Mar 1950 - Editorial

by Doodson, A. T. | Category: Editorial | Mar 1950

It would be very difficult indeed to find a more expressive description of the ultimate unity of all believers than is found in the conception of the Church which is the Body of Christ. This close association of believers in the eternal state is quite foreign to the idea that some may have that heaven is so large, and the number of believers so great, that when we are there we shall be able to avoid any fellow-believers whose persons or ways or practices have been disliked on earth. That Church is and will be a living entity, and each member thereof will be essential to the effective functioning of the whole. There is no doubt that this true unity will be brought about by the Living Head of the Church. The flesh and all its hindrances to spiritual life will be no more, and the unity between members will follow as a consequence of the unity of each member and the Head. Just as in the human body the members are controlled by the head, and are maintained by the supply of all needful things, so also will the Church which is the Body of Christ be maintained and controlled by Him. These matters are brought before us this month in an article by an esteemed contributor.

During the millennial reign of . Ch~st upon the earth His beneficent influence and power are such that the lion will lie down with the lamb, and all the animal creation will cease to bite and devour one another, but a more wonderfal sight will be seen above when those believers who were wont to bite and devour one another on earth will live in peace and amity under the influence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men who consigned one another to the rack and to the stake will be there, if they were true believers and not simply religious bigots; men who contended earnestly and bitterly about doctrine and practice while on earth will do so no more; such will have seen their blessed Lord and in a moment their position towards Him will be determined; none will meet with boldness those eyes of His which will search the very inwards of a man's thoughts; none will resist the pleading of the wounds He bears or the evidence of the mockery and self-will of men. Henceforth His word alone will suffice, and their part will no more be that of dispute and strife, but of wonder and joy as His mind is opened up to them.

It is good for us to contemplate these heavenly things, but it was never the will of the Lord that we should wait until we reach that heavenly state before seeking to put the same things into operation. As was brought before us last month, by the eye of faith we may even now gaze at the thorn-crowned Saviour; these hearts of ours may even now respond to the Cross; these ears of ours may be opened to receive His words just as surely as were the ears of the awe-stricken disciples who gazed upon their risen Lord. His exaltation should lead to our humility so that His word alone and~ not our own thoughts thereon should be the guide; His commands, should not be disputed. Mere on earth it is still possible to capture.,

some of the joy that will be manifested in heaven in the harmonious w6rking of that Body of which He is the Head.

Later articles will show how that harmonious working should be achieved, but attention may be drawn to a question, in this issue, as to the difference between "ensample" and "example" ; the answer shows that in all things we should be followers of the Lord Himself and not of men, save only in those matters which He committed to the apostles as patterns for all time.

Doodson, A. T. | Mar 1950
Editorial