John 17:11 and Church Unity: Can Christians Be One in a Divided World?

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” John 17:11

Is the church one or many? It is both. It is one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. There is one universal church of Jesus Christ in the world, although it exists in many forms. It exists around the world in many languages and cultures, but it is the church of Jesus Christ. The church, though one, has many parts. This is an expression of God’s wondrous creativity.

In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed that the church would be one. Is that possible today? The church is divided not only by distance but by language, culture, and beliefs. Isn’t any meaningful unity impossible? People have sought ways to attain institutional unity, but it has proven difficult. There are too many differences, not only in beliefs, but in church structures. While some might wish to force unity by uniting all Christianity under one leader, this is a forced unity. Protestants have thought that some measure of diversity creates a better possibility for unity of purpose, spirit, and love.

In the first years of the Christian church, there was great unity. The center of the church was Jerusalem, and the apostles were its leaders. Soon enough, however, the church began to expand across a wide area. The farther the church expanded and the more time that passed, the greater the variety of practice that developed. At times the church has sought to make all practices uniform, but this has always failed. Today there is great variety in the Christian church. This is not only because of distance but because God created people uniquely. The rich variety of his wisdom is reflected in the rich variety of human beings who make up the church.

The existence of so many denominations has been called a “scandal” by some. How can the church be one, as Jesus wished, if it exists today in so many forms? Yet denominations are a reality. The weakness of Protestantism is that we have so many of them. Its strength is that this allows people to worship according to their particular beliefs without incessant arguing. There are many “flavors” of the church. As long as churches hold to the essentials of the faith, God seems to allow this diversity.

Where can dissimilar people find community? The answer is that such community is found in the church. The dividing wall of hostility created by nationality, ethnicity, gender, race, and language differences has been brought down. The church brings diverse people together in ways that no other organization does. It makes friends out of people who might seem to have little else in common. Our unity is that together we call God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit binds us together in the bond of love.

The church must already now begin to reflect the eschatological reality of people from every tribe, and tongue, and nation bringing the treasures of their kingdoms into the new city of God. We cannot love uniformity and comfort so much that we neglect our neighbors, even when they are not like us. The kingdom of heaven will reflect human diversity and so must the church. We are many, yet one. This is one part of the wonder and glory of the church of Jesus Christ.