Unity Among Believers
“A new commandment I give unto you”, Christ said, “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.”SpM 271.3
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye see Him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.”SpM 271.4
Will our faith take hold of this promise? Can we not see how great is the advantage offered us in the assurance of such a Comforter?SpM 271.5
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, it is he that loveth me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him... If a man love Me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love Him, and we will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”SpM 272.1
Thus saith the Lord: “Will my people hear the message from my servant, when they will not keep my word? Disobedience, a failure to practice my teachings, is the reason that there are so many voices and so much variance among my people. While they follow the impulses of their stubborn, rebellious hearts, they have no inclination to do my will. They set up their own will and choose their own way, and their way is not my way, neither are their thoughts my thoughts. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts!”SpM 272.2
Love for Christ leads to obedience. Those who disregard the word of Christ have not Christ's wisdom, or his peace, or his light. Whatever their qualifications, however firmly they may trust in their own wisdom, their plans will result in foolishness, while they themselves will become inflated with ideas of their own greatness. They do not obey Christ; they have not his love in their hearts; and therefore they have not the mind of Christ. Their human nature refuses to be conformed to his will and way.SpM 272.3
The success of every worker depends on having the mind of Christ. Unquestioning faith in the Father and the Son is the great safeguard against annoyance and trouble. Those who have this faith realize that the all-sufficient support is ever underneath them.SpM 272.4
We have not studied and obeyed the words of Christ as we should. Christ likens His words to his flesh and blood. Speaking of this on one occasion, He said, “Ye seek me not because of the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you; for him hath God the Father sealed.”SpM 272.5
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.SpM 272.6
“What sign showest thou then,” they said, “that we may see and believe thee? What dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”SpM 272.7
They were urging Him to work a miracle similar to that which had been worked for the children of Israel in the wilderness.SpM 272.8
“Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he which cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not.”SpM 273.1
This is the position taken by many today who claim to be the children of God. They do not understand what it means to receive Christ as a personal Saviour. They have never crucified self.SpM 273.2
I am instructed to say to those who minister in word and doctrine, My brethren, you need a practical knowledge of genuine faith in God. There is a fearful lack of this faith among our people. Doubt and unbelief are gaining such power that the Lord can have no influence over our willful, stubborn hearts. The infinite, eternal, omniscient One can not move the hard hearts because men and women refuse to cast self out. Shall this want of faith, this lack of love and unity, continue to strengthen, until those in holy service become unholy and unsanctified, unkindly and miserable? Shall not the breath of life from Christ revive the spark of love for God and man? Unbelief is cruel. Evil thinking and evil speaking are the fruit of an evil tree. Love and faith and trust develop gentleness. Let the heart break before God in longing for true holiness.SpM 273.3
So much of self is cherished that the life of Christ in the soul is quenched. The truth that is presented tastes of the dish. The vessels need to be purified. There needs to be deeper ploughing in the heart, that the seeds of the eternal word of Christ may take root and spring up to bear fruit to the glory of God. The faith of many must be shallow, valueless in the sight of God, else the fruit would be of a different quality. There is need of deep heart-searching.SpM 273.4
Read Christ's prayer for His disciples, offered just before His crucifixion: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”SpM 273.5
By their love and unity the disciples were to bear witness to Christ's power. Thus the world was to be led to see that God had indeed sent His Son to save sinners. Since this is so, should we not do all in our power to bring about such a glorious result? Should we not cultivate the attributes that will enable us to answer Christ's prayer for us? The blessing of God will rest upon all who respect and honor Christ by revealing love for one another, by striving for the unity that he prayed might exist.SpM 273.6
How can the professed people of God be content to be at variance with one another? Surely they see in the world enough of the sad result of alienation and strife. Satan strives to bring disunion into the ranks of God's followers, that Christ's heart may be pained. Let those who are serving the Lord make sure that their service is not a pretence. This is what it is when they talk against one another, giving way to a spirit of envy and fault-finding.SpM 273.7
“And the glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known thee; but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”SpM 274.1
Mrs. E. G. White.