John 17:20-21 NLT
[20] “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. [21] I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
Jesus’ third request was for all who would believe in Him throughout the centuries to this very moment. What a prayer, enfolding all believers for all time in one great purpose, UNITY!
Why was unity so important to Jesus?
First, unity is the very core of God’s nature. The statement of faith of God’s people under the Old Covenant, learned by every newborn at its mother’s breast was…
Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
The Hebrew word, “echad”, meaning “one” is often used in Scripture to convey the thought of the unified nature and purpose of more than one entity, for example, the two pieces of the tabernacle covering were joined together to become “echad”, one curtain.
This unity is wonderfully exemplified by the sexual union of one man and one woman in marriage. They were made of the same substance. They had the same human nature. They were to be joined together for the same purpose, to reflect the nature and unity of the Godhead.
Genesis 2:23-24 NIV
[23] “The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one (echad) flesh.”
The word “flesh” can also be translated “person”.
So, “one – echad” does not mean a single unit but more than one joined together by the same essence and nature to accomplish the same purpose.
Jesus prayed, then, that all His people in every generation, would share the same purpose since they had been recreated through the power of the Holy Spirit to be a new species with the same nature as His.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
[17] “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Ephesians 2:14-18 NIV
[14] “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
Since God’s children have been made into one new species, we have an obligation to maintain that unity by humble submission to one another. We can only do this by putting to death, through the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh, the old sinful nature dominated by selfishness.
Ephesians 4:3-6 NIV
[3] “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 5:21 NIV
[21]”Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Philippians 2:1-5 NIV
[1] “Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. [5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:… “
The second purpose for unity among God’s people is the witness unity would be to a world fragmented by sin. Despite all the calls for unity and all the legislation to force people to unite, unity outside the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is impossible.
Hostility, antagonism, and alienation are embedded in the hearts of people with Adam’s fallen nature. No legislation or even punishment can change sinful hearts. Only the power of God, through the Holy Spirit, can transform selfish people into one body that reflects God’s nature.
What a witness to the power of the cross!
Ephesians 2:14-16 NLT
[14] “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. [15] He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. [16] Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”
So, was the answer to Jesus’ prayer possible? No, if God’s people, like the Israelites under the Old Covenant, insist on living their lives in the flesh; but a resounding “Yes!” if, in obedience to God’s requirement and provision, we put the deeds of the flesh to death through the Spirit.
We can choose to be the answer to Jesus’ prayer or not by the way we respond to the provisions God has made. We CAN live together in unity as a powerful witness to Jesus and His death if we do as the Word says.
Galatians 5:16 NLT
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
In two ways, God’s children show the world that Jesus came to change us from a species of self-loving, hostile, enemies to God-and-people-loving, single-minded sons and daughters recreated in the image of His Son. This transformation is only possible by being born from above into the kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now we can live this life through the same Spirit who is in us.