Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
We all believe we are one with all of the believers. That is very easy to say. Even Catholics can say that. The difference is we see that we are not practically one with all of the believers. Denominations do not see they are not practically one.
|
The Bible speaks of spiritual oneness. Jesus prayed for this oneness, "that they all may be one." The Apostles, especially Paul, spoke of this oneness, "tll we all arrive at the oneness of the faith." These lofty and noble prayers speak to all the children of God.
When it came down to "practical" oneness, however, the specific instructions of the Bible always came down to our "oneness" with our Lord and the person besides us. But the tone of the message was not one of uniformity, or just common purpose, it was love. Hence the instructions of Jesus Himself to love God and love our neighbor. Being one with God and man can thus be translated into loving God and loving our neighbor.
Exclusive systems like the LCM always seem to purge love from their brand of oneness. Not being content with spiritual oneness, they endlessly claim to be seeking something more practical. In their attempt to be one, they miss the single most important ingredient of all. In doing so, they actually mutate oneness into something foreign to scripture, a
deformed oneness, like a sledgehammer only good for demolition and not for construction, or as the Bible says, "building up." Hence, without genuine love for God and their neighbors, their leadership can heartlessly condemn both insiders and outsiders whose visible display of practical oneness is found wanting.
By nature these legalistic systems always produce the exact opposite of stated effect. Instead of oneness, we witness man-pleasing systems where members must constantly prove their oneness by overt acts approved by headquarters. Instead of living a secret life approved by our Heavenly Father, we see constant rivalries, back-biting, and jockeying for self gains. Instead of abiding in the Lord with the goal to please only Him, the members become constantly concerned with their attendance locally, regionally, and nationally at all available happenings.
In my study of church history,
deformed oneness was one of the most destructive ingredients ever. Once love is removed, almost anything can be justified in the name of oneness, as history has proven. Whether Judaism, the RCC, the Exclusive Brethren, or TLR, the zeal for oneness simply disguises the real heart of their leadership. Thus public zeal for oneness is only a coverup for leadership's lust for power, for lording it over others, for ruling God's people like the Gentile dictators do.