Life's Final Star
W. Carl Ketcherside
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The poet has sung that "life's final star is brotherhood." The word "brother" is from adelphos, which literally means "from the same womb." It is common origin which makes us brothers. "He makes men pure from their sins, and both he and those whom he makes pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers" (Hebrews 2:11). Brotherhood derives from fatherhood. Fellowship is the result of mutual sonship.
God wants a family more than anything else and the most important thing to him is the maintenance of the family relationship. This takes precedence over all else, even over formal acts performed as ritual. Making peace with a brother is more important even than bringing a sacrifice to God. "So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once and make peace with your brother; then come back and offer your gift to God (Matt. 5:23, 24). Go at once--then come back!
Men have broken up God's children into warring clans and have "set at nought their brethren" over such matters as opinions related to music and the millennium, or pertaining to cups, classes and colleges. This is a sin of the deepest dye. It is not a sin to entertain or express any opinion about any of these things, but it is a grave offence against heaven to make any opinion pro or con the basis of our recognition of one another and of our oneness in Christ.
God has received into His majestic family those who differ with me about the validity of instrumental music and the pre-millennial coming of my Lord. But these things have nothing to do with what makes us brothers and if I smite and strike my fellowservants, the Lord will banish me into outer darkness when he comes. If there are adjustments that need to be made because of inequities
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"For Christ died and rose to life in order to be the Lord of the living and of the dead. You then--why do you pass Judgment on your brother? And you--why do you despise your brother? All of us will stand before the judgment bar of God...Every one of us, then, will have to give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:9-12).
Because I believe that the recapture of the true meaning of brotherhood is the most important task of the fragmented church, I refuse to make any view or opinion of those in Christ Jesus of greater importance than the blessed Holy Spirit whose indwelling presence unites us to Him. Regardless of what my brothers think about the things that trouble us, they are all my brethren. I will do anything to help them, crossing back and forth over the lines as if they were not there. And for me they are not!
The crest and crowning of all good,
Life's final star is Brotherhood;
For it will bring again to earth
Her long lost Poesy and Mirth,
Will send new light on every face,
A kingly power upon the race,
And till it comes, we men are slaves,
And travel onward to the dust of graves.
Come, clear the way then, clear the way:
Blind creeds and kings have had their day.
Break the dead branches from the path:
Our hope is in the aftermath--
Our hope is in heroic men,
Star-led to build the world again.
To this Event the ages ran:
Make way for Brotherhood--make way for Man.