Christ Prayed for Believers' Unity (Jn. 17:17-23)
Passage: John 17:17-23
There are 3 things that
make us holy: the truth which is the word of God, the cleansing blood of Christ’s
blood, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Other
than these 3 principles, nothing else sanctifies us.
Particularly in this
passage Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the
truth; your word is truth.” (Jn. 17:17). The truth of God sanctifies us. However, further Jesus said, “For them I
sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” (Jn. 17:19)
How can Jesus be
sanctified since He is sinless?
Jesus does not need the
process of sanctification like we do. He
is eternally holy. In this passage, it
is not the same kind of sanctification process as the saints. It is the principle relating to the fact that
He is unchanging and He is always holy.
He is set apart eternally, distinctively holy. He sanctifies Himself, means He preserves the
essense of His holiness, it does not mean He needs the process to become holy. The angel told Mary that the One she
conceived is the Holy One. He is the
Holy One who entered the created world, the fallen world, the visible world, to
be the manifestation of the Invisible God.
Also, why did Jesus say
He sanctified Himself for them (His disciples)?
It means He has become
an example. When they see Jesus, they
see the Father. He bring them to the
Father. And He becomes an example for
the saints to imitate.
In the second part of
His intercession, Jesus prayed: “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. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you
sent me and have loved them even as you
have loved me.” (Jn. 17:20-23)
Initially Jesus prayed
for His 11 disciples. Then He prayed for
all future believers. In this passage is
the principle of the importance to continue preaching the gospel. If the church understand this principle the
church will not be stagnant.
And the content of
Christ’s prayer for the disciples and all believers is unity. But what kind of unity? There are different kinds of unity. The union between the Father and the Son is
substantial union, unity in essence. Then
there is unity between God and man, through our union with Christ, which is
trans-organisational. It is a spiritual,
organic union, mysterious and eternal union.
Another kind of union is the unity among fellow men. This is the unity Christ was praying for.
There are three major
principles of Christian unity: (1) unity
in the name of the Lord (2) unity through the word of God and (3) unity for the
glory of God in Christ
Firstly, we are united
under the name of the Lord. God’s name
awakens us to holiness, to walk in righteousness, to glorify Him. We should only seek unity with people who
honour the name of the Lord. Those who
fear the Lord will honour Him.
Secondly, we are united
on the basis of the truth of God. The
word of God test and refines us. Our
great duty is to listen to the word of God.
On what basis do we come here together?
We are united in the holy Word.
Thirdly, we are united for the glory of God. Jesus said “I have given them the glory you
gave Me, that they may be one
as we are one” (Jn. 17:22) God says He will not give His glory to false
gods. Only God is worthy. The word “worthy” is only used of God and
Christ. We often give glory to those who
are not worthy.
In what matters are we united? We are united in God’s name, on the basis of
His word, and in all matters in giving glory to Him.
posted by Mejlina Tjoa @ 8:31 PM
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