The Daily Word of Righteousness

One in Christ in God, #20

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:22)

If we are not following the Holy Spirit but are idly standing by without seeking to grasp more of Christ, then we are not being made ready to receive the Glory of God. There are no limits placed on the Glory of God given to the Son by the Father. There are no limits placed on the Glory of God given to the Church by the Son.

"that they may be one, even as we are one:"

The Body of Christ will be perfect in unity. It is "one tabernacle" (Exodus 26:6). There will not be a shadow of disunity in the mature Body. The unity of the Body of Christ is being created by the Lord God. The Body will be one in the Glory and the love of God. The perfected unity of the finished Body of Christ can be compared only to the unity that exists in the Father and the Son.

"I in them, and thou in me,"

God the Father dwells totally in God the Son. The Son will dwell totally in His Body. Therefore the Body of Christ will have the totality of God because the fullness of the Father is in the Son.

The Father will dwell only in Christ. He who has Christ has the Father also. He who has the fullness of Christ has the fullness of the Father. He who does not have Christ does not have any part in the Father because the Father dwells only in the Son. The more of the Son we have, the more of the Father we have as a result. The Father is pleased to dwell in the Son because He loves the Son and has given all things into His hands.

"that they may be made perfect in one;"

Each member of the Body of Christ will be made perfect. If there were one imperfect member the Body would be imperfect. In addition, the Body has a perfection in its completeness that is not true of an individual member.

In the Body of Christ, as in the case of the physical body, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The finished Body of Christ is the new Jerusalem, and it has a perfection of design that makes it a completely acceptable tabernacle for the residence of the Lord God and for the blessing of the nations of the earth.

We cannot make ourselves perfect in these terms of perfection. Our task is to be absolutely obedient to the Holy Spirit. We are learning each day how to be obedient as the Spirit brings us through the appropriate experiences. The Spirit's assignment is to bring each of us to the perfection Christ has ordained for us, for which He prayed in John, Chapter 17, and which is necessary for the end He has in mind. The Holy Spirit accomplishes this perfection by many methods, including the use of the ministries and gifts He alone gives and empowers.

"and that the world may know thou hast sent me,"

To be continued.