THAT THEY MAY BE ONE…

Jn.17:20,21 – I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

This is the final prayer and the ultimate purpose that was in the heart of Jesus when He went to the cross. Remember, this prayer was uttered moments before Jesus was arrested and just hours before His crucifixion. So this is why He came, that we may be one with Him as He is one with the Father. Now what does this even mean? Jesus is describing the relationship that He enjoyed with the father in glory from eternity. He came to this earth so that everyone who would believe in Him would be brought into this same fellowship that He has enjoyed. This is the whole point of the gospel message and the whole point of the church, that we may walk in fellowship with the Father, the Son, and all who believe in Him. This oneness is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Here is how Matthew Henry describes this.

“The unity between the Father and the Son, which is mentioned again and again. Christ assumed that the Father and he were one, one in mutual affection. The Father loveth the Son, and the Son always pleased the Father. They are one in purpose. The intimacy of this oneness is expressed in the words thou in me, and I in thee. This was insisted on in Christ’s prayer for his disciples’ unity: As the model of that unity. In some measure, believers are one as God and Christ are one; they are united by a divine nature, by the power of divine grace, according to the divine purposes. It is a holy union for holy purposes, not a body politic for any worldly purpose. It is a complete union.”

This explains why the number one tactic of the enemy is division, separating the members of the body of Christ separates us from the very life that Jesus and the Father enjoy. This relationship is our greatest treasure, we share it with every other believer, especially those that we are walking with. We must guard the oneness of His church at all costs, this is our very life.