Perfect Unity

God came to earth to redeem the brokenness of man.  He came to restore our relationship with God so we can live in perfect unity with Him.

John 17:22-26

22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 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. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

This last part or conclusion of Jesus’ prayer sounds like He is talking in a circle, doesn’t it?  There is a reason for that.  It is the same reason we present rings to each other in marriage.  Perfect unity.  An everlasting, never ending, harmonious relationship.  In verse 23, the original word used is the same number for the number 1, annotating oneness.  We have already read Jesus explaining to the disciples “abide in me and I’ll abide in you.”  We’ve also seen Jesus explain to many that He and the Father are one.  His death seals the deal and restores our relationship and unity with God.

This is represented in marriage (well, it’s supposed to be, anyway).  It is what God means by saying in Genesis 2, “24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”  The divorce between God and man occurred after man turned his back on God in the very next chapter.  Genesis 3 shows God exposing this brokenness, “Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” You see, the unity was broken.  Man tore himself from God.  This was the whole reason for God to come to earth as man and redeem us.  We read throughout the whole Old Testament how man tried but could not restore the relationship with God.  It is why we continually seek to “do good” today, but we still can never be “good enough.”

Jesus here is praying for the consummation of His ministry.  He knows that once “it is finished,” God and man will be reunited once more!  Friends, this is what we have available to us today!  Some of us have accepted this relationship, but we haven’t done much more to develop it.  We still live as though we are separated from Him even though we no longer have to be.

Are you still trying to be good enough?  Are you still living like you cannot have a relationship with God?  Maybe you don’t think that is possible because you view God through the filter of the brokenness of man and not the awesomeness and love of Him.  He is the part of the relationship that remains faithful even when we don’t.  Receive God’s love today, because there is nothing more important.

 

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