Many
years ago I was having dinner at a brother's house and while he was out of the
room I picked up his copy of the Bible. I happened to open the book of First
John and noticed that he had underlined every passage that discussed our need
to love and obey God. (1:6-10; 2:4-6; 2:15-17, etc.) I was impressed with his
concern for obedience and righteous living, but I also noticed that he had not
underlined even one passage that mentioned that we should love our brethren.
(2:9-11; 3:14-18; 4:7-8, etc.) When he returned I said, "I have been
studying what the Bible says about the family of God. Maybe you can help me.
How do we decide who is our brother in Christ?" He thought for a minute
and then he said, "The man who lives like God tells him to, is my
brother." I was not surprised by his answer based on the scriptures he
felt important enough to highlight, so I followed with, "but what about
the fellow in 1 Cor. 5 who was living with his father's wife? Was he a brother
in the Corinth church?" "Well, he would be an erring brother."
"So, someone can be our brother in Christ that does not live right?"
He was silent for a while then said, "Only up to a point. Then like John
said, the candlestick is removed." "Is that something that we can do
or is the "I" in Revelations 2:5 the Son of God?" Now he was
quiet for a long time, then with a twinkle in his eye he replied, "Parson,
I'm just an old farmer but I can tell when I'm being set up. So I tell you
what. Instead of digging myself a deeper hole I'm just going to wait till you
open God's book tonight and we will study it together." The sermon I
preached that night was not the one I had prepared, but I owed it to him. I
have met thousands of brethren like him thru the years. In every case they have
made my life richer for having known them. This brother loved the truth of
God's word. He lived everyday to the best of his ability and when he failed, he
talked to God about it. He was truly a Christian. Is there a point to this
story, you ask? Yes, two years later I had the opportunity to preach there
again. This brother was waiting for me on the front steps. He put his arm
around me and said, "After that sermon you preached my family got a whole
lot bigger. Those folks down the road had obeyed the gospel just like I had and
that made them my brothers and sisters. Well, when I treated them like family
they responded in kind and we were able to study together. Come on in Parson,
there are some people I want you to meet."
Who is
my brother in Christ? This may be the easiest question we will attempt to
answer on these pages. The Apostle Paul said it better than I ever could,
"God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obey from
the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6:17-18) Isn't
that simple? Every person who has obeyed the gospel is my brother or sister. If
they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, repent of their sins and are immersed
in water for the remission of those sins, God forgives them and adds them to
the number of the saved. (Acts 2:47) It is only when sectarian preachers spread
their doctrine of division do problems arise. Well, they say, what if the
preacher believes in pre-millennialism? IT DOESN'T MATTER! What if they
practice instrumental music? IT DOESN'T MATTER! What if he is a Christian
Church preacher? What if he preaches for the Church of the Brethren? What
if...what if...what if? IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! Remember, it is not the messenger
but the message that saves. The only question is: Did he preach Christ and him
crucified and the plan of salvation commanded by the Apostles? If he did and
the hearer obeyed what God has said, they became a Christian and my brother or
sister in Christ. What they may believe or practice later is a question of
truth and faithfulness but not one of brotherhood.
The test
and proof of sectarianism is who you consider your bother. For example, if you
reject a brother because they were immersed in a building that has a different
sign in front than yours, you are sectarian. Or if a Christian is determined by
whom the preacher was, you are sectarian. It's just that simple. The work of
Restoration preachers was to destroy both of these attitudes and bring together
all those whom God has made his children. They did not fail, we have. The plea
to "speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is
silent" is as important today as it was back then. Those who establish
conditions of membership in the kingdom of God, which He has not made, stand
condemned by the very Word they claim to defend. They have added to the Word of
God, plain and simple!
The Parson, 1/8/05