A story is told of a minister who visited Brother Russell to inquire concerning his teachings and his methods of carrying on the work. When he was told that Bible Stu- dents have no church roll and no artificial arrangements of any kind to bind them together, the minister asked, “How then do you keep your people together?” Brother Russell wisely replied, “Brother, our trouble is not to hold the brethren together, but to get them apart,” referring, of course, to the habitual custom of the friends to linger long after meetings for fellowship.

Christian liberty is a priceless possession, and is to be safeguarded by all the consecrated, but it does not mean license to do as we please, so that when there is disagreement some separate drawing disciples after themselves. Since Brother Russell died, some, apparently, have adopted this false conception of Christian liberty, and thereby have justified themselves in attempting to form little groups of their own. Whenever and wherever this has occurred it has been a  trial  to  the  friends,  even though those who have been unwittingly induced temporarily to follow such leadership have been small   in number.

In Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. VI p. 241, Brother Russell expresses the thought concerning churchianity that, in his opinion, there were not enough denominations; that Babylon should continue to divide until each individual church member stood alone, being united only to Christ. He says that then there would be true unity among them. This has been seized upon by some as a justification for advocating division among the brethren.

This false theory is that now it is time for separation, not for gathering. The gathering was done during Brother Russell’s time, it is argued, but now we should pull apart and become individualists. This erroneous theory is carried so far in the minds of some that when they see an ecclesia increasing in numbers as a result   of public proclamation of the truth, or because friends once divided are coming together as they should, the charge is made that such an ecclesia has become a part  of Babylon.

Those who have received the truth in its proper spirit have already renounced all human leadership and headship; they have already discarded all denominational ties; they have already disavowed their allegiance to all earthly authority, and have been united with the Lord alone. It was to this happy and blessed state of freedom in Christ that Brother Russell was calling all the consecrated in the churches.

But we should not overlook the remainder of his suggestion, namely, that those who thus become free will be united in Christ, in a genuine unity of the Spirit. Indeed, those who are wholly free in Christ will be together in blessed fellowship and cooperation. If Christ is truly our Head, it means that we are members of his body; and if we are members of his body we will not want to draw away from that body—we will want to be with our fellow-members to share their joys and their trials, to share their privileges of ambassadorship, and to share the persecution that may come upon them because of their faithfulness in proclaiming the truth.

The Scriptures do not advocate that the Lord’s people practice division. Jesus prayed for unity, not for separation; and Paul said, “Mark them which cause divisions.” It is those who are not with Christ who “scatter abroad.” Those who are doing a work which the Lord can approve are gatherers, not scatterers. It is still harvest time, and the work of harvest is a work of gathering—“Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”—Psalm 50:5