As Jesus was preparing to die on the cross and leave His disciples, He prayed to His Father (John 17). He prayed that the apostles would be one: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11). Moreover, Jesus prayed that those who would believe on Him and become His disciples through the words of the apostles would be one:
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:20-23).
Jesus’ prayer is that unity may exist between His disciples akin to the unity that exists between the Father and Him. Jesus did not pray that His disciples would eventually become one, but rather that they all “may be one” (present tense). A continual oneness is Jesus’ prayer. The Father and the Son are continually one by their nature (deity) and purpose. Christians are to continually be one because of shared faith and relationship to the Father and the Son.
Throughout the centuries, many man-made ecumenical attempts for unity have failed. Usually men, instead of going back to the Bible, try to shorten the list of items upon which we must agree to embrace an ever-widening field of divergent opinions. Let’s agree to disagree, they say. However, the Bible shows that the fundamental doctrines of Christianity cannot be abandoned for some pseudo-unity. We have been called into the fellowship of God’s Son through the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:14). This fellowship with the Father and the Son is maintained by abiding in the doctrine of Christ, not changing it to include those who bring other doctrines (2 John 9-11). Second John mentions the “truth” five times in the first four verses then goes on to highlight the importance of abiding in the doctrine of Christ. Jesus mentioned in the prayer that the truth, God’s word, is what sets us apart from the world (John 17:17-19); it is the basis upon which Christian unity must rest.
This unity is not cloning. It is not to make each Christian a cookie-cutter replica in every respect. There are differences in roles and abilities. The body of Christ has various members (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:12-30). The Father and the Son are one, yet we can distinguish one from the other; likewise, Christians being one does not mean that one Christian is completely identified as another. While there is distinction in the roles of the Father and the Son, the Father can still be said to be in the Son and the Son in the Father (John 17:21). The Father gave glory to the Son to share His message and do His works; similarly, Jesus is in Christians as they share His message and do His works so the world can see that they have been adopted into this loving unity that exists between the Father and the Son (John 17:22-23).
Jesus dwells in Christians by faith (Eph. 3:17) with His word teaching us how to live (Col. 3:16-17). Christians have one resolve, one goal; they have a unity of affections. Division centered around personalities is sinful (1 Cor. 1:10-13; Acts 20:30). We wear the name of the One who was crucified for us and into Whose name we were baptized. However, the unity Jesus prayed for goes beyond mere outward organizational forms such as calling ourselves by the same name. Jesus wants Christians to have oneness of emotion in rejoicing and weeping together (Rom. 12:15; cf. 1 Cor. 12:26). We are to have one mind (Phil. 2:2). We share the same will—to do will of the Father in heaven—and the same aim: to go to heaven (Matt. 7:21; cf. Phil. 3:15-20).
After Jesus prayed this prayer for unity, He did what was necessary to lead to its fulfillment. Jesus’ prayer was accompanied by action. He died on the cross to demolish the barriers between Jews and Gentiles and reconcile them to God in the one body, His church (Eph. 2:14-17). He left the apostles but sent the Spirit who came and guided them into all truth (John 16:7-15). Through the Spirit, Christ gave miraculous gifts to men to reveal His will through the books of the New Testament (Eph. 4:7-8). These gifts were given “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Our desire for unity among Christ’s followers must not only be in word but also must be accompanied by action. By what the Spirit has revealed, we must continually be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). As Christians, let’s be reminded: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6). Let’s be guided by the Spirit’s teaching in the Bible to be conformed to the Lord’s will rather than twisting and distorting the Bible to conform to our will. May this be our continual endeavor.
–Mark Day