What does the Bible teach? Eh. iv, 4 “There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” Let Paul explain his own terms. Eph. i, 22, 23—”the head over all things to the church, which is his body.” ii, 16-22 ; iii, 6, 10, 21; iv, 12, 16; v, 30; 1 Cor. xii, 27, 28.— “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular; and God hath set some in the church,” he. Col. i,18. And he is the head of the body, the church. The conclusion, then, is, that there is but one church; and that it is as truly one as the “hope of our calling.”
But here the thorough bred sectarian will exclaim, that’s true, but our church is the one. Our line is direct from the apostles, or perhaps, from the patriarchs. What does the Bible teach? Eph. v, 22, 23. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body.” Verse 24: “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be unto their own husbands in every thing;” [a weak argument, if any existing, popular sectarian organization is meant;] 29-32. They two shall be one flesh; this is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We see from the 23d verse, that all the members of “the church” or “body of Christ” are saved; [from their sins;] and from the 24th verse, that they are subject to Christ; or that they are not those who “obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The 29th verse teaches us that Christ regards every member of his church as a man regards the flesh of his own body. In the 30th verse, the same union is brought to view as Christ sets forth in John xv, 1-8, where we are taught that none are united to Christ except those who have their fruit unto holiness. The conclusion then, is, that all who “with the heart believe unto righteousness,” and con- fess Christ before men, are members of that ‘body’ or ‘church’ of which Christ is the ‘head’ and ‘Saviour.’ See also 2 Cor. xii, especially the 18, 24-26 verges. Go, reader, into the ‘church meetings’ and “ecclesiastical councils” of those bodies called “churches of Christ,” and judge whether “God has set the, members every one in those bodies as it hath pleased him,” or whether he has “tempered the body together” so that they have the same care one for another, that “whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it,” or “one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.” And here let all Advent professors take heed that they are what God says the members of the body of Christ are. If you do not bring forth fruit, [unto holiness.] God will “take you away” and cast you forth as a branch to wither. Beloved, do not regard these as hard sayings; I fear that some of you are in great danger of getting your hearts overcharged with the cares of this life.
Again, some man ‘will say, in regard to the general subject, we must have organizations of some sort. But what does the Bible teach? Jude 3d verse :— “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints,” Were not the Holy Scriptures delivered to the saints as their only rule of faith and practice without, any uninspired comments? Titus i, 7. A bishop must be blameless, [9th,] holding fast the faithful word [of God] as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both, to exhort and convince the gainsayers. ii, 1; But speak thou the words which become sound doctrine, that the aged man be sound in faith. Then, to be sound in faith is to believe every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And to preserve that soundness is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The cement of these sectarian walls [confessions of faith] is, a covenant solemnly made before God, angels, and men, to support a chosen party in religion; some for Paul— Apollos—Cephas or Christ. All such are carnal. and are condemned by the inspired apostle. 1 Cor. iii, 3. Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances after the commandments and doctrines of men? Col. ii, 20, 22. The commandments of men are that we shall support a party in religion: and that we shall not company and co-operate with all christians in getting and doing good. How quickly is a man suspected and tried if he mingles freely his prayers and alms with those of another creed and covenant. This “envy and strife” produces “confusion and every evil work” [or Babel—i. e. Babylon.] The commandment of God is, to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace.
In the light of these plain Bible teachings, is not every christian’s duty plain? If you are unequally yoked together with unbelievers [not showing their faith by their works—James.] Come out from among them and be ye separate, and you shall be a son or a daughter of the Lord Almighty.— Voice of Truth, Vol. , 1844. II
The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald Jan, 6 1853