ORGANIZATION by Earnest A. Raymond

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 11, 1900

ORGANIZATION

By Earnest A. Raymond

The Science of Life's Development

EARNEST A. RAYMOND

ORGANIZATION is the science of life, for without it no life has ever existed or ever can; much less the only real and true one of constant growth and symmetrical development. Through the limitless realms of the universe, from systems and worlds to atoms and ions; from flinty rock to intangible mind,—all acknowledge its laws. It is the art and science of relation, of cause and effect. God alone, the great First Cause, can unfold all its mysteries, and in the sometime of hope beyond can fully answer and perfectly satisfy the deep questioning of yearning hearts.

But in the ages past, and the years yet to come before man can read as open books the mysteries of being, so vast and deep, infinite wisdom and love have not left him without a key whose combinations can solve every problem and dissolve every doubt. It is only because man has never used it, or, at best, has by its means entered only the outer vestibule of wisdom's treasure-house, that its infinite value and wonderful significance have never been realized.

God made man in His own image, after His likeness; and, says the Scripture, speaking of the body of Christ, “according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

Most aptly indeed has man been called the masterpiece of God's creative work, for the organism of the body human, with its members and parts and the mind over all, is an epitome of the universe plan, with God as the Mind Supreme, and systems of worlds the body celestial.

But in a special manner has the Inspirer of Sacred Writ called the attention of all men to the perfect analogy existing between His church, in all its operations of life, growth, and development,—the plan of salvation in operation, seen concretely,—and our bodily temple, filled and vivified by the same divine power. How, indeed, could it be otherwise, when the whole is now and forever equal to all its components,—the church composed of human beings, each a system of correlated organs and parts?

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” “And gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body.” “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

What, then, shall we expect? Have we so learned Christ and experienced a foretaste of the powers of the world to come, as to regard the illustration used by divine revelation as fanciful and vague, very pretty indeed, but not serviceable,—wholly inadequate to the exigencies of the case? Let us realize once and forever that

the word of God is “quick [living] and powerful,” and “liveth and abideth forever;” that through the Scripture “the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The church can have no experience, it can pass through no crisis, spiritual or temporal, which does not equally involve its human members; therefore that which can make perfect and thoroughly furnish every part, can and must at the same time do the same for the whole organism. It is a matter of the perfection of parts.

Do we love the church?—Even as life; for to it we are drawn and held by the bond of perfect, pure, eternal happiness. Our lives are one; as one with it we live, or die.

Is the church endangered? Is it ill?—Even unto death. When its life and activity is but a hundredth part of what in health it would be; when its bodily warmth has sunk to a comparative zero, surely, if ever, it is time to summon speedily the Great Physician.

But what says the prayer of faith?—“Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed;” and the command is given, “He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.”

All organizations must involve two steps: First, separation; second, putting together. The first must be a work of discernment of the nature of elements, of possibilities; the second, of putting together, of so relating these elements that the special kind of energy in each will combine harmoniously with that of the others related to it, and the plan and purpose in view be followed and completed as a natural sequence.

Natural sequence! How lightly the words slip from the tongue; yet in them is expressed the infinite realm of cause and effect. And such indeed, in a literal sense, is organization,—nature-following. It is a theme as deep as Mind, as broad as Life.

If, then, we are to study organization,—the science of life,—the science and art of relation, of cause and effect,—by following and observing nature, let us start as nearly as possible from where she starts; let us come as near as we can to the great First Cause. And let us remember in this quest after knowledge, to “judge nothing before the time,” and to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . . The Spirit of God moved [“hovered, brooded,” literal rendering] upon the face of the waters.”

In nature, what is the purpose of brooding? Is it not the development of the latent possibilities, the warming and bringing into activity of the hidden germ? But did the waters contain any elements of life, the seeds, as it were, of that great organism about to appear? What says that same Spirit through Peter? Let us have a literal rendering, more nearly as originally written by men inspired of God: “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that the heavens were of old, and the earth organized from water and arising from [or, by means of] water, by the word of God; whereby,” etc.

In Genesis, the second chapter and third verse, where the common version tells us that on the seventh day God rested from all His work which He created and made, the primary meaning of the word rendered “created,” is carved, cut; and the word rendered “made,” has the original meaning of to build, to put together, to construct. In other words, the passage really tells that God rested from His work of “separating to put together,”—His work of ORGANIZATION.

Wonderful, wonderful water of life! Holding in solution the elements of every conceivable substance and being, of life in all its multiform parts and phases, requiring but the deep moving of the Spirit to reveal in actualities its infinite possibilities,—such could have but one Origin, one Source.

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb.” Rev. 22:1.

In the language of every day we often speak of lithia water, soda water, sulphur water, etc., and understand that these substances are held in solution in ordinary water. The literal rendering of the word here, and in a similar connection elsewhere, translated “life,” is means of living, subsistence; thus perfectly agreeing with and explaining the record in Genesis.

“Pure,” “clear as crystal,” thus it is absolutely colorless. Such is air, though filled with infinite realities, of which electricity is but an example. So also are many liquids known to the chemist, though holding in solution some decidedly real substances. Thus Paul, speaking in Hebrews of creation, very truthfully said that “things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” But, “He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast;” and in Job 10:10, speaking of creation, it says, “Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?”

Could language express the sum and substance of the matter in words more concise, by figure more appropriate?

Remember, we are following nature, the great “bringing forth,” and have arrived at the point where, though partially organized, “gathered,” earth still is covered and enveloped with the watery residue which gave up, “precipitated,” its life-substance held in solution,—all by the brooding, the deep work of the Spirit.

And this is only the beginning of the marvelous work of organization. Dear fellow seeker after truth, to us the Spirit says: “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”