UNITY THE FOCUS OF GOD’S DESIRE

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”—John 17:20-21

 

Sin is a divider.  That is what separated mankind from the Father God in the Garden of Eden, and it has been fracturing relationships ever since.  Adam and Eve had children after they were sent from the Garden of Eden.  The first child born was Cain and then his brother Abel.  In Genesis chapter 4, we find that Cain was a farmer and Abel was a sheep rancher.  At some point, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from what he had harvested, and Abel’s offering was the first-born from the flock of his sheep.  God “respected” Abel’s offering but Cain’s was not. God noticed Cain’s attitude and talked to him about it.  And then to help clarify to us what God meant, we find in Hebrews 11:4 that Abel’s offering was by faith and a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s.   God is a God of faith.  Cain was offering something up to God without faith, and that is why he was corrected.  However, Cain would not receive the correction and ended up killing his brother, Cain (4:1-10).   This was the first recorded violence and the one responsible for Cain’s death was Abel, himself.  It was not the club held in his hands, but the attitude that Cain held in his heart against his brother.  God desired unity and oneness; however, Cain could only think of himself and how he felt.  He dealt with the entire situation according to his emotions.

 

Sin has been separating people and fracturing relationships since the Garden of Eden.  However, it is also the reason God considers reconciliation so very important.  He wants to re-establish an intimate relationship with fallen humanity, and for the church to shine their light for the world to see. 

 

The last time that Jesus prayed for His followers was before going to the cross, and He asked “that they may all be one” as the Father and His Son are one (vs. 21).  Despite the fact that we cannot attain perfect unity with God until we reach heaven, we do have the capacity to walk in humility and harmony with Him by living in obedience to His Holy within us.

 

God desires for us are unity, with one another within His church.  We will always have difference in what we prefer, and how we interpret certain Bible passages, but our common identity as Christians is based on the essential truths of the faith as revealed in God’s Word.  The unity Christ advocates is possible only when each member of His body walks in submission to the Spirit so that together they can achieve the purposes of God and reflect Christ’s character in their behavior. 

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to forgive me for the times that I have not walked in faith and allowed sin to separate us.  I ask You to help me and strengthen me so that I may be One with You as Jesus was, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.