With Dale Ratzlaff
John 17:20-23 (Part 2)
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even 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. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
In the last lesson, we observed several ways that we are one with Christ and the Father. We are also to be one with each other. More than this, there is a resemblance in the way this unity is described. As Christ is in the Father and the Father is in Christ, believers are all part of the one body that is in Christ. In a similar, but not the identical way, believers are to be in each other as they remain in Christ.
These truths are too big for the natural mind. We would do well to prayerfully contemplate these words of Jesus and ask for the Spirit’s guidance.
There are many aspects of unity that bind believers together.
First, there is the unity of the Spirit. The Spirit is the active agent that seals believes when they believe and are baptized into the church.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13).
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).
Second, there is unity in the body of Christians.
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything (Col. 1:18).
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many (1 Cor. 12:12-14).
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Rom. 12:5).
Third, Jesus emphasizes the similitude between Himself and His Father. Jesus is in Christ, and Christ is in the Father. We enter into this unity through the gospel. We are “in Christ,” and Christ is “in us.” We find this same pattern in the teaching of the Apostles. This is one of the central teachings of the New Testament. We are redeemed “in Christ.”
Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Rom. 3:24).
Romans 8:1,2 shows that this unity in Christ Jesus has profound results. Sometimes we read these promises so often that we fail to grasp their deep significance.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Rom. 8:1-2).
As we experience this unity with Christ, we are free from condemnation. For some of us, this is a great relief as many of us grew up trying to be “good enough” but never were free from the condemnation of our own shortcomings. To know that we are free from the law of sin and death brings real joy. These “in Christ” blessings flow over to other members of the family of God. They allow us to quit condemning others because, in God’s eyes, they are also free from condemnation.
“In Christ” is mentioned about 90 times in the New Testament. It is beyond the scope of this short lesson to list all the “in” and “with” Christ truths. For those wishing more insights on these important truths, refer to my little book, Gospel Transformation.
Not only are we “in Christ,” but Christ is “in us.”
To whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).
Fourth, there is the mutual love that now exists between Christ and us and is to be reflected in the way that we love others.
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him (Jn. 14:23).
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments (1 Jn. 5:2).
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us (1 Jn. 3:23).
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them.”
This short phrase, like the others in this lesson, challenges our ability to comprehend. Throughout John’s Gospel, we find different aspects of Christ’s glory.
First, Christ’s glory has roots in His pre-existence with the Father.
Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was (Jn. 17:5).
Second, Christ’s glory is often associated with His miracles.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).
When Christ made water into wine, He manifested His glory.
This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him (Jn. 2:11).
Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He told Martha,
Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? (Jn. 11:40).
Third, Christ’s glory is associated with His going to the cross and suffering the wrath of God for our forgiveness. At the beginning of this prayer for His men, Jesus, knowing that he was only hours away from His suffering and death prayed,
Lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You” (Jn. 17:1).
It seems incomprehensible that we could be glorified with the same glory which was revealed in Christ. Christ had “eternal glory” with the Father. We, too, are promised eternal glory in the future.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
We will never offer up our lives for the atonement of sin. Jesus did that once and for all time. However, we may have to suffer persecution and even death as we maintain our faith in our Lord.
Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (Jn. 15:20-21).
Paul, who later was martyred for Christ, wrote this.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18).
As we proclaim the Apostolic gospel and lives are changed, this brings glory to God and a sense of joy and fulfillment of our mission. The Apostle John expressed this joy in his third letter.
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth (3 Jn. 1:4).
I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
We conclude this lesson with these wonderful words. Here the unity between Christ and the believer, and the unity between Christians, all expressed in love, is the very thing that will cause the world to know that the mission of Christ was the mission of God. To realize the truth that the Love of the Father for Christ is the same love the Father has for us is staggering. Christ was a perfect person. We are fallen, sinful persons. Yet because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross we enter into the family of God as loved brothers and sisters of Christ, already qualified.
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:12-14).
Application
This prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17 is worthy of our personal reading, meditation, and prayer seeking the Spirit’s guidance. We will find that the unity described here is crucial to the successful proclamation of the gospel. Let us pray to know how we may experience and portray more of this unity.
- Unity of the Spirit
- Unity in the body of Christ
- Unity free from the condemnation of self and others
- Unity expressed in agape love
- Unity by experiencing various aspects of God’s glory
- Unity of joy as we experience the full measure of being one with Christ, the Father, and one another.
Prayer
Father, how thankful I am for this prayer of Jesus. I feel I have grasped but a small part of the blessing associated with its truths. Help me to experience more of this unity promised here and express that same unity and love free from condemning others.
In Jesus name.
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