The cardinal focus of the book, ONE: Unfolding God’s eternal purpose from house to house is the manifestation of our oneness in Christ through the embrace of and walking in the reality of the three gifts given to the Assembly by Christ in John 17, namely: eternal life (the Father’s name), Truth (His word) and Glory (service). In expounding on the first gift, the author asserts that when a person comes to God through faith in Christ, He automatically becomes a member of God’s family and acquires the Father’s name. They also automatically become one with other brothers and sisters within the same Family. It explains that to be kept in the Father’s name is to remain in the enjoyment of the reality that all believers are in one family with the same Father and in the same name.
Every believer, upon receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior, being born anew, immediately feels a connection with other believers. They may not know much, if at all, concerning various Christian doctrines, practices, or denominational affinities, but are just happy to meet any other believers. There is a real, spontaneous, unadulterated love for other believers sprouting up from the indwelling life within them. However, instead of being kept in that life, in the Father’s name, many believers picked up different doctrines and practices which overtime made them to separate into factions and camps. The author states in unwavering terms that such is not being kept in the Father’s name but actually leaving the Father’s name to take on other names.
We then see the definition of a spiritual babe, which is where I derive the title of this article. A babe in this (eternal) life is a person that is easily carried away from the Father’s name. These believers are easily distracted by the world—by political causes, law keeping, doctrinal debates, various Christian practices, or personalities. As said in Ephesians 4:14, they are tossed and carried about by every wind of teaching by men who use both secular and biblical teachings with craftiness to carry off the “babes” into their schemes or systematized error—that is, a system in error. This is how divisions and sects in the body of Christ are formed, resulting in separation among believers.
On the other hand, mature believers in the divine life are immovable because of the Father’s name. They are no longer diverted or confused by various doctrines or practices. They are guarded and kept to remain in the Father’s life. Such followers of Christ are able to fellowship easily with all believers, even with distracted babes. Mature believers can bring those confused by diverse doctrines and Christian practices back to the enjoyment of the Father’s name by tenderly insisting that the focus of their fellowship should be round the Lord and not the different teachings or practices which are often the root of divisiveness.
In view of that, you may need to ask yourself, “Am I still a babe in Christ or am I moving up to maturity?”