The Christian Spirit Versus the Partisan Spirit
The Scriptures declare that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.” Acts 17:26. “God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34, 35. The life of Christ was given not for the salvation of the Jew alone, but for all the world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Seventh-day Adventists, above every other people in the world, should recognize these principles. They have been made the conservators of the gospel message which is to go to every creature. They are connected with a movement which includes in its operations believers in nearly every nation under heaven. These are all one in Christ Jesus, and in this spirit of oneness they should reach out to their fellows everywhere, and labor for their salvation. The recognition of the wideness of God’s mercy, the breadth and depths of his love, and the comprehensive character of the gospel, will eliminate from every heart the spirit of exclusiveness and partisanship. How illy it becomes the believers in this message to become partisans in any national or international strife which may be going on in the world. The cherishing of this spirit unfits for Christlike missionary labor. Its expression by word or its manifestation in the life only serves to engender in the hearts of our fellows national animosities and class distinctions. In all our intercourse with men, let us avoid giving expression to that which will engender a spirit of strife. We should view the great conflict in which so many of our fellow men are engaged, in the light of the prophetic word — from God’s standpoint, not from man’s. It is not for us to seek to determine the relative responsibility of the contestants. With the conflicting reports which are daily published, with the charges and countercharges which are made by those engaged in the conflict, we shall do well to reserve all judgment. In the true spirit of neutrality and non-partisanship, in the spirit of the Master, let us stand as the friend of every man of every nationality, doing all in our power to rescue from eternal destruction the souls for whom Christ died. Let us beware of a partisan spirit. Let us be broad-minded, generous-hearted, and cherish toward those of every nationality the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.