Verses 17 through 20 say, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. And I do not ask concerning these only, but concerning those also who believe into Me through their word.” These refers to the disciples who were with the Lord that day. Those also who believe into Me through their word refers to all those who would believe the Lord through the gospel preached by the disciples throughout the ages. This includes all who would be saved at all times and in all places. Therefore, the Lord’s prayer here is for all who have been saved and who belong to Him. Verse 21 continues, “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” How could the disciples be in “Us,” that is, in the Lord and the Father? It was by the Lord’s giving them the Father’s eternal life, by the Lord’s manifesting the Father’s name to them, by the Lord’s making known to them the word of God, the truth of God, and their receiving it, and by the Lord’s giving them the glory which God gave Him. Through these four items—the eternal life, God’s name, God’s word, and God’s glory—all those who belong to the Lord were brought into God. Through the eternal life, which is the life of God Himself, we are in union with God. Through God’s name as God’s explanation, we can know God; that is, we can know what kind of God He is. Through God’s word we are separated, set apart, from the world. Through God’s glory we are fully brought into God. When we are fully in God, that is glory. Therefore, you must see these four items. God’s life brings us into a union with God; God’s name makes God known to us; God’s word separates us from the world; and God’s glory brings us fully into God. These four items not only bring all of us who belong to the Lord into absolute oneness, but they also bring us fully into the Triune God.
I cannot expound this portion verse by verse and sentence by sentence, but here I need to speak again about these four items: the eternal life, God’s name, God’s word, and God’s glory. Please remember that all of us who belong to the Lord have the eternal life in us. This is why we can fellowship with one another, as 1 John 1:2 and 3 says, “We...report to you the eternal life...that you...may have fellowship with us.” In the eternal life there is something called fellowship. The eternal life entering into you, into me, and into everyone who belongs to the Lord brings us all into fellowship.
On the other hand, God’s name causes us to know what kind of God He is. The more you know God, the more you are in union with God’s children. Furthermore, God’s word, God’s truth, separates us from the world outwardly. The more you know God’s word, understand God’s word, and comprehend God’s truth, the more you come out of the world and the more you are separated from the people in the world. The more someone understands God’s word and has God’s speaking, the clearer the separating line is between him and the world. On the contrary, the more you blend with the world, the more you are separated from the children of God. The more you blend with the world, the more difficult it becomes to be in harmony with the brothers and sisters. The more you are separated from the world, the more you are drawn towards God’s children, and the more you are in harmony with them.
Lastly, there is God’s glory as well. If you are fully in God, in the glory of God, you will be absolutely one with God’s children. In other words, if every one of us who belongs to the Lord lives in the fellowship of God’s life, knows God’s name, knows God Himself, receives God’s word, and learns to live in God’s glory, then we all are living in God. If so, do you think it is possible to not have oneness among us? It is impossible. On the contrary, if you and I do not live in the fellowship of the divine life, have a thorough knowledge of God, and sufficiently receive the word of God; if we instead blend, mix, with the world, and if at the same time we do not live in God or in God’s glory, do you think we can be one? If we are such persons, surely we are isolated and separated from the saints. What isolates us? The world isolates us, not knowing God isolates us, and our self isolates us. These various isolations prevent God from building us.
For example, we may build a house with reinforced concrete. If the gravel is not thoroughly washed when we mix the concrete, the concrete will not be solid. Likewise, if we have the stains of the things of the world on us or the things of the self, then we will not be able to mingle with God’s children. If we have all kinds of problems, we cannot be built together with God’s children.
Therefore, for the church to be built up, merely exhorting the brothers and sisters to be one or praying to the Lord for them to be one will not make them one. This is not the way. We need to help them know the eternal life that is in them. We need to help them know the name of God and who God is. We need to lead them to read and receive the word of God, the truth of God. And we also need to lead them to live in God. In this way, you do not even have to speak about being one; the brothers and sisters will surely be one. This is the meaning of the Lord’s prayer. The Lord’s prayer shows us how we can be one, how we can be built up as one with all the saints. This building, this oneness, is not merely the oneness between men, but it is a oneness accomplished through everyone being in God and mingling together with God. This oneness of God and man is the building we are talking about.
Brothers and sisters, this building is accomplished by the Lord’s resurrection. The Lord said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Here the Lord was saying, “You destroy this temple with the death of the cross, but I will raise it up with resurrection life.” This temple built with resurrection life is a building that is accomplished in God by those who are regenerated and who are living in Christ, being absolutely one with God.
If we are absolutely one in God in such a way, the world will believe that the Lord is the Christ sent by God. The power of the gospel is right here. If we are to lead others to know Christ, know the Lord, we must have this testimony of oneness. You can go and observe; wherever the brothers are not in one accord, in harmony, there is no power of the gospel. The gospel continues to be preached, but not many are saved, and those who are saved are not very strong and prevailing. If you want to preach a prevailing and strong gospel that man may know Christ and know that He is the One sent by God and the Lord appointed by God, then you must have a church that is in oneness, a church that is built up.