The third way of dividing the church is to consider oneself as being of Christ in order to separate from others (1 Cor. 1:12-13). In the church in Corinth, there was another group of people who said, “It is wrong for you to be of Paul, to be of Apollos, or to be of Cephas. We are not of any one of them. We are of Christ.” Actually, it is also wrong to use Christ as a label to separate from others. The fact that we belong to Christ is right, but if we use this fact to label ourselves and separate ourselves from others, we are of the flesh. Some may say, “You are all sectarian; you all are in denominations. I am outside of denominations; I am nondenominational and extradenominational.” Even this kind of speaking is fleshly. It is improper to use spiritual facts to label oneself and thus separate from others. No matter how good a matter may be, it should not be used as a factor to separate from other children of God. The church absolutely should not be divided. Every division should be condemned, no matter the type or the reason.
The fourth kind of division is because of differences in doctrinal views. For example, the Baptist Church believes in baptism by immersion, and the Presbyterian Church believes in the administration of the church by the elders. There is nothing wrong with such beliefs. Baptism by immersion is not wrong, and the elders’ management of church affairs is not wrong either. But it is wrong to separate from others because of these beliefs. I believe that it is proper for God’s children to be baptized by immersion, and I also admit it is right for elders to take care of the administration of the church. But it is neither right nor permissible in the Bible to separate from others because of these matters.
We must be very clear concerning this one thing: We should not consider mere doctrinal views as the fundamental Christian faith. The fundamental faith of Christians is the one faith, which we have already considered, that is, believing that God is in the Lord, the Lord is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. This series is the mystery of the universe; it is also the mystery of the union of God with man. In this mystery there is not only God nor simply man but God and man joined together as one. But how did this God enter into man? It is through the one faith. When we believe in Him and receive Him, He enters into us. Having one faith, we still need one baptism. In baptism we absolutely confess, saying, “All that I am and all that I have should be terminated and has been terminated. I am baptized in the name of the Lord, and now I belong to the Lord. I died and have been buried with the Lord; I also have been resurrected with Him. Now He is in me as my everything, and He lives Himself out through me.” This is the one baptism. In faith we are joined to Him, and in baptism we are terminated in Him. Furthermore, there is one hope, which is the hope that we will be in glory one day. The first four items—one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body—form a group, which is the main structure. The latter three—one faith, one baptism, and one hope—form another group, a subordinate group. We can have a part in one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and one Body by one faith and one baptism. By the one faith He enters into us, and by one baptism we are terminated in Him and He lives out through us. In this way we are in one Body. Moreover, we also have one hope of entering into glory. These seven ones are the fundamental faith of a Christian; they are also the faith of our salvation. This faith is absolutely necessary. If we lack this, we are not saved. If we lack this, we do not have God. If we lack this, we do not have the Lord. If we lack this, we do not have the Spirit in us and, therefore, are not a part of the Body but are outside of the Body. However, once we have this faith, we have God, we have the Lord, we have the Spirit, and we are in the Body. This faith is common to us all; we all share this faith within. This faith is unique, and it is simple and basic.
However, because of our peculiar mind, we all have different views concerning many matters in the Bible. We absolutely believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, that the Bible is the Word of God, that every verse, every sentence, and every word are divinely inspired. We have no problem with this. Nevertheless, when we read the Bible, I see baptism by immersion, but another sees baptism by sprinkling. Both of us believe in the Bible, but after reading the Bible, he thanks the Lord, saying, “Lord, thank You for showing me that baptism by sprinkling is right,” and I pray, “Lord, praise and thank You for giving me the light to see that baptism by immersion is the proper way.” We both praise the Lord, but afterward when we come together, we argue with one another. I say, “Brother, it is really right to be baptized by immersion. When the Lord Jesus was baptized, did He not go into the Jordan River? And when Philip baptized the eunuch, did they not go into the water? If baptism was by sprinkling, why did they need to go into the water? Brother, it is very clear, and there can be no argument.” Yet he might say, “Don’t rush! Let me talk to you. If baptism were by immersion, why doesn’t the Bible say that the Lord was immersed in the Jordan River? Since the Bible does not say this, clearly this baptism was not immersion. In ancient times the sandals worn by the Jews were very simple and could be easily removed. After they removed their sandals, John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus went down into the river and stood in the shallow part. Then John simply sprinkled some water on the Lord Jesus and baptized Him. I also have seen a picture from an ancient time that shows the Lord Jesus being baptized by John. It shows two men standing in shallow water with John sprinkling water upon the head of Jesus. Therefore, baptism is surely by sprinkling.” Have you seen this? In my opinion, baptism by immersion is based on the Bible. In his opinion, baptism by sprinkling is also based on the Bible. Both are sincere believers of the Bible, both quote the Bible, and both have the common faith, but on the matter of baptism there is no oneness.
Let me give another example concerning the matter of the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath Day. Those who believe in the Sabbath Day fully believe in the Bible, and those who believe in the Lord’s Day believe even more in the Bible. Both groups of people believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They both believe that the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the Body. They have no problem in these matters. However, one who believes in the Lord’s Day finds proof in the Bible and says, “The apostles definitely commanded the believers to set aside material offerings on the first day of the week. The believers also met together to break bread on the first day of the week. Therefore, in the New Testament age the Lord’s Day should be kept.” But a brother who believes in keeping the Sabbath, says, “No! Can the word of God be annulled? In the Old Testament God clearly commanded His people to keep the Sabbath. If this commandment can be annulled, then dishonoring our father and mother would be acceptable, and stealing would not be a sin. Is this sensible? How can nine out of the Ten Commandments be kept, but another one be annulled? Look at the Lord Jesus. He would go into the synagogues on the Sabbath while He was on earth. Look at the apostles in Acts. They also would go into the synagogues on the Sabbath. This shows that the Sabbath has not been annulled in the New Testament.” Both brothers are very confident in their speaking, and they feel that they have proof from the Bible. Even though both sincerely believe in the Bible, ultimately they cannot be one.
Therefore, if everyone pays attention to such matters and considers them as the faith, then the church will be in a poor situation and divided into sects. Yet in today’s Christianity this poor situation actually exists. This is because in addition to the one faith, believers consider their doctrinal views, whether right or wrong, to be a part of the faith. We absolutely must not consider doctrinal opinions as part of the basic faith. The basic faith is uniquely one, but there can be many doctrinal opinions.