NOT ONE IN OUR HUMANITY
We have pointed out that according to the type of the standing boards of the tabernacle, our oneness is not in the wood but in the gold. Years ago, I thought that if I were humble, gentle, mild, kind, and meek, I could easily be one with others. Eventually, I learned that the more humble, gentle, mild, kind, and meek I was, the more difficult it was for me to be one with other believers. The reason for this is that those who have these characteristics are also very careful and are good faultfinders; therefore, they often condemn others. Those who are rough and tough, however, are not nearly as bothered about the mistakes of others. Whenever I am with the careful ones, I feel as if I am being observed, accused, and condemned. This does not mean, however, that we should endeavor to be rough, for both meekness and roughness cause difficulties.
I used to think that if both a husband and wife were meek, they would have a happy married life. But I have learned through experience that this is not true. It does not seem to matter whether or not both are meek, both are rough, or one is meek and the other is rough. Every married couple has problems. Many married ones compare their marriage with that of others. This indicates that they are somewhat dissatisfied with their marriage. When I made such a comparison in the past, I found out that other married ones were not more satisfied than I. My point here is that in our humanity it is impossible for us to be one. Instead of oneness, there is friction. The picture of the standing boards in Exodus 26 clearly shows that the oneness of the boards is altogether in the gold. And this gold must be weighty, thick, and sufficient to support a heavy board and hold it together with other boards. How important it is for us to have an adequate layer of gold! We need enough gold to bear the weight of the board.
BELIEVING GOD’S WORD
CONCERNING GENUINE ONENESS
It is not an easy matter to acquire enough gold to thickly overlay a board of acacia wood fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide. Humanly speaking, it is impossible. Likewise, it seems impossible for the saints to be truly one. Nevertheless, the fact that the tabernacle was built in the wilderness indicates that although it is impossible with man, it is possible with God. My experiences in the church life throughout the years have caused me much disappointment and discouragement. The encouragement I have today does not come from experience; it comes from the Word. Nothing written in the Word of God is vain. Eventually, everything written in God’s Word will be fulfilled by Him. With God there are no impossibilities. Therefore, we need to believe what is written in the Word regarding genuine oneness. I believe that the time has come for God to see the actual oneness among us in His recovery.
My burden in this chapter is to point out that genuine oneness is absolutely not to be found in our humanity. Do not think that if you are humble or meek, you can be one with others. No matter whether we are meek or rough, slow or quick, proud or humble, educated or uneducated, we all have a problem with oneness. In ourselves, by ourselves, and with ourselves we simply cannot be one with others. In fact, we are not always one with ourselves. Once again we need to emphasize that the oneness is in the gold, not in the acacia wood. This means that the oneness in the church is not in our humanity; it is altogether in the Triune God. In the past I wondered why the Lord did not mention such virtues as humility, meekness, and kindness in His prayer for oneness. Instead, He spoke mainly about being in the Triune God. The concept of John 17:21-23 is that of oneness in the Triune God. This reveals that oneness is not in humanity; it is only in the Triune God.
PERFECTED INTO ONE BY GAINING MORE GOLD
In no other portion of the Bible is the Triune God revealed in such a practical way as in chapter 17 of John. The various pronouns used—I, Us, You—indicate that the Triune God is related to our oneness. It is in the Triune God that we are perfected into one. To be perfected means to have more gold. Only when the boards were adequately overlaid with gold were they perfected into one. This indicates that to be perfected into one means to gain more of God. Surely mere teachings about oneness can never make us one.
Oneness is not a superficial matter. It is a matter of sinking deeply into the Triune God until we are fully overlaid with gold. We all need a great deal more of God. It is not sufficient simply to be coated with a thin layer of Him. If we truly have light on our need to be overlaid with gold, we will repent and say, “Lord, I repent that I am only gilded with gold. I have not yet been overlaid. What I have experienced of You is merely gilding. It is good for causing others to praise me, but it is not good for the real oneness, for holding me together with others. When even a small problem arises, my layer of gold is not sufficient, and the oneness is damaged. Lord, for the oneness, overlay me with an adequate amount of gold.”
The more we are overlaid with gold, the more oneness we have. Nothing can damage the oneness that comes from our being overlaid with an ample quantity of gold. The more we have of God, the stronger is our oneness.