The truth of oneness is great and profound. The full meaning of the genuine oneness revealed in the Bible is far beyond our apprehension. Because it is difficult for us to understand the oneness unfolded in the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus prayed about oneness in John 17 instead of speaking about it as the continuation of His discourse to His disciples. I believe that the Lord Jesus realized that His disciples were not able to understand the matter of oneness. Therefore, He offered a prayer regarding it.
John 17 is a deep, profound, mysterious composition. This chapter is itself definite evidence that the Bible is inspired by God. No human being could compose such a writing as the seventeenth chapter of John. During the past fifty years, I have come back to this chapter again and again. However, I must admit that I have touched only a fraction of the truth found here.
Verses 21 through 23 are representative of the profoundness of this chapter. In verse 21 the Lord prayed, "That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.'' What is the oneness spoken of in this verse? What does it mean for us to be one even as the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father? Surely this oneness is beyond our understanding. In verse 22 the Lord goes on to say, "And the glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are one." What is the glory which the Father has given to the Son and which the Son has given to us? Furthermore, what does it mean for us to be one even as the Father and the Son are one? Some may think that this oneness is simply a matter of the three Persons of the divine Trinity having no dispute, argument, or dissension. According to this concept of oneness, to be one means to be in harmony and to have no disagreements. Those who understand verse 22 in this way would say that if a good number of believers can come together without argument or dissension, they are one just as the Father and the Son are one.
This understanding of oneness is too superficial. Surely the oneness here is not merely that of individual units coming together in harmony and agreement. Here the Lord says that He has given us the very glory the Father has given Him in order that we may be one in the Father and the Son. This points to a oneness that exists in the divine nature and the divine being. The Three of the Triune God are one in their nature and being.
The oneness of the believers in Christ should be essentially the same. The use of the word glory here substantiates this. Because we have received from the Son the very glory He has received from the Father, we may be one even as the Father and the Son are one. This points to a oneness that is not the mere addition of individual units, but a oneness that is related to nature and being. Otherwise, the word glory would not be used in this verse. Glory is the very factor of the oneness here. The glory has been given to us in order that we may be one even as the Father and the Son are one. Hence, the glory of the divine Being is the factor of the oneness among those who believe in Christ.
Verse 23 says, "I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one." Once again we see that this is not a mere oneness of addition. The believers are not simply added together to be one. Verse 23 is even stronger than verses 21 and 22 regarding oneness, for it speaks of our being perfected into one. This indicates that we may be one, but our oneness may be just at the beginning stage. It may not have yet grown or reached perfection.
Although we can point out certain things about these verses, we cannot understand them adequately. Furthermore, it is difficult for us, even after we have read them again and again, to state the main point in each verse. This proves that the oneness about which the Lord prayed in this chapter is profound and far beyond our comprehension.