This little Psalm is precious because it stresses the important truth of unity. This is a

popular word at the moment in Christendom and many who use it seem oblivious of the

fact that external unity (and this is what they usually mean) is impossible without internal

and spiritual unity on the basis of the inspired Scriptures and the fundamentals contained

therein upon which true Christianity rests.  In spite of all that is being said about

ecumenicalism, the tragic fact remains that there is no agreement on these basic truths in

the various denominations. To deny, or not wholeheartedly support the full inspiration of

the Word of God, the deity of Christ, His atoning sacrifice of Himself for our sins, His

physical resurrection and His redeeming grace and power is to forfeit the right to be

regarded as true Christian. It is all very well to quote John 17: 21 "that they all may

be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us . . . . .",

but these words primarily relate to the eleven disciples and their future witness together

in the period covered by the Acts and to those who were saved by grace through their

ministry "those who shall believe on Me through their word" (17: 18-20). The divided

state of present Christendom fortunately did not exist at this time. "The welding together

into some sort of unity of the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the

Anglican Church and the Nonconformist Churches would be a universal calamity, for it

could be done only by making sacrifices which would be a betrayal of Christ." These

words of Dr. Graham Scroggie hit the nail on the head. One would think, judging from

much contemporary religious literature, that the only thing God was concerned about

today is external unity.

The fact is that external unity can only be realized when first of all one recognizes the

spiritual unity that God has already made. Israel's unity became a reality as they

recognized the great Torah, the law of God. It was this that bound them all together. In

Eph. 4:, members of the Body of Christ are exhorted to keep or guard the unity of the

spirit in the bond of peace (4: 3). Note they are not asked to create a unity themselves

but to guard one that already existed as a reality through the work of the Holy Spirit. All

other unities are deceptive and useless. The sacred Scriptures warn us that at the end of

this age there will be a world federation of nations, a false unity activated and ruled by

Satan through the Antichrist and with this there will be a world religion which will give

Satan the deceiver what he has been scheming for, ever since his fall--namely world

worship (Matt. 4: 8, 9; Rev. 13: 3, 4, 11, 12).

In dealing with the conditions of the world just prior to the Second Advent, the Lord

Jesus gives a fourfold warning of deception (Matt. 24: 4, 5, 11, 24; II Thess. 2: 8-10;

Rev. 13: 12-14). There is only one way of escaping this, and that is to cling fast to the

Word of God and "to rightly divide" it (II Tim. 2: 15). One must be prepared to be called

narrow minded, devisive, and other epithets, but we seek to follow One Who described

Himself as the Truth (John 14: 6), yet was called worse things than these. He indeed was

"despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53: 3), therefore we must not expect popularity in

the world that knows Him not. To be acclaimed in the resurrection day as faithful by

Him will be the only thing that then really matters. Let us seek a deeper understanding of