urlJourney Through John – John 17

I’m a day late on this post, but I couldn’t help myself!

Many Americans gathered around their televisions on Tuesday and heard the president make the State of the Union address. I was unable to watch the broadcast because I was teaching at TNL, but I saw a great deal of web traffic about it – some positive and some negative. The SOTU has always fascinated me. I think if you were to take out all of the pauses for applause, there would be about 15 minutes of solid content there… but that’s beside the point.

As I read John 17 yesterday, I noticed that Jesus addressed the state of our union with him. Listen to what Jesus prayed in John 17:20-23

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me yI have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

In this passage Jesus talks about two different aspects of the state of our union with HIM.

First, he says that our union with him creates unity with others who are in him as well. He prays for the church; that it would be unified and then make the impact in the world that we were created and designed to make!

Second, he makes the claim that because of faith in him, we are united with Christ in God. “I in them and you in me.” What an amazing truth. Often times salvation is minimized to simply praying a prayer and receiving salvation from God. What we see in this passage is that while that’s true, it’s incomplete. Salvation actually mean unification with the one, true, holy God! We are united with him. Wow!

So, after reading the reviews of our president’s speech on Tuesday, I’m not so sure about the state of the union. After reading John 17, I am more confident than ever in the state of my union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!