4)
I thank my God always on
your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
5)
That in every thing ye are
enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
6)
Even as the testimony of
Christ was confirmed in you:
7)
So that ye come behind in
no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8)
Who shall also confirm you
unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9)
God is faithful, by whom
ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10)
Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same
thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
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words “perfect” and “together” seem obsolete to most people, languages, nations
and churches. Although we may make use of these words by reference, we ignore
them in practice. Unlike man, every word God uses and every action He takes has
a meaning and a purpose. Whenever and wherever the Bible ascribes to and
demands perfection, it does so with the expectation that the reader will not
merely repeat it, but perform it. Yet, if man deems to
define perfection for himself, he need not think God has added man’s definition
to His own command, “Be ye perfect, (that is, without sin) as your father in
heaven is perfect.” Therefore, it is no mystery that if God was without sin and
He dwells in us, then we by nature are without sin. By being baptized into the
body of Christ by the Spirit and being unified with Him through water baptism
in His name, we are perfectly joined together with Him and with all those who
follow His perfect example.
As
God has explicitly given us His perfect direction and example, isn’t it a
wonder that those who proclaim salvation follow Jesus in such an imperfect way?
There are perhaps as many definitions and false examples of perfection and
salvation as there are religions.
Such
imperfections would naturally lead a fleshly mind to dare to compare the
salvation plan of God to a road map. Yet, in this analogy, we must remember
that those who choose their own route will undoubtedly find themselves
altogether missing the intended goal. This is the same thing that will happen
to the man who chooses his own direction for salvation. He ignores the
scripture that states that is not given to man to direct his own way (Jer.
The
Holy Ghost will never guide one to error; so if confusion, disorder and
disunity prevail, they do so out of man’s will and determination to guide himself. Thus, at his will, the unregenerate and unrenewed mind will always remain prey to the devil. This
mind is a terrible thing and must be wasted. If not, the devil will take full
opportunity to make man think he is something that he is not.
At
the Enemy’s suggestion, one can believe that he lacks all he could have, or
deserves, because of his color. To another, the Deceiver will attribute that he
has all the needs and deserves because of his color.
The
deception of division extends far beyond color lines and into any arena that
may promote unity. It is true that the pen or the written word remains mightier
than the sword. The written word will always dispel ignorance and bring
knowledge. Knowledge will always yield truth and truth will always yield
eternal life.
So
think it not strange that the devil will try to first divide man by preventing
the exchange of information. God gives revelation to all those who are willing
to do His will, the called and chosen. By coming together we will have twice
the potential, twice the ability, twice the knowledge and resources to do
the greater works God has commanded. That greater work is, of course, to lead
others into the