I want to begin this treatise with a scripture
quotation. It is, for this hour, one of the most significant truths ever
revealed for Christ’s Body. It is found in the high Priestly prayer of our Lord
Jesus in the 17th chapter of John. It is as follows:
(John 17:15-23 KJV) “{15}
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out
of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. {16} They are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world. {17} Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth. {18} As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have
I also sent them into the world. {19} And for their sakes I sanctify myself,
that they also might be sanctified through the truth. {20} Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
{21} 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.
{22} And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one,
even as we are one: {23} 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.”
This scripture is taken from one of the longest recorded
discourses Jesus had with the disciples. It begins in John 13 and ends at the
conclusion of chapter 17. According to the gospel of John it was given at the
end of the meal. Because of the nature of the meal it’s importance takes on
monumental significance. It was His last opportunity to re-enforce the very
meaning of His life and sacrifice. The key word in this phrase is are. It is
indicative of a present condition. It is a now word. One of the great problems
in Christianity is that we have a mentality that this is going to come someday.
It almost sounds sacrilegious to declare that we are one with the Father and the
Son. To the old man it smacks of pride – and that is just what our enemy and the
enemy of Christ would have us think. If somehow the enemy can convince us that
we are not really one with Christ and the Father, he has won a major victory in
our lives. We lose our sense of being a child of God, our identity in Him, our
place in Him at the right hand of the Father, and are mired in religious
futility. We may also lose our sense of the bond of covenant we have with the
Father and the Son.
We need to rediscover the meaning and the reality of
reconciliation. Reconciliation is not simply a doctrinal truth, it came by an
historical act. It is something God did with eternal ramifications. We are
reconciled with God. However, it means far more than a peace accord between God
and man. By biblical definition it was the act which brought us into union with
God, We are not only His eternal offspring, we have become one spirit with Him.
Hear the Word.
(1 Cor 6:17 KJV) “But
he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” This is further confirmed
when the apostle Paul wrote (Gal 2:20) “I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.” It is again confirmed in
Paul’s letter to the Colossians when he wrote (Col 3:4)
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory.” You see, this
is not merely some doctrinal truth, but a living reality. Christ is our life,
and we are one spirit with the Father. Dear saints, we are one with the Father
and the Son. This also translates into another indisputable, eternal fact. We
are one with one another. In this passage in John 17 (v.22) Jesus declared also
“{22} And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:..”
You see, we, Christ’s body, the ekklesia, the called-out-ones, the Church, are
one. The Word declares (1 Cor 12:26-27 NASB) {26}
“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer
with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. {27} Now you
are Christ's body, and individually members of it.”
There is a spiritual bond, an eternal joining together in
the Lord, His body.
There is something here that must be addressed. Our Lord
stated as He prayed in John 17:22 22 "And the
glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just
as We are one;..” He has given us His glory that
we may be one. God’s glory is very precious to Him! The Lord God states in
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name:
and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
The only thing that the Lord will permit His glory to rest upon is that which is
of Him. His glory is awesome! I believe the glory, His glory spoken of here,
that He has given us is simply the glory of His person. According to this
prayer, it was the glory given unto Him by the Father, the Father’s glory. The
bond of glory which makes us one is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And beyond
this, He declares that we are one, as He and the Father are one. This is the
eternal spiritual life-bond of Christ Himself in us His body, His
called-out-ones.
To put this in perspective in another passage we go to
Ephesians 1:22-23, which states {22} “And He
put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all
things to the church, {23} which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all
in all.” Paul declares here that Christ’s body
is the fullness of Him. We not only complete Him, but by His infinite mercy and
grace compliment Him. I began to realize years ago that God would not give His
Son a little scrawny, weak, non-descript body, but one which was in keeping with
His glory.
So you see, we are not only one with the Father and the
Son, but are one with one another even as the Father and the Son are one, bound
as one in Christ Himself and His glory. We must begin to ask our Lord to grant
to us the true revelation of the mystery so we may begin to manifest our
spiritual unity to mankind. John 17:21 reveals that the manifestation of this
unity will validate us, even our Lord to an alien world. Hear this word with
your heart. (John 17:21) “that
they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they
also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
We must begin to examine our hearts and find out what
separates us from one another. While there are some things which are eternal and
non-negotiable such as His virgin birth, His vicarious atonement, etc., nothing
else can be justified in our divisions. Is it an allegiance to an institution,
or institutional form which separates us? Or a doctrinal position? Or
whatever…..?
Whatever it is, it is not worth the validation that God
Sent His Son to redeem mankind! May God grant us His great grace to manifest His
glory to a lost and dying world. You can begin by recognizing the Lord Jesus and
His glory in other sons and daughters of our Lord, and truly embracing them in
Him.
Dear Lord, help us today to begin to walk in You and in
Your life-bond with all who have called upon Your name. Help us to see this as
Your glory. Amen.
