Jan 17 2009
The Promises of God That We CAN Be United
God has promised to unite his children. In today’s world that may seem impossible, but I refuse to believe that what Jesus Christ prayed for is impossible. Jesus prayed “that they may be perfectly united in one so that the world may know that you sent me” (Jn. 17:23).
God will not unite those who are simply playing games with Christianity, sort of “trying it out” or just attending meetings. There are those who are inside, and there are those who are outside. Not all who show up and listen to Jesus were inside. In Mark 4:11, Jesus tells the apostles, “To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are given in parables.”
Similar to that is the statement that you cannot be his disciple unless you deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and even “forsake all your possessions,” (Luke 14:26-33, see footnote below).
To those who will be disciples there are some amazing promises. 1 John 2:27 says that “the anointing” will lead us into all things, and that these things will be true and not a lie. In today’s world, where there’s a preacher and a church for just about any doctrine you can imagine, that is an awesome promise. That is a promise that you will be able to sort through all that garbage and know the truth!
But who is he talking about? Who is “you”?
Unlike English, most languages distinguish between a singular and a plural you. It’s such a convenient thing to do that even in America we say things like “y’all” and “you guys” and even “yous” in order to separate a singular you from a plural you. 1 John 2:27 has a plural you. Sorry, friends, but that wasn’t written for you by yourself. There’s a different verse that applies to you when, as a Christian, you seek to be by yourself:
Exhort one another daily . . . lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb. 3:13)
So much for the “all I need is Jesus and my Bible” mentality, huh? We need each other.
The other promise that we can overcome all the “deceitful scheming of men by which they lie in wait to deceive” also relies on our being together. If we will “speak the truth in love,” the Ephesian letter says, and if “every part does its share” then we will grow with a growth that is from God and we will no longer be tossed around by every wind of doctrine (vv. 13-16).
Unity will require disciples–those who will deny themselves and follow Christ–getting together, laying down their current opinions, and together obtaining the guidance promised by God to those who will seek him together, a plural you being led into what is true by the Spirit of God. How sad that so very few have been willing to do this.
Perhaps we don’t actually care whether the world knows that the Father sent the Son. Perhaps we would rather stubbornly believe we’re right than go through the efforts to obtain unity in order to fulfill the prayers of Jesus Christ and testify to the world that he’s really who he said he was.
