But Jesus does pray for the unity of his people, and we
expect that the Father has fulfilled that request. Of what sort, then, is that
unity? It is a spiritual, ontological unity. The unity of the Father and the
Son (and the Spirit) is an spiritual and ontological unity, hence that is what
Jesus prays: that his people may enjoy such a unity as well.
But the question becomes, Is this unity at all visible, even
if not organizational? I would argue that it is, and that it can be recognized
in two ways. But an Old Testament illustration may help here. In the Book of
Numbers, we are treated to an unpleasant picture of the people of Israel, the
people of God. They are disobedient, rebellious, resentful, and envious. Almost
any sin that you can imagine is part of the description of Israel during the
time in the wilderness. By the time the story gets to the end of chapter 21, we
have little hope for the continued existence of Israel, let alone its unity.
But at the beginning of chapter 22, we find Balak, king of Moab, and his nation
terrified by what they see of Israel. They see a horde that has come to take
over the land. Balak does not see the internal strife of Israel. He does not
see their disunity. He does not see their sin. He sees them as a unified force
coming up against his land. Hence Balak calls for Balaam to come and curse
Israel. Of course, Balaam can do nothing but bless the people of God.
Then in chapter 24, we are privileged to see God’s view of
Israel. In spite of their sin, their rebellion, their disunity, God says, “How
lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! (24:5). Balaam’s
oracle goes on to give a lovely picture of the ugly Israel we have seen
displayed in the first twenty-one chapters of the book.
In line with that example, I would suggest that the unity of
the church is visible in two ways. First, Christians recognize that unity when
they meet other Christians from other denominations or other communions and see
in them brothers in Christ. Such recognition does not deny that brothers may be
in sin, may need to be corrected. There is still that real spiritual unity that
exists within the body of Christ.
Second, the unity of the church is recognized by the
non-Christian world, much as Balak recognized the unity of Israel. The
non-Christian world does not see the church as a divided mess but as a
threatening horde. We should take note of the fact that when modern secularists
complain about the influence or the views of Christians, by and large they do
not complain about Catholics, or Baptists, or evangelicals. Instead, they
complain about Christians. They may, in some sense, recognize the divisions in
the church, but they see above those divisions an overarching unity that is a
threat to them.
Finally, there is God’s view of the church. God knows those who
are his. They are his people. He is not blind to their divisions and their
shortcomings, but he is building a great temple that, when it is complete, will
demonstrate his wisdom and glory to a surrounding world, both physical and
spiritual (Ephesians 3:10). A building in progress is not always a beautiful
sight. In fact, it usually shows nothing of its future glory. Such is the
church. Nothing John MacArthur does can change that, and to the extent that
MacArthur’s criticism of charismatic/Pentecostal beliefs and practices are
correct, they serve only to contribute to the growth of that glorious temple of
God, the church.
1 comment:
Thanks for thiis
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