Scripture

John 17:22-23 (NIV)

[Jesus praying for his disciples]: “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—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Consider

Unity among believers is an important theme stressed repeatedly in New Testament writings. The glory that Jesus received from the Father and gave to his disciples is the radiant, beautiful, and powerful manifestation of God. As the Father was with the Son, so has the Son come to us as Immanuel—”God with us”—and we who believe become temples to house the divine Glory that shines through our lives. Through mystical union with the Holy Spirit, the Son is in us as the Father is also in him. The same Spirit in each of us is at the same time in all believers, making us one body, unified by the Spirit, with Christ at the head. Paul expresses this mystical unity in Ephesian 4:3-6:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Unity among believers, then, is not a matter of getting along without quarreling, nor is it about finding common doctrine. Unity in the church is a matter of each individual being in constant communion with the Father and the Son, and thereby being supernaturally connected to all other believers who are in like communion. We are unified by the glorious presence of God living simultaneously and profoundly in each and all of his children.

Pray

FATHER, make me a fit temple for your Holy Spirit. Help me to recognize how I discourage unity in my church community by focusing on myself instead of on you. Remove the unholy and the unwholesome from my life so the world can see your glorious presence in me.

Reflect

John 1:14;  1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Ponder

How does unity among believers make God visible to the world?