The Fellowship of Believers

GOLDEN TEXT: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”—Ephesians 4:4-6

ACTS 2:37-47—Peter’s Pentecostal sermon convinced the hearts of many of the Jews assembled there, so much so that it resulted in the conversion of three thousand in one day. Nor was this conversion merely a show of temporary enthusiasm or emotionalism, for the account explains that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Evidently these three thousand were the ripened wheat of the Jewish dispensation, needing only that their eyes be opened to the fact that their Messiah had come, and that his death was on their behalf to accomplish their redemption.

These were not of the ungodly or unregenerate, but Jews who had been developed under the Law Covenant. They were not perfect, hence had failed to get life under the Law; but they were a part of the house of servants who demonstrated their fitness to be transferred to the house of sons by the fact that they had been “pricked in their heart” when they learned the truth concerning Jesus, and asked, “What shall we do?” They were told to repent, and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ “for the remission of sins.”

Baptism for the remission of sins was John’s baptism, and applied only to the Jews, to the members of that nation which had been “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (Mark 1:4; I Cor. 10:2) The whole nation, in a typical sense, was consecrated to God, that consecration having occurred representatively in and through Moses. Through repentance, therefore, which restored them to fellowship with God through the Law, and the symbolizing of that repentance by John’s baptism for the remission of sin, they were prepared to be transferred into the house of sons, over which Jesus is the Head.—Heb. 3:5,6

They “had all things common,” the account states. The Early Church thus started out with an experiment in pure communism. This is indicated in other passages as well. (Acts 4:32) It had to do with the death of Ananias and Sapphira. (Acts 5:5,10) They pretended to sell their holdings and turn all the receipts in to the common treasury, but actually held some back. Peter detected the misrepresentation, and called for the wrath of God upon them.

But the custom of having “all things common” did not continue. As the believers became more widespread, the difficulties of such an arrangement would increase. Besides, in a world so dominated by selfishness it was probably found not to be the best arrangement for the church. Nevertheless, the community spirit should dominate all believers, and even now we would seriously doubt the sincerity of one’s professions who shut his heart to the needs of his brethren even though he could ill afford to help him.

EPHESIANS 4:1-6—Our Golden Text is incorporated in this section of today’s lesson. It emphasizes the oneness of purpose, doctrine, and spirit which exists among the members of the body of Christ. Christians should never seek excuses for any lack of oneness which may be among them, for it is never to their credit. And there will never be any lack of unity among the Lord’s people if, as with that original three thousand who were converted on the Day of Pentecost, they continue “steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Failure to utilize privileges of prayer is oft-times a contributing cause for disunity among the brethren. Let us not neglect our “prayer meetings.”

The apostle speaks of “forbearing one another in love.” There was great need for this in the Early Church, for many of the congregations of that day were made up of an admixture of Jewish and Gentile converts. Traditionally, Jews and Gentiles were far apart in their religious viewpoints, and because of this, there was great antipathy between them. This had to be overcome when they were brought together in the body of Christ.

From the Jewish viewpoint the Gentiles were mere “dogs.” They were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise. But as Paul explains, those who were “far off” had been “made nigh” by the blood of Christ. Furthermore, the “middle wall of partition” between Jewish and Gentile converts had been broken down, and they had all been brought together in “one body.”—Eph. 2:11-17

This was the doctrine, the teaching of the Gospel as it applied to Jews and Gentiles. They were all called in one hope, they had one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and they all had the same God. But for traditional enemies to practice this oneness, this true unity of the Spirit, was the real test of their love. Hence the great need to “forbear one another,” to be patient and try to understand one another’s viewpoint, and to work together. This was the great undertaking of the Early Church, and it should be the great objective of God’s people today. We do not have the Jew-Gentile problem now, but we have other carnal influences which will keep us apart if we let them. One of the chief of these is the fallen tendency to follow human leaders. This was true also in apostolic times, as indicated in I Corinthians 1:12,13.

QUESTIONS:

Why were the Jewish believers told to be baptized “for the remission of sins”?

Why did the Early Church give up the practice of communism?

What is one of the severest tests of Christian love among the brethren?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |