In this chapter we will cover the subject of oneness among Christians. We have seen that the Body of Christ is something that can be seen on earth. Paul told the Corinthians, “For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). Paul did not say, “So also are Christ and His church.” Neither did he say, “So also are Christ and His people.” Paul said, “So also is the Christ.” In other words, the Head is Christ, the Body is Christ, and all the members are Christ. This is why he said that even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. This word shows us clearly that the Head, the Body, and all the members are Christ.
At the time Paul saw the light on his way to Damascus, the Lord said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are You?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus, whom you persecute” (Acts 9:4-5). The “I” was in heaven. How could Paul, who had letters from the high priest on earth, be persecuting Jesus of Nazareth, who was sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven? Here we see the oneness of the Body of Christ. The Head, the Body, and all the members are Christ. When Saul persecuted the church on earth, the Lord did not ask, “Why are you persecuting My church?” or “Why are you persecuting My people?” Instead the Lord asked, “Why are you persecuting Me?” By persecuting the church, Paul was persecuting Him. This means that Christ and the church are one.
Because this Christ can be persecuted, it is clear that this Christ is on earth. Therefore, the Body of Christ is something which appears on earth. This Body, which 1 Corinthians 12:12 refers to in the phrase so also is the Christ, is on earth. The Body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the Body, being many, are one Body. This Body is on earth, because it can be persecuted. Saul was persecuting the Body on earth, but the Lord said that he was persecuting Him. This means that this Body is on earth.
This has a crucial bearing on many things. If the Body of Christ is one and Christ has only one Body, the oneness of the Body cannot be something expressed only in heaven or in the future. It has to be something expressed on earth. The Body is one on earth. First Corinthians 12 shows us the Body of Christ. It says, “Whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it” (v. 26). This shows us clearly that the Body of Christ is something on earth. If the Body were in heaven, it would be reasonable to say that it rejoices, but it would be unreasonable to say that it suffers. It is impossible to say that a member suffers in heaven. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. This is clearly something that occurs on earth. Only by being on earth can there be the possibility of a member suffering, and only on earth can there be the possibility of the whole Body suffering and being persecuted. Therefore, the oneness of the Body of Christ is not something in heaven in the future but something on earth today.
The Lord Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 is for the church to be one on earth. He said, “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.” If we put this phrase even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us within parentheses, it is clear that the Lord is praying for the church to be one so that the world may believe. If the world may believe because of this oneness, then clearly this oneness has to be before the world. The Lord prayed that the world may believe. This shows us that oneness is something to be manifested in the world today.
First, we must be clear that Christian oneness is something which is manifested on earth and which is in the world today. Christian oneness is not something manifested in heaven in the future. Of course, Christians will be one in heaven in the future. But Christian oneness is expressed and practiced on earth today rather than only in heaven in the future. Everyone must be clear concerning this matter. Some may tell others, “Do not worry whether or not the church is one today, and do not be concerned whether Christians are one. When we reach heaven, we will all be one.” These ones are talking about something that will happen when the Lord appears. But what the Lord is after today is a oneness on earth. This responsibility lies with us. We should not wait until we get to heaven to be one. The oneness of Christians should be expressed on earth today. This is the first thing we must be clear about.