of Christ is a foundation of my faith, and God’s love makes this unity possible in my life.

And our School of Agape Love has this purpose: to reveal the beauty of God’s character; to prepare people’s hearts for the restoration of this character and the image of God in the life of each one of us; to bring us all to unity in faith, truth, and love; and to make us fit to receive God’s seal and for Eternal life among holy beings. And all of this is not something separate, but part of God’s common work, which is being carried out by all God’s children throughout the world.

Each of us has different gifts and talents, but we are all children of one Father; we are a family in Jesus; we are kin.

And God’s love binds all of us together into one organism, while the righteousness of Christ, like skin, gathers us into one body and covers us, giving us the proper contours and curves. And the Holy Spirit gives everything the breath of life, love, and harmonious cooperation in labor and service. And all of this is to the glory of God.

But soon the time will come when the Lord will come to resurrect all those who constitute His body, transform those who glorify Him in their lives, and take us all to Heaven in order to present us to the Father as His Bride. And there will be a feast, a celebration, and great joy for all.

And now the Lord greatly desires that we all have this spiritual unity and strive for it in the spirit of love and truth. Falsehood and error will never unite people into a family, except perhaps for a short time to fight against the truth. And this time is approaching. And who will be able to stand?

And what should be done about disagreements in the church? Love resolves all these matters very quickly and without complications.

Homework 217

1. In the light of our lesson, please read Psalm 133:1; Matthew 28:19–20; John 17:20–23; Acts 17:26–27; Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; 2 Corinthians 5:16–17; Galatians 3:27–29; Ephesians 2:13–16; 4:3–6, 11–16; and Colossians 3:10–15.

2. What did you understand from this lesson?

3. What truth will help change our distorted thinking?

4. Is it truly possible to get rid of disagreements?

5. What is important for us to seek in order to be united?

6. Do you think the prophetic message for the last days includes the commandment to love one another?

7. What is distinctive about unity, and how does God produce it in our lives?

8. Why is there no other foundation for the unity of the Church except unity in the knowledge of the only true God?

9. Why can compromise with evil not bring peace?

10. Why will God sift His people?

11. Do you think the School of Agape Love helps build up the Body of Christ?

12. What plans does God have for us?

13. Why is it important to remember our place before God and not judge who will be saved?