Unity — we think of it as a gathering of disparate parts, or their fusion, perhaps. In the natural world, we unite behind an idea, under a leader, against an oppressor, or toward a goal. But in Christian unity we grow together as one into a person — Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus petitioned the Father for our oneness through His presence in us. Count the numbers of “one” and “in” in these two sentences: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just 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 have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one . . .”1 [“One” 4; “In” 6.] God in us and us in God — such unity is beyond our understanding, yet how vital this must be that Jesus would pray for it so passionately. It is life itself.
Indeed, the Father has done it — He has united us into the body of Christ and with each other. Paul writes, “We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”2 Moreover, “just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”3 We have in fact become “perfectly one.” Then what does it mean for us?
It means living into our unity with each other through our oneness with Christ, setting aside our flesh for the good of the body and the glory of Christ. Paul again, “I . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”4
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” — Colossians 3:15 ESV
Yes, Father, fill us with your Spirit — each of us and all of us — that You would be glorified in our oneness in You. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 John 17:20-23 ESV
2 Romans 12:4-5 ESV
3 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 ESV
4 Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV
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Paul Nordman—Author 