Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John

Christian unity is based on shared life in Christ; and is expressed through common love, purpose, and mission to the world.

“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 I 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. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

— John 17:20-26

four pictures of unity from jesus prayer for the church:I. A Picture Of What Christian Unity Is Like

“20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

— Ephesians 2:20

II. A Picture Of How Christian Unity Achieved

“3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

— Ephesians 4:3

“35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

— John 13:35

“9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

— Ephesians 1:9-10

Creeds: practical unity in the local church(Adapted from the ucclife.fi blog)What is a creed?

A creed or confession of faith is simply a summary of Christian beliefs. According to Michael Reeves, "the creeds and confessions [of faith] of orthodox Christianity are the necessary, written responses of the church to the revelation of God in the Bible."

The earliest summaries of faith were in the Bible itself. Sometimes they were brief (Deut. 6:4-5; 1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Tim. 3:16) and sometimes longer (1 Cor. 15:3-5, 11:23-26). 

Later, and especially in times of doctrinal controversy, the church produced more detailed creeds and confessions (which do not have the same authority as summaries in Scripture—more on that below). The early church produced the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed, while the Reformation brought about statements of faith like the Augsburg Confession (1530) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646). Churches of the Reformation also trained and discipled Christians by using catechisms like the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Westminster Catechism (1647) which summarize Scripture's teachings in question/answer format.

Why use a creed in worship?

God's Word is the center of UCC services. Whether we are praying, preaching, or singing, all of the words we use are intended to faithfully summarize and expound truth of the gospel as revealed in the Bible. We then seek to apply them to our lives and hearts by the power of the Spirit. 

A creed or confession of faith that accurately summarizes Scripture is no different. As a summary of the Bible's teachings, creeds should lead us to worship as we together declare the truths God has revealed. 

While most agree that we should sing in a church service, many may not realize that singing words on a screen is essentially the same (without the music) as a reciting a creed. Just think of the song "This I Believe (The Creed)":

““I believe in God our FatherI believe in Christ the SonI believe in the Holy SpiritOur God is three in oneI believe in the resurrectionThat we will rise againFor I believe in the name of Jesus””

What glorious truths! The power of this song in a service—itself a summary of a creed, which is a summary of Scripture—helpfully demonstrates how edifying it is to declare the incredible truths of the gospel together, whether in song or readings.

Written creeds and confessions of faith, when recited in church, remind us that our church is part of the universal church of God's people which has existed for thousands of years. We are not an isolated group preaching our own interpretations of the Bible, but instead are connected to the rich traditions of God's people across history. They are powerful in reminding us of our unity with the universal church, just as Jesus' prayed for in John 17.

Creeds also keep us humble, reminding us that we don't determine our own truth and instead submit to God's Word and what it reveals. Michael Reeves writes that

The importance of creeds today 

Our culture emphasizes that, as individuals, we are all able to define truth for ourselves, that no authority can tell us what to believe. This tendency has affected Christian churches, many declaring they have "No creed by Christ" or "No creed but the Bible." While the intention may be good, this is misguided. Many people and cults today who claim to believe the Bible deny many of the clear teachings of Scripture. Creeds ensure that God's people are not deceived by every wind of doctrine that they encounter (Eph. 4:14). They are "guardrails" of the gospel.

Modern people are also very attracted to innovation, of always equating the new with the better. When it comes to the Christian faith, there is a temptation to see ancient truths as outdated and no longer authoritative. As sinners, we recognize our weakness in being tempted by these parts of our culture. Reeves helpfully explains that "Written confessions presuppose that we are fickle people. We naturally stray from what God has said to follow the siren voices of our imagination and our culture. If we want to remain loyal to the gospel, we must bind ourselves to it. This is what confessions do."

What authority does a creed have?

Like everything that we say, sing, or pray in a Sunday service that is not the Bible itself, a creed does not have the same authority has God's Word. We acknowledge it to be true only insofar as it reflects truths revealed in Scripture. This is an important limit we must recognize. 

Think of a full moon on a clear night. Though the moon is not the source of the light, it is bright as it reflects the light of the sun to us in a clear and vivid way. In the same way, a creed is not the source of truth, but it clearly and accurately points us to the ultimate source, God's Word. 

hugh latimer: English Reformer & promoter of christian unity

In todays sermon Hugh Latimer was quoted regarding the nature of true Christian unity: “Unity must be according to God’s holy word or it is better war than peace. We ought never to regard unity so much that we forsake God’s Word for her sake.” But who was Hugh Latimer?

Latimer, born around 1485, spent the first thirty years of his life a zealous Catholic who opposed the reformation strongly. This all change when a young man named Thomas Bilney approached him and asked if he could privately explain his own Reformed faith? Latimer agreed, and from then on he “began to smell the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors and such fooleries.” Latimer gathered up the arrows he had been shooting at the Reformation, and he started pointing the bow in the other direction. Throughout the next couple decades, he distinguished himself as a fervent Reformer and preacher of the Word of God. After many fruitful years of preaching, Queen Mary came to power in 155s and Latimer was sent to a cell in the Tower of London.

On October 16, 1555, after spending eighteen months in a tower cell, Latimer was sent to be burned at the stake wit another reformer named Ridley. Latimer last record words were words of comfort to Ridly moments before they were burned for their faith: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

Three years later, Mary I died and passed the kingdom to her half-sister Elizabeth, a Protestant queen. This changed everything. Latimer and Ridley’s candle burst into a torch and the church spread. Because Latimer was willing not to settle for false unity which neglected the Apostles teaching, the kind Christ prayed for, we have a wonderful reformation heritage to belong today in the line of the Apostles teaching.

SMALL GROUP STUDY

Read John 17:20-24

Introduction

Here as we close is a mere glimpse of the picture the unity that Jesus gives us in John 17. There is something very powerful and to my mind very moving about the Lord Jesus, on the night before He died, looking across the centuries and praying personally for us and each of us who follows Him today in the 21st century. We are caught up in a key moment in the prayer life of the Son of God.

Into the Text

1. In His prayer for the church might have prayed for success, or safety, or happiness, or for suffering to be minimized, but He prays for unity.

• In verses21-23, how many times does Jesus use the word “one” in this prayer?

• Discuss a time when you have enjoyed a sense of “oneness” with Christians whom you had previously not known and who were at least on the outside very different from you. Did this surprise you?

2. What did Jesus tell his disciples to do so that the world would recognize them as his disciples? Read John 17:23 & 13:34-35.

• When the church is divided, what message does that send to the world? What is the number one reason that most people give for not attending church?

• Make a list of things that divide Christians and the church today. Are these non-essential truths that have no bearing on salvation? If they have no bearing on salvation, will those things divide us in heaven? If not there, why do they divide us here?

3. Read verses 20. Jesus prays for His church to be united in truth which we flows from the Apostles teaching and is preserved in His Word. In the sermon it was said:

You see, truth and doctrine matter if unity is to be more than some sort of lowest common denominator synthesis where anything goes.

• What happens when we minimise doctrine in order to seek to preserve unity? Have you experienced this?

• Should a church hold biblical convictions on secondary matters? Doesn’t that divide? How can a church hold convictions on various matters of Christian faith and practice and not alienate those who disagree?

4. In the sermon it was said:

And here, right at the beginning of the Lords’ prayer is a plea for historic and doctrinal continuity between the Apostles and the post-Apostolic church. Between the church in the first century and the church of all subsequent centuries right down to our own…

Jesus is praying that the churches faith would not change and would in fact remain recognizably the same meriting the title if you like “Apostolic” because of its loyalty to the message and mission of the Apostles teachings. A united church says Paul in Ephesians 2:20 is one built upon the foundation of the Apostles with Jesus Himself as the Cornerstone.

• One way we can express unity with the Apostles teaching is by reciting historic creeds in corporate worship such as the “Apostles Creed”. How do you feel about reciting creeds together? What are some strengths and dangers of doing so? (Check out the post above based on a longer UCC blog post on the use of Creeds in corporate worship)

4. As Jesus continues in prayer, what does he say in prayer about the purpose of Christian unity and truth among his followers? Read John 17:23. (The following questions may help to guide your discussion but feel free to skip over them)

• What would happen if the world saw Christians united together standing on the truth of God’s Word? Could the church grow if that were really to happen?

• Would people you know be drawn to Christianity if Christians stood upon the truth of God’s Word and were united together and had genuine love for one another?

• What needs to happen in your life for you to be a Christian who stands on the truth of God’s Word and is united with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

• How can UCC demonstrate broth truth and unity to our neighbors?

5. Some Christians think we should do away with denominations and Christian labels such as “baptist”, “Lutheran”, “Reformed” or even “Christian”. In the sermon it was said:

We will have different prejudices and preferences, but if we know Him and if we share His life we can experience the supernatural unity about which this chapter speaks. We trust the same Savior, we share the same life, and we are moving toward the same eternal destination together and that knowledge enables us to live today with some variety. It does not force us toward uniformity in the place of true unity. We can disagree (we can even be more right than another on a matter) without being disagreeable—that is true unity. That is spiritual unity, unity so deep that it transcends everything that divides and has room…

• What do you think? Does true Christian unity leave room for variety? re denominations denominations, Christian affiliations and labels a settling for second best?

 6. What changes need to be made in your life so that Jesus’ prayer of unity can be true of you? Here are some suggestions:

• Study Christian doctrine to understand others points of view better.

• Study church history to understand how the church has grappled with unity throughout its history. (Note: on the above two points, UCC has a school of theology that offers theology and history courses that you can join. Also, we have lots of generous members with big libraries who would be happy to lend you a book to read and to discuss it with you.)

• Resolve not to speak about other Christians, church leaders, or churches in a way that puts them in a bad light.

• Take the UCC membership class in order to truly unite more closely with its vision, beliefs, and practices.

Close in prayer.

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