This is for a retreat this weekend where I’ll be teaching on the topic of the Trinity and Christian life!
Purpose: In this lesson we will explore John 17:20-23 and see how the Trinity helps with Christian unity so that we would be united as a church spiritually.
- Point 1: The result of Christian Unity
- Point 2: Mirroring the Trinity for our Unity
- Point 3: Means of Unity
Passage: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 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.” (John 17:20-23)
- The context here is Jesus’ prayer to God the Father the night He is going to die.
- Here Jesus’ prayer is for the believers of all time and not just His immediate disciples on that night.
Point 1: The result of Christian Unity
- Result 1: Being in God: “that they also may be in Us” (v.21b)
- In the context “Us” refers to Jesus talking about Himself and His Heavenly Father.
- Notice the order here: “that they may all be one…that they also may be in Us.”
- While it is true that being in Christ and God is the basis for Christian unity nevertheless this verse also uses a result conjunction to convey that Christian unity also brings us to God. I take it that Christian unity doesn’t earn our way to be with God but Christian unity practiced requires the fruit of the Spirit that has to do with us drawing closer to God.
- This is not works righteousness, but the work of God sanctifying us as seen in the context (see verse 19, which is the discussion that lead to our passage).
- Result 2: Christian maturity: “that they may be perfected in unity” (v.23a)
- Literally in the Greek I translated it as “that they may be mature in one”
- In working towards Christian unity the Christians united grow in spiritual maturity!
- Result 3: Others believe in Christ!
- “so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (21b)
- This shows that Christian unity is truly observable even by those in the world (Carson, The Gospel According to John, 568).
- David Guuzik said “This was a remarkable statement. Jesus essentially gave the world permission to judge the validity of His ministry based on the unity of His people. Unity among God’s people helps the world to believe that the Father sent the Son” (https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Jhn/Jhn-17.cfm)
- A. Carson said “So this display of unity is so compelling, so un-worldly, that their witness as to who Jesus is becomes explainable only if Jesus truly is the revealer whom the Father has sent” (Carson, The Gospel According to John, 568).
- “so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me..” (23b)
- Again the evangelistic result of Christian unity is stated twice in this passage.
- In this passage there is the added information about God’s love is what is being made known.
- This echoes Jesus’ teaching earlier in John 13:34-35 that love is a sign of someone being a disciple of Christ (Carson, The Gospel According to John, 568).
- “so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (21b)
Point 2: Mirroring the Trinity for our Unity
- The Trinity is what Christians need to meditate upon, specifically meditating on the relationship of the Father and the Son, if we ae going to have true Christian unity. Jesus emphasize this with three statements.
- “even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You.” (v.21)
- Here we see the word “even as” that is inviting comparison.
- The comparison is the relationship of the Father and the Son.
- Two statements are given of the relationship between Father and Son:
- “Father, are in Me”
- “I in You”
- The significance of both statements is that both are being close to one another.
- “just as We are one” (v.22b)= The “we” here is the Father and the Son.
- “I in them and You in Me” (v.23a)
- Jesus here first states His relationship to believes: He dwells in believes!
- Then Jesus gives another statement of His Father’s relationship to Himself: The Father is in Him.
- It should be a profound meditation that the Father and Son are so close they are in each other and then are able to reside in believers simultaneously.
Point 3: Means of Unity
- Means 1: We mirror the unity of the Trinity by meditating upon the Triune relationship of the Trinity: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
- This verse teaches beholding the Lord (Christ) will transform us.
- When we behold Christ for who He is (Triune God) and who He is in terms of His relations to the other members of the Trinity, this does change us! It is mysterious but a promise!
- It is in interesting that God’s way of helping us pursue unity isn’t to seek the lowest common denominator as much as possible, or to be as doctrinally “lite” as one can be, but instead Christ focused on the deep doctrines of the Trinity (Carson, The Gospel According to John, 568)!
- Application: Meditate on the Trinity often!
- Means 2: Sanctification through the Word
- The verse before our passage in John 17:19 focuses on sanctification that is continued on in verses 20-21 as the topic of Jesus’ prayer.
- John 17:19 states “sanctified in truth”
- Where do we get truth? Earlier before that in John 17:17 Jesus said “Your word is truth.”
- So we should be in His Word to sanctify us.
- Sanctify means being set apart; if we are not a part of God’s world, value and purpose, it will be very hard for Christian unity with others who are following God.
- Application: So be in the Word!
- Means 3: Abiding in Christ
- Recall earlier “that they also may be in Us” (21) and “I in them” (v.23); these are staements about our union with Christ.
- This should make us recall John 15 and how abiding in Christ we grow spiritually!
- Of course as we grow spiritually we exercise Christian unity better.
- Application: Connect with Christ spiritually through the Word and prayer!
- Means 4: Receiving the Glory God has given us
- An usual statement: “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one” (22); Yet what does it mean?
- What it does not mean: We can have the same kind of Glory that only God can have. So we shouldn’t be worshipped, made into an idol, etc.
- Elsewhere Jesus taught that God goes give believers glory: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?.” (John 5:44)
- Still the passage mentioned about glory given to us so that we may be one in Christ.
- Best way to understand that is to see what glory has been given to the incarnate (human) Christ that we too can imitate.
- Focus on glorifying God in what you do: “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,” (John 17:1)
- Notice Jesus asked the Father to “glorify Your Son”
- Yet the purpose of that is not self-serving; it is so “hat the Son may glorify You,” namely, the Father.
- Suffer for God: “And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified..” (John 12:23)
- Jesus here is talking about His crucifixion as “the hour.”
- We too in the Christian life will experience suffering.
- Future resurrected body: “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39)
- Christ’s body after the Resurrection was glorified.
- We too will have glorified bodies in the future if we are believers.
- Knowing this hope that we have means Christ and salvation is real; why won’t we show our gratitude by working towards unity in the church?
- An usual statement: “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one” (22); Yet what does it mean?
Can you tell me what’s the meaning of church unity and trinity
Trinity is about the God of the Bible. Trinity means God is One Being but there’s in some mysterious way the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit being divine all at the same time, from eternity. Yet there’s a mystery in that it is not three gods, but still one God. The Tri (three) and unity (One) within God is used by Jesus to teach unity in the church among diversity. Hope that helps a bit more? Anything I can pray for you for sister?
I need a prayer
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Fine lesson. In prayer.
Thank you for your prayer, I need it having stayed up till 5 AM and going to get on the road soon to retreat. Somehow I still need to finish Sunday sermon. This means a lot to me knowing you are praying Maw Maw
Thank you. Love in Christ.
Praying for your trip, my friend!
Thank you for your prayers, I need it as I finished my prep at 5 AM this morning and going to head out soon and still need to wrap up my sunday sermon. How may I pray for you?
If you could pray for my hubby, that would be such a blessing! He’s going in for another MRI, his back is not improving and they’re concerned about the long term damage that could be done if he doesn’t have surgery.
Excellent overview. Blessings to you and those attending the retreat.
Good study. J.
Thanks for the good outline! Unity is definitely an issue in regards to the universal church. On the one hand there are unwitting Christians who are eager to unite with faux-(c)hristians, all in the cause of ecumenical unity. On the other hand there are genuine believers who cause unnecessary divisions and strife over secondary and tertiary doctrines. I pray you have a blessed retreat!
Thanks for making the Trinity practical
1st John 4:8 Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.
Love is the perfect bond of union. ❤️ can you love someone you’ve not met? Do you have Christian brothers and sisters in other lands? Do you support government and wars that take place. To know what love is you must know who God is. Humility is a quality God cherishes.
I’m glad to have found this. Thanks for the points. I’ll refer to this in my talk later.