Image: "Reaching For Heaven", 2020, Severna Park, Md.
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
John 17:20–21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
John 17:23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
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There are deep mysteries in Christianity that call for our deepest meditation, wonder, and worship. At the pinnacle of these is that of the Trinity, followed by the Dual Natures of Christ. We can formulate definitions and doctrinal statements about these... we can say somethings about what they are and, perhaps most importantly, say something about what they are not! But our finite minds cannot comprehend infinity and so, like a rapt admirer contemplating a magnificent work of art, we can only spiritually gaze on these truths for they lay outside of us.
But then, not too far behind these topics, we come upon the Biblical Doctrine of unity with Christ. We see Jesus praying for His disciples (vs. 6-19) and then for us, the ones who come to faith through the teachings of the apostles. (vs. 20-26) Now, we must believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that whatever the Son asked of the Father, God the Father would be delighted to give Him, and here, on the eve of His terrible trial on the cross, our Christ asked His Father that the disciples, and we, be united to Him and He to us.
What an amazing idea. Jesus prayed that we would be united to Him and the Father in the same manner as, or at least in a manner analogous to, His union with the Father Himself. Let that wash over your heart for a moment. In effect, Jesus is praying that we be admitted into the intimate fellowship of the Holy Trinity. That does not mean, God forbid, that we become part of the Trinity in essence, power, wisdom or anything like those things. He is asking that we be intimately connected to His Person, so intimately that we are "In Christ" as Paul often says.
We need to get a grip on this. Yes, it is mysterious, but it is also at the heart of the Gospel. As Calvin and others have noted: "... the blessings of salvation, justification, sanctification, adoption and glorification are all received through our being united to Christ." (Robert Letham, The Work of Christ, p. 80) Think about that! Those listed blessings ARE the Gospel. We can reduce it to this: The Eternal Christ, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, was born into this world as Jesus of Nazareth, and His purpose for doing so was to do that which the Father commanded Him to do, unto the end that all whom the Father gave Him (all believers) would be united to Him! This statement is entirely supported by the verses in this chapter.
So, this union with Christ business is important indeed.
It is generally admitted by most Christians that there is a "positional" aspect to this union. In other words, it is to be understood in a somewhat figurative sense. Jesus was our representative... He did the works we could not do... He paid the penalty we could not pay... and He rose from the dead establishing the truth that we will rise also.
These things are true but if taken only superficially, they can be pretty dry. What we must understand is that our union with Christ is not only positionally though that is not denied. We really are united to Him in a mysterious manner that has something in common with His union with His Father. In other words, there is an existential reality to our union with Christ. We really are bound up in Him. We can, with appropriate caveats, say that in Him we fulfilled the law perfectly, did good deeds meritorious of reward, died on the cross in Christ, and rose again with Him from the dead.
Not only that but through the uniting ministry of the Holy Spirit we can grow in our intimacy with our Lord, we can grow to have the "mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:16) We can become more aware of the indwelling Spirit and take very real comfort from His Presence. This is not an automatic thing, it is inherent in our progress in faith and sanctification, but it is not only possible but commanded. Jesus wants us to know the "love with which You (His Father) loved Me" by having that love be present "in them, and I in them." (vs. 26)
How can we ever really know the Love of God in us apart from knowing the Presence of Christ in us? This is Jesus' purpose... this is how He is most glorified (v. 22). It is when we behold His glory intimately, through recognizing His indwelling Spirit uniting us to Himself.
It is a mystery indeed... but what a glorious thing to ponder.
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