We will not form a unique sect. Although we differ from others, because of the ground we absolutely will not form a unique sect, establishing “our meetings” in different localities. Rather, we desire to meet and serve the Lord in various places on the ground of the oneness of the church, that is, the ground of locality, with all those who repudiate division and reject sectarianism.
Today in Christianity, people have different views and interpretations of the Scriptures and hold different practices concerning the meetings and administration of the church. These can all be tolerated, provided that they do not damage the basic faith or the fundamental truth of salvation. Hence, although we practice baptism by immersion, if some want to be sprinkled because they feel at peace being sprinkled, we should tolerate it. Keeping the Lord’s Day is according to the truth in the Bible, but if some brothers hold to keeping the Sabbath, we should not contend with them. As long as these understandings or views do not damage the basic, fundamental faith, we should tolerate them.
The fundamental faith of salvation is the one faith in Ephesians 4. This one faith can never be shaken, nor can anything be added to or subtracted from it. Different understandings and views on such things as head covering, baptism by immersion or sprinkling, breaking bread once a week or daily, and practicing embracing one another or foot-washing at the bread-breaking meeting do not damage the fundamental faith of salvation. We cannot say that a sister is saved if her head is covered and not saved if her head is not covered. Neither can we say that a person is saved if he is baptized by immersion but not saved if he is sprinkled. These matters do not affect a person’s salvation; hence, we can tolerate them.
Brothers and sisters, we should not merely speak in this way, but we should have this attitude in our practice. If a brother is willing to return to the ground of oneness and meet with us but cannot drop the Sabbath and must break bread with a few brothers on the Sabbath, our attitude must be that we would not only let them break bread but would even break bread with them. Some may ask, “Would this not create disorder in the church and be improper?” We must bear in mind that being proper is a human concept. God sometimes tolerates things that are improper according to human concepts. In the New Testament the teaching of the apostles did not require the church to define each matter in a definite way. For example, concerning the matter of keeping days in Romans 14, the apostle did not mandate that a certain day must never be kept and another day must be kept. His attitude was that he who keeps that day, keeps it to the Lord, and he who does not keep that day, does not keep it to the Lord. The same also applies to eating. Paul did not mandate what we must eat and what we should not eat. Rather, he said, “He who eats, let him not despise him who does not eat; and he who does not eat, let him not judge him who eats” (v. 3). This shows that the apostle was general in his attitude toward these matters. Some may ask, “Is this not disorderly?” We must be assured that if we all learn to live before the Lord, any differences that we may initially have will gradually be eliminated.
Some brothers and sisters have truly misrepresented us in matters such as these. Someone once said that he wanted to break the bread with us, but another brother responded, “No, you may not break the bread with us because you were sprinkled and not baptized by immersion. The church will have baptisms a month from now. You can come and break the bread with us after you have been baptized.” There was also a seeking sister who wanted to break bread with us. When she saw many sisters with their heads covered, she asked a sister, “Should I also cover my head when I come to break the bread?” The sister carelessly replied, “Yes, you should cover your head; otherwise, you may not break the bread with us.” When things like these happen, they cause trouble. These misrepresentations give the impression that we are an “immersion sect” or a “head-covering sect.” While some may wait to be baptized by immersion before they break the bread, others may object and say, “Have I not been baptized? If I am not baptized by immersion, does this mean that I am not saved? Sprinkling was good enough for me. Why must I be immersed?” When things like this happen, they cause trouble. Although we have never advocated this, the ones who spoke these things misrepresented us.
Recently I heard that on a Lord’s Day evening four or five years ago, a believer came to a meeting hall of the church in Taipei to attend the bread-breaking meeting. When the ushering brother noticed that he did not have a nametag, he immediately stopped him and said, “You may not break the bread without a nametag.” The believer replied, “I also am a saved brother.” The ushering brother, however, would not permit him and eventually asked him to leave. Brothers and sisters, it would be awful if this had continued, for we would have become a strict “nametag-wearing sect.” There are things to consider when receiving brothers, but when someone comes to break bread, we should not interfere too much and cause his spirit to be damaged. We can allow him to break the bread and then check concerning the condition of his salvation and take care of receiving him after the meeting. This may include giving him a nametag.
Hence, I hope the responsible brothers in all the churches will be more cautious concerning these matters. Otherwise, a certain regulation may be established that would cause us to become a sect and thus damage the oneness of God’s children. In fact, all God’s children can break bread to remember the Lord with us as long as they are saved and they are touched by the Lord to do so. Wearing nametags is merely a convenience for fellowship and to know one another. There is no need to wear a nametag if we are familiar with one another. Our nametags do not guard the Lord’s table. On the one hand, we should not casually allow people to break bread. We should know those who come to break bread with us. We should fellowship with them and introduce them. On the other hand, the nametag is not a checkpoint or a prerequisite; wearing a nametag is not a requirement. On these matters we must learn to be general and tolerant.
Suppose a sister does not feel to wear a black head covering but wants to wear a white head covering instead. We should be able to say, “I will wear a white head covering with you.” When a brother says, “I must be sprinkled and not immersed,” we should be able to say, “Thank the Lord. If you are sprinkled, we can still break bread together.” Although his practice does not seem to be ideal, it is not necessarily a problem. The problem lies in whether or not we insist. If we do not insist, the Holy Spirit Himself will work and gradually bring the brothers and sisters into oneness. Our experience proves this. I hope we will all see that these kinds of things are tolerable.
Suppose someone thinks that only one cup should be used in the bread-breaking meeting, and another thinks that it is all right to use many cups. While using one cup is more scriptural, if some insist on having many cups, we should be general and not be divided over this. The few places I visited abroad all used many cups in the bread-breaking meeting. I did not lose the peace, and I enjoyed breaking the bread with them. In New York City the brothers were recovering the breaking of bread, and they were considering whether to use one large cup or many small cups. When they asked me concerning this, I said, “This is your church affair, and you should decide for yourselves. If you feel to use one large cup, then use one large cup, or if you feel to use many small cups, then use many small cups. You decide this matter by yourselves.” Eventually, they decided to use one large cup.
These illustrations show that there are no criteria in these matters. Although there is a standard, we should not insist, for example, that the Sabbath is wrong and the Lord’s Day is right. There is such a standard, but the apostle’s attitude was general and tolerant. Some may feel that keeping the Sabbath is not right and want to keep the Lord’s Day. Thank the Lord that they keep it to the Lord. Or they may feel that the Sabbath is right and keep the Sabbath. Thank the Lord that they keep it to the Lord. We should bear with all these and not criticize. Likewise, although baptism by immersion is scriptural, if someone wants to be sprinkled, he can be sprinkled. He can be saved without being immersed, and he can be spiritual without being immersed. We can tolerate all these things.
These words are not only for others but even more they are for us. We should never take these matters as our faith, our creed. We do not have a creed, and we have only the one faith spoken of in Ephesians 4. Only this one faith can never be shaken. One God, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one Body, and one hope—these seven items are indispensable. This is the fundamental faith. Besides these, we may have some other things or we may not have them, and we may speak this way or we may speak that way. We should have a gracious heart and a non-contentious spirit to allow the Holy Spirit to work freely among us. If this is the case, the Holy Spirit will gradually bring us to a point where we are in one accord and practice according to the Lord’s word.