弗四3 以和平的联索，竭力保守那灵的一。

　　启三8 我知道你的行为；看哪，我在你面前给你一个敞开的门，是无人能关的；因为你稍微有一点能力，也曾遵守我的话，没有否认我的名。

　　Eph. 4:3 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.

　　Rev. 3:8 I know your works; behold, I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have kept My word and have not denied My name.

　　地方召会的立场是基督身体真正的一，就是那灵的一。以弗所四章三节嘱咐我们要竭力保守那灵的一。那灵的一是基督身体的一，就是地方召会独一立场的基本元素。

　　The ground of a local church is the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ, that is, the oneness of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:3 charges us to be diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit. The oneness of the Spirit is the oneness of the Body of Christ, which is the basic element of the unique ground of a local church.

　　基督身体真正的一，必须以地方独一的立场来实行，这是以召会存在之地方的界限和行政区域为限，就是在地方的立场上，如在耶路撒冷的召会（徒八1）、在安提阿的召会（十三1）、在坚革哩的召会（罗十六1）、在哥林多的召会（林前一2）、以及在亚西亚七个城市里的七个召会（启一11）。所有这些召会都是在地方的立场上。

　　The genuine oneness of the Body of Christ must be practiced with the unique ground of locality within the limit of the boundary and jurisdiction of the locality in which a church exists, that is, on the ground of locality, as with the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1), the church in Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2), and the seven churches in the seven cities in Asia (Rev. 1:11). All these churches were on the local ground, the ground of locality.

　　地方召会的光景可能变动，也可能与所有其他的地方召会不同，正如启示录二、三章里七个召会的光景彼此不同一样。…〔所以，〕地方召会蒙保守不至分裂是因着她的立场，不是因着她的光景。独一的立场—基督身体独一的一，加上地方独一的立场—保守召会不至分裂。某一召会的光景可能很好，但那并不保证那个召会的立场是对的。一个地方召会的光景可能很低，但只要她保守基督身体一的真正立场，她就仍是真正的地方召会。另一面，一个地方召会的光景可能很高，但只要她不顾在当地所彰显基督身体一的真正立场，她就是分裂，就是地方宗派。我们…〔可以用〕婚姻的事，作这原则的例证。婚姻的立场是妻子的贞洁。只要妻子是贞洁的，即使她…可能不是亲切或恩慈的—这是她的光景—但这并不废掉她婚姻的立场。然而，倘若她的丈夫姓史，她却开始称自己为钟太太，即使她对丈夫亲切、恩慈、谦卑、服从，她称自己为钟太太就废掉了她婚姻的立场。…〔所以〕在启示录三章八节，主称赞在非拉铁非的召会没有否认祂的名。妻子否认丈夫的名是可怕的事，那废掉了他们婚姻的基础。…地方召会的立场乃是我们承认那个召会的基础。我们承认一个召会，不是因为她的光景合于我们的喜好；我们承认一个召会，是在于她的立场。这立场是由两件事组成的：基督身体的一，与召会存在的地方。（长老训练第十册，长老职分与神命定之路（二），一五四至一五六页。）

　　The condition of a local church may fluctuate and may differ from that of all the other local churches, just as the conditions of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 differed from one another… (Therefore,) A local church is preserved from being divided by its ground, not by its condition. The unique ground—the unique oneness of the Body of Christ, plus the unique ground of locality—preserves a church from being divided. The condition of a certain church may be good, but that does not assure that the ground of that church is right. A local church may be low in its condition, yet it is still a genuine local church as long as it keeps the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body. On the other hand, a local church may be high in its condition, but it is a division, a local sect, as long as it does not care for the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ expressed in its locality. We may use marriage as an illustration of this principle. The ground of a marriage is the chastity of the wife. As long as a wife is chaste, even though she may not be loving or kind—this is her condition—but this does not annul the ground of her marriage. However, if her husband's name is Smith, and she begins to call herself Mrs. Jones, even if she is loving, kind, humble, and submissive toward her husband, her calling herself Mrs. Jones annuls the ground of her marriage… (Therefore,) In Revelation 3:8 the Lord praised the church in Philadelphia for not denying His name. It is a terrible thing for a wife to deny her husband's name. That annuls the base of their marriage… The ground of a local church is the very base upon which we recognize that church. We recognize a church not because its condition is according to our preference. Our recognizing of a church depends upon its ground, and this ground is composed of two things: the oneness of the Body and the locality in which the church exists. (Elders' Training, Book 10, The Eldership and the God-Ordained Way (2))