The Path to Unity
By Phil Enlow
In John 17 we find a wonderful prayer of Jesus. He is praying, not for the world, but those His Father had given him out of the world. He asked for many important things, including protection from the “evil one.” He emphasized the importance of the truth of His Father’s word in setting them apart from the world.
But there is one particular part of Jesus’ prayer that has been made especially real to me. I believe it is critical to our being effective as “the church” in this late hour.
John 17:20-23 says. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
And so we see Jesus praying, not just for those standing there listening to him, but also for us today. And the issue is: what is the world seeing in us? Are they truly seeing and encountering the Father, and His Son? Or something else?
The key word here is “unity.” And the foundation of that unity is a very simple one: “I in them and you in me.” It has nothing to do with religious identity and everything to do with being truly born of God’s Spirit. If two people are both born of God’s Spirit, then there is a true foundation for the kind of unity of which Jesus spoke.
So, what’s the problem? Shouldn’t those two people automatically be one? They are born of the same Spirit: problem solved. Right? Of course, we know better! Remember, Jesus prayed that we be “brought” to complete unity. Clearly that involves time and process. Nothing automatic about it.
Salvation is so much more than simply being “born” of God’s Spirit, though that is the necessary beginning. I need so much more than God erasing the debt of all my past sins; I need to be changed. It is not just about “sins”; it is about changing the sinner who committed those sins!
And God uses “life” to accomplish that transformation. We are very familiar with Rom. 8:28-30, at least the first part. But don’t forget verses 29 and 30.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
We have all been born into this world under the dominion of “sin.” We call it “human nature.” And we all know that human nature is selfish. It is all about me, what I want, what pleases me, etc., etc. Obviously, human nature is the polar opposite of the kind of unity for which Jesus prayed. And so, God has to work on that, doesn’t He!
Think about all this from the devil’s point of view. He knows he was defeated completely at the cross. He knows his end. He does everything he can to prevent people from truly coming to know God through Christ. But one thing that terrifies him more than that is simply the prospect of Christians truly walking in the kind of unity Jesus described in his prayer.
So, here we are. The devil is trying desperately to oppose anything God is doing. God is allowing him to work during the process even though the ultimate outcome has been decided. What does the devil have to work with? Clearly he does his best to take advantage of the human nature from which we are in the process of being delivered. We still think and react far too much like the people of the world and he knows it.
Life is all about human relationships, family, friends, work, and others. Conflicts between basically selfish people are inevitable. Those conflicts produce all kinds of negative emotions and responses from us when they happen: anger, jealousy, resentment, unforgiveness – and on and on. And, of course, it is the other person’s fault and we are completely justified in our response! If only they would “get right,” then everything would be fine. We might even be generous and forgive them!
And yet God lets these things happen? Why would He do that? Well, does Rom. 8:28 really mean “all things” or not?
A big part of the problem is that we suppose that when something happens that we don’t like, that offends us somehow, that the problem is the other person. That’s where we automatically focus our attention – not to mention our efforts, powered by those negative feelings! Not much of a solution, is it!
The thought the Lord has made fresh and real to me is that when these conflicts and their negative feelings in us arise, He is focused on US and not the other person! That’s why God let it happen! It is not our job to “fix” them. God is trying to fix us and we keep blaming everyone else for how we feel instead of looking in the mirror!
Question: when these feelings arise, is it Jesus in us or is it human nature still trying to have its way? We know the answer to that; we just don’t like to admit it! Nothing – nothing – justifies embracing those kinds of negative feelings as a response to whatever someone else may do. They may truly have done wrong, but that never justifies US having a wrong spirit and thinking it’s OK.
So, what does God want from us in these situations? I believe He simply wants us to recognize the truth about ourselves, to seek and find the grace to let Christ act and react through us. Doing that is very much a choice. And we have that choice, if we are willing. Didn’t Jesus say, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one”?
It takes two to fight. God has given us “everything we need for a godly life” according to 2 Peter 1:3. We have access to that “everything” through “his very great and precious promises.” God is looking for a people through whom He can truly live and express His love in this generation. So, when conflicts and feelings arise, remember, God is allowing that to work in YOU! Focus on that. Ask Him for His promised grace. Then choose to act accordingly.
The devil is terrified that we will wake up to such simple truth, actually embrace it, and live it out! What a thought!