That They All May Be One

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     One Lord's Day, immediately following the regular meeting, a young man sought audience with the evangelist. He had been in attendance for several weeks, since having been transferred to the town, by the implement company with which he was employed.

     He expressed a desire to be identified with the congregation of saints and to utilize his talent for the good of the cause, but he was fearful that he would not be acceptable to the brethren, and he did not wish to cause them any embarrassment. He said he had been reared in a community where every religious organization used instrumental music in their praise service unto God, and he observed that the little group in this locality did not. He had been present often enough to know that they opposed it, although it was the first time in his life that he had known of such opposition being made. He felt that they were honest, and were earnestly desirous of planting a congregation based on the primitive pattern, and he said he had never been associated with a band of believers who were as consecrated to God, or as devoted to each other.

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     His problem was one of trying to formulate convictions without having enough facts as yet to establish his thinking. He could not personally see that the use of the instrument in the praise service was in serious violation of the divine commands, although he expressed a willingness to examine the question thoroughly. In the meantime, he wished to be in the fellowship of the brethren and do what he could to aid them. He agreed that it was not essential to use the instrument, and was willing to regard his present views as mere private opinions and not cause strife or contention over them. He wanted to know if he could be received on that basis.

     The evangelist quoted, "Receive the man who is weak in the faith, but not to make decisions on his inward questionings." He said that while this did not specifically apply to the type of problem now confronting them, it at least laid down the principle of receiving those into the fellowship who still entertained honest doubts. He pointed out that we are not all equals in learning, knowledge and experience. All of us are affected by our environments, early training, and previous investigations. We should not think of ourselves as climbing the mountains of faith in clumps. Each of us is striving along the road as best he can, and all are strung out along the way. So long as all are looking unto Jesus, and have hearts filled with love for him and for each other, we should be charitable and patient toward those who have not advanced as far as others.

     He told the young brother that it was not the purpose of the congregation to debar any child of God from ministering unto the Father, so long as he loved the Lord and was not possessed of a factious spirit, but had a wholesome attitude toward truth. He assured him that he would be welcome so long as he did not disturb the peace and unity of the brethren by advancing ideas or interpretations with a view to forcing them upon the congregation and disrupting their love and fellowship for each other. The young man said that this was the farthest thing from his mind, and that he knew that even if it proved that it was legitimate to use instrumental music, it was certainly sinful to drive a wedge into the body of believers.

     The young man then asked the evangelist what method he should pursue in order to be recognized as a member of that congregation and subject to its oversight. The evangelist replied that he would merely state the desire of the young brother the following Lord's Day, and would welcome him to the fellowship of the congregation and to the table of the Lord. He felt that it might be best to inform the congregation of saints very briefly as to the feelings which had been expressed so that all would understand.

     The evangelist then told him that they would study the question of the use of instrumental music in the worship, and do so as brethren. He suggested that the issue itself might be merely a symptom of a greater problem, and that when they began to do research upon it they might find that there were two grave matters involved: one dealing with a recognition of divine authority; the other having to do with what constituted acceptable corporate worship of a congregation of saints. But he said that while they were laboring together to understand more fully the teaching upon these issues, they would strive together in peace for the growth in grace and knowledge so much needed by every child of God.