The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-10-04

No one needs to be told that
harmony is one of the great
laws OF the universe: some
would say the greatest. This
does not mean that we always
find harmony where it ought to
be. or that it is easy to produce
or to maintain. It does mean
that failure of harmony where
harmony should be is always
battling and painful, and car be
fatal. From the car engine in
which the cylinders do not work
with the rhythm the designers
intended, on to the human being
who is las we say "all to
pieces" loss Of harmony is al
ways bad. To Live in harmony
with yourself. your fellow men
and God is the road to life, the
road to peace.
Broken Harmonies
When we look at life around
us, we see tragic need for har-
mony in the very situations and
institutions where you would
have a right to expect harmony
of a high degree. Look at the
American family today, look at
the divorce problem. This is
more than a matter Of husband
and wife bi kering. as if
their quarrels affected them
selves alone. An able probation
officer in large American city
has gone on record as saying he
has yet to see a juvenile delin-
quent from home where there
was h a r m n y between father
and mother. The capital city Of
our country is plagued by crime
of all sorts, and the authorities
lay the blame less on the police
force lwho are doing all they
cam than on the breakdown
of parental authority" Homes
where there is disruption be-
tween man and wife, parents
and children, are no help to So
ciety, but sore places, trouble
spots, breeders of disruption in
other circles.
When we turn from the family
to almost any aspect of public
life, what strikes the mind again
is feuding in business, social
life, politics, even in the church.
You would think that in the
church of Christ the very atmos-
phere would make quarrels I'M
possible Yet the experience Of
today mirrors the expericnc Of
the early Christian church. The
same people to whom Paul
writes as sanctified iii Christ
Jesus" and mot lacking in any
spiritual gift" are quarrelirg
among themselves. The girs t
three chapters Of l Corinthians
are devoted to this problem Of
quarreling Christians.
The Basic Harmony
Paul brings out the truth that
there is one basic harmony on
which all others are built. With
out this basic harmony every
other attempt at it falls in fail
ure. This is the harmony be-
tween the Christian and God
and OF course this means be-
tween the Christian and Christ.
He does not SO much urge the
Christians to behave" and to
make up as he urges them
to remember whose they are
an whom they serve. 1t is
through God - Father. Son. and
Holy Spirit that the Earring
factions in the church find the
solution Of their quarrels. The
more we think Of other Chris
tlanS as other Christians and
not just as others : Outsiders,
opponents. roadblocks to truth
ana progress - the closer We
shall come to that harmony
which in its perfection we shall
never see in this world. The
church can not come before God
with its differences all ironed
out, its harmonies restored. and
offer God its self-made harmony
and peace as a gift from us to
Him. On the ontrary. the
church's disharmonies, cuarrels.
factions. once we are truly unit
ed to Christ ard devoted to His
cause. will begin to perish for
lack OF pride, the essential diet
of dissension.
What motives inspire those
who seek harmony especially
with their fellow Christians? Is
1t that we don't want to be both
cred by arguments? Is it for
efflciency's sake that we lay our
teuds aside? 1t is that want
to present solid front 10 the
world? These may be motives,
but not the best. Paul speaks of
two m otives promoting true
Christian harmony between man
and man, in the church or out.
One is the fellowship of our
Lord Jesus" We belong to Him,
every Christian does. We belong
neither less nor more than
others. Boosting and showing are
out of order. The other motive
is service for Christ. AS Paul
and Appollos are very different
men. worked each in his way
without conflict, so may all of
US unite not always in ideas,
but ALWAYS in Christian Snrvico