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22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

 

22 And the glory which You gave Me

The “glory” of the believer is a derived glory from Jesus. The glory of our Lord is the revelation of His being, character, and action. Jesus manifested His glory in life and on the cross. This is the glory of the incarnate Word, not the glory of the eternal Word. This is His glory of His work both on earth and the cross/resurrection.

The “glory” of which Jesus spoke particularly here was the glory of the cross. It was not His preexistent glory as God Almighty. It was the glory that came from His mission on earth.

I [emphatic] have given them,

The “glory” that Jesus gave His disciples was the revelation of Himself that He had already given them during His ministry on earth (perfect tense). By understanding this revelation, they shared in His glory. This was the essence of oneness with the Father and Jesus.

Jesus wanted His followers to share in the glory of His mission. This glory is not something innate in believers. He manifested His mission glory in His disciples. Jesus mediated the glory of God by revelation in His mission on earth.

that [purpose] they may be one just as We are one:

The purpose behind Jesus giving His followers “glory” was unity among believers that is similar to the unity of the Father and Son. The bond of believers comes from unity of the Father and Son’s mission. The glory that the Father gave the Son found expression in love between believers.

PRINCIPLE:

The glory of Christ facilitates unity.

APPLICATION:

Genuine unity is grounded in the one God. The oneness of God is the cornerstone of oneness among believers. It makes oneness of the church possible. This oneness is patterned after the Father and Son’s oneness, but it is not identical with it.

There is no unity among believers without God generating it. Christian unity comes from the truth and purpose that God gives. It also turns on the mutual indwelling we have with God and with other believers.

We find the oneness of believers in the oneness of the Father and Son. However, the point of contact in all relationships is in the Son (Jn 14:6). Believers are to be one in love, purpose, and action. They are to demonstrate the oneness between the Father and Son. They can do this by demonstrating the glory of Jesus in them (2 Co 3:18).

Christians share in a supernatural unity, a unity with the Father and Son. It is participation in the revealed glory of Christ.

There is both a basis and purpose to unity among God’s people. The basis rests on our bond with and relationship to Christ. It is akin to the relationship the Son and the Father had together. We are the same family. The church is a family that is found in many denominations throughout the world.

The purpose of unity is to win the world to Christ. It presents a common front to those without Christ. Strife and discord tear down that testimony. The world will see many testimonies rather than one. The unbelieving world needs to see that the church is the product of God indwelling it.

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