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JESUS DEFINES UNITY (III)
LORD’S DAY, SEPTEMBER 28
John 17:9-16

Romans 12:1-2

 

“…they are not of the world…”

 

JESUS DEFINES UNITY (III)
 
Third, they were separated from the world. They were “in the world” (John 17:11), but “not of the world” (John 17:14). The “world” here refers to the world’s existing condition of alienation from, and opposition to, God. Separation from the present world system with all its ideologies and vices is an essential component of Christian unity in Jesus’ understanding. Separation, not ecumenism, is central in Jesus’ prayer (John 17:14-16).
 
Do those who propose this Evangelical-Catholic union manifest the above characteristics? Here are some questions to help us with the answer: (1) Can the Roman Catholic Church be said to know the only true God, even Jesus, when they include Mary in the Godhead? The Roman Church has made Mary Goddess when she accords to Mary such titles of deity as “Redemptrix,” “Mediatrix,” and “Mother of God.” (2) Can the Roman Catholic Church be said to obey God’s Word which consists of only sixty-six books when they add to it spurious works like the apocrypha and their ecclesiastical traditions, thereby violating Jesus’ command not to add to or subtract from His Word (Rev 22:18-19)? (3) Can the Evangelical Church be truly Gospel-believing and Bible-defending when she repudiates the doctrine of separation by belittling the importance of truth, and in identifying herself with the apostate church?
 
What did Jesus mean when He prayed, “that they may be one, as we are”? Jesus prayed this prayer of unity because the disciples were commissioned by Him to preach the Gospel to the world just as He was commissioned by the Father. When Jesus completed His ministry on earth, He sent them out as Apostles (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8). Inasmuch as Christ was one with the Father in the divine mission to save His people, Christ prayed that His disciples would be one in mind and spirit to do the same work. Note that, in their Gospel ministries, they never cooperated with the Pharisees and Sadducees, nor sought the help of Herod or Caesar. Such exclusivity is very much a part of the unity that Jesus prayed for.
 
THOUGHT: “The Devil is really on a rampage today. There is no place for neutralism, compromise, or silence.” (McIntire)
PRAYER: O Father, may I not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

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