Thoughts on Fellowship

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     The divided state of believers in the Messiah is one of the most tragic blights upon our modern world. It is the chief deterrent to the subjugation of the alien world to our King. We must face up to the full implications of this condition, for we will not escape in the final judgment, any personal responsibility for creating or perpetuating it. We dare not slight or try to ignore the situation. This fact was clearly recognized by our forefathers and they sought to alleviate and eliminate the sectarian status. Thus Alexander Campbell wrote:

     "Tired of new creeds and new parties in religion, and of the numerous abortive efforts to reform the reformation; convinced from the Holy Scriptures, from observation and experience, that the union of the disciples of Christ is essential to the conversion of the world,

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and that the correction and improvement of no creed, or partisan establishment in Christendom, could ever become the basis of such an union, communion, and Cooperation, as would restore peace to a church militant against itself, or triumph to the common salvation -- a few individuals, about the commencement of the present century, began to reflect upon the ways and means to restore primitive Christianity."

     The resultant effort amazes every student of the history of the church of God. Sectarian citadels were shaken to their very foundations. Those who were "tired of new creeds and new parties in religion," imbued with an unquenchable desire for unity in order to achieve the purpose of the Messiah upon earth, attained such goals as made it appear that this whole nation might be brought to the foot of the cross. Of the fierce ambition which burned within the hearts of these worthies, Campbell wrote:

     "Next to our personal salvation, two objects constituted the summum bonum, the supreme good, worthy of the sacrifice of all temporalities. The first was, the union, peace, purity and harmonious cooperation of christians -- guided by an understanding enlightened by the Holy Scriptures; the other, the conversion of sinners to God. Our predilections and antipathies on all religious questions arose from, and were controlled by, these all absorbing interests. From these commenced our campaign against creeds."

     It is interesting to note the simple way by which it was proposed to unite all Christians. We quote again from Campbell:

     "A deep and abiding impression that the power, the consolation and joys -- the holiness and happiness of Christ's religion were lost in the forms and ceremonies, in the speculations and conjectures; in the feuds and bickerings of sects and schisms, originated a project many years ago for uniting the sects, or rather the christians in all the sects, upon a clear and scriptural bond of union; upon having a 'thus saith the Lord,' either in express terms, or in approved precedent, 'for every - article of faith, and item of religious practice,' . . . making faith in Christ and obedience to him, the only test of Christian character, and the only bond of church union, communion and co-operation."

What is the present status of those who are spiritual heirs of the "few individuals who began to reflect upon the ways and means to restore primitive Christianity"? Are they tired of new parties in religion? Are they seeking to restore peace to a church militant against itself? Do they still look upon the union, peace and harmonious co-operation of Christians, as an object of supreme good? Do they deem this object worthy of the sacrifice of all temporalities? Are they yet laboring on the project of uniting the christians in all the sects?

     Far from it! They have been enticed into the business of producing sects. The noble ideal has been shattered. There are more than two dozen splinter parties which have grown out of the restoration effort. Each of these claims to be the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Each contends that it alone is the kingdom of the heavens. Each one is "the brotherhood." Each one is the "loyal church." There is no project to unite the Christians in all sects, for each sect claims, like Rome, to have all the Christians there are under its inconsistent wings. This is the bread upon which we have been fed, this is the milk we have drawn from the paps of our factional religious mothers, and upon it we have been nurtured and nourished into spiritual dwarfs of bigotry, hate and exclusiveness, "which say, Stand by thyself, come not near unto me; for I am holier than thou" (Isa. 65:5).

     Physical dwarfs sometimes develop warped personalities. In a world of men of normal stature they must be over-assertive, pugnacious, resentful of every imaginary slight. They must walk with a swagger, cultivate a deep voice, and growl at every one else. Napoleon, the little Corsican, set out to conquer the world, to prove his power despite his diminutive stature. The same psychological reaction may be characteristic of spiritual dwarfs. Little men may appear big if they can rationalize all others into inferiority. A small faction can appear of tremendous importance if its members can be made to believe they constitute the sole survivors of the Israel of God, and are the exclusive

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recipients of God's grace, while every other person on the face of the earth is doomed to damnation because he does not see eye to eye with them on every minute point of practice. But such delusions of grandeur are fatal to the intellect and deadly to the heart.

     Indicative of the effect of such attitudes is the wresting of certain scriptures which may be twisted to justify schism and the party spirit in direct contradiction of those passages which forbid and condemn it. Men now love the party spirit. They advocate disunity and preach division among brethren. Under such circumstances any passage which seems to condone separation is seized upon with joyful abandon. As an example, I cite Ephesians 5:11, which says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Brethren seem to be overjoyed at the thought that they find here the expression "Have no fellowship." All they need to do is to make the term "works of darkness" elastic enough to cover the item currently in dispute, and another division is born.

     A short time hence I was in correspondence with a brother who was contending that one could not scripturally engage in the Lord's Supper, except with fermented wine. He was bitterly partisan. I asked him for the scriptural ground upon which he made this a test of fellowship. He merely wrote down in big letters Ephesians 5:11, underlining it twice. Upon such ignorance of the intent of God's plan or purpose a new sect is introduced into the strife-torn religious world.

     Did Paul who wrote in one verse instructing the congregation at Ephesus to manifest "all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love," write in another verse for the same brethren to fracture into splinter parties over opinions and preferences? Did he who wrote, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," write again to the same group to "have no fellowship"? Even a cursory examination of the context would demonstrate the folly of any such interpretation.

     "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness!" Are these works to be interpreted to refer to classes to study the Bible, individual cups, leavened bread on the Lord's table, orphan homes, etc. Brethren should not add the stigma of being ridiculous to that of factionalism.

     Whether the things enumerated, or a score of others in the same category, are right or wrong, this passage is not even remotely related to them. "The works of darkness" in verse 11 are the "things done in secret' (verse 12). These refer to the indescribable vices and licentious practices of the mystery cults of the Gentile world. Under cover of darkness and in the inner recesses of idol temples such gross sensuality was engaged in that the depth of depravity can hardly be fathomed by minds not attuned to base immorality.

     Fornication, unchastity and idolatry debar from inheritance in the kingdom (verse 5). These things bring the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (verse 6). Because of these considerations the disciples were not to be partakers with them (verse 7). The state in which they existed had been changed. The apostle said, "You were sometimes darkness." Once they were steeped in idolatry and all of its filthy and abominable practices. "Now ye are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." To get a true picture of the darkness of which the apostle writes, one need only read Romans 1:21-32 and ponder the significance of the statement, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind."

     Now to apply these passages to those in the realm of Christendom who are of a different order than ourselves and cite them as the basis for refusal to be partakers with them in their rituals and worship is to stultify any claim we make to fairness as scholars of the sacred oracles. There may be, and there are, good and sufficient reasons why we cannot endorse, assist or participate in the religious performances of many about us, but they do not fall within the category of characters described by Paul. The divided state of believers in Christ is a sad and dreary thing to contemplate, yet in every sect and segment, there are good men and

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noble, those who are pure, chaste, and holy in life. We owe much to the scholarship of such men in the Church of England, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Quaker communions, as well as others. It ill becomes us to accept the fruit of ripe research from their hands, and then bite the hand from which we take it.

     Please observe that we are not now dealing with whether or not such men are Christians. Our present treatise does not concern what they are, so much as what they are not. And we affirm that they are not the type of characters to whom Paul alludes in this passage. No sincere believer in the Messiah who is morally above reproach falls under this condemnation. To assume that a man is degraded and degenerate because he honestly disagrees with us upon the subject of baptism, for example, is a greater reflection against our reasoning powers than against his. Many of my neighbors are members of the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and other Protestant sects, which today portray so graphically the deplorable state of division into which the world has fallen. But they are not walking in the darkness of which Paul wrote, nor do they have fellowship with the unfruitful works which he contemplated.

     Theirs is the wrong of perpetuating a party to the division of God's people. This is a work of the flesh. But there is a difference in the influence upon society and the moral tone of the world in some of these works, as every logical reasoner must admit. Moreover, many of the adherents of the various religious parties are to an extent innocent victims of birth, environment and other circumstances beyond their control. And many love the truth, seek after it, and sigh for a greater knowledge of it. They pray for the unity of the church of God and long for a better day for Zion.

     A person in one of the numerous sects of Christendom today may be a child of God, or he may not. That is also true of those who are in "The Church of Christ." Certainly one who is a child of God and still attached to a sect or party, is a child of God and something else. The mere fact that a man is in the Baptist party does not argue that he is not a child of God, but he may be a child of God and a Baptist, in the partisan sense of that term. I am a baptist, but not a Baptist. Our task is not to deny he is a child of God. but to get him to cease being a partisan, for the party spirit is a sin. The dividing of God's children into schismatic groups labeled by partisan names, designed to keep them apart, is sinful. God wants all of His children to be one in the Christ. All who are truly His children are dedicated to the destruction of all religious parties, regardless of which one they may be associated with at present. A follower of the Lamb cannot condone, defend, uphold or perpetuate the party spirit. If he finds himself in a human party, he must either transform it or come out of it, if it is impossible of reformation.

     We must be careful that in our opposition to the party spirit we are not mere partisans. I am fully convinced that many of my brethren are opposing sectism from a sectarian standpoint. They are interested in getting people out of "their sect" and into "our sect." Of course they would not admit that, but that is what it amounts to. No doubt they are honest in their endeavor for they too are the victims of the circumstances of birth, training and environment. Some feel that sectism cannot exist in a religious body wearing the title "Church of Christ." They think it serves as an amulet or charm with special powers for exorcising the demon of sectism. But some of the most partisan and bigoted sectarians in our modern world operate under that title. The very usage of the term in a segregatory and separationist fashion is indicative of the sectarian spirit.

     There was a "Christ party" at Corinth. They were condemned in the same language as those who called themselves after the name of Paul, or Cephas, or Apollos. It is just as sinful to divide the body of Christ by saying, "We belong to Christ," with the intent to separate yourselves from other brethren, as to say, "We

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belong to Paul," for the same purpose. It was to the members of this party that Paul wrote, "Look these facts in the face. If any man is fully persuaded as regards himself that he belongs to Christ, let him consider again with himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also am I" (2 Cor. 10: 7). Paul had accepted the Good News and been immersed into the Lord, and he did not propose to be dispossessed of his citizenship by those who claimed to belong to Christ in a special way, because they had formed an exclusive party wearing the term "Christ" to distinguish them from other brethren who had been immersed. There are scattered sheep on the hills of sectarianism today who could say to those calling themselves "The Church of Christ," as Paul said, "Let them consider again, that just as they are Christ's, so also are we." God's children have not all been gleaned from Babylon yet, and it will not help to wall off a little segment of Babylon and label it "Jerusalem."

     What is the essential equipment for those who would help answer the prayer of Jesus for unity of all who believe in Him through the testimony of the apostles? It is possible that we cannot detail all that is required. We have exercised such poor personal judgment in the past, and have so often mistaken the factional spirit for the spirit of righteousness, that we may be in a poor state to make suggestions. However, in humility and sincerity we mention the following as attributes of him who would walk toward the greatest goal that can challenge the thinking of the slaves of God on earth.

1. A firm and unshakable conviction that sectism is a sin, a work of the flesh, and will keep all who wilfully indulge in it out of the kingdom of heaven.
2. The ability to distinguish between the person and the party to which he belongs. Many are attached to sects who are not at all sectarian. Wholesale denunciation without recognition of the varying attitudes and degrees of knowledge is unwise and unreasonable.
3. A rigid determination to be nonpartisan and to call upon all men to rally to the cross, that at this common center we may become truly one in the only One who has a right to draw all men unto himself.
4. A spirit of forbearance and patience while men are learning. The road from Babylon to Jerusalem will not be covered in a day. Let us be content to contribute our little bit to the great work of the ages, and He who made the ages will weave it into His pattern so the thread will not be lost. No one of us can develop the whole pattern of God for the whole world in his lifetime.
5. A love of truth for truth's sake, which will crucify within us the dogmatic spirit, and make us realize that our intellectual "Geiger counters" may indicate a rich deposit of heaven's precious ore in areas which our human wisdom would cause us to pass by and leave unexplored. Let us prospect every inch of ground for truth.