What does the Bible say about oneness?
Some concepts in the Bible are mysterious or hard to grasp. One such concept is our oneness with Christ and Christ’s oneness with God. Since Jesus isn’t just someone we believe in but a person we have a relationship with, it’s important to understand what exactly oneness means. Here are some thoughts on this topic found in Scripture.
Christian quotes about oneness
“We are one in Christ; let us be friends with one another; but let us never be friends with one another’s error. If I be wrong, rebuke me sternly; I can bear it, and bear it cheerfully; and if ye be wrong, expect the like measure from me, and neither peace nor parley with your mistakes.” — Charles H. Spurgeon
“Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it.” Oswald Chambers
Oneness with Christ
Scripture reassures us that our union or oneness with Christ isn’t something we earn. It’s God’s initiative toward us, not because of our good works. It’s a gift of grace through faith alone. Christ’s sacrificial death paid for our sins once and for all, allowing us to have a relationship with God, the Father, and one with Christ.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20 NIV)
Being one with Christ is the center of our life as believers. It’s our sanctification or growth as Christians and a constant reminder of our salvation through Christ alone.
Colossians 1:15-17 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Ephesians 2:13 (NLT) “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 12:13 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Ephesians 4:5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave.”
“I and the Father are one.”
In the book of John, Jesus tells the religious leaders, ” I and the Father are one.” When he says this to them, they get angry and try to stone him for claiming to be God. Jesus clearly tells them who he is. When he said he was one with the Father, he was saying he was
Equal to God
He wasn’t saying he was a prophet or a special envoy from God, but he was equal to God.
Jesus called himself, God’s son. Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. (John 10:36-37 NIV)
In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17 NIV)
He existed before Abraham
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58 NIV)
He corrected the religious leaders’ doubts about himself
Even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. (John 10:38 NIV)
Jesus’ prayer for oneness
Jesus prays for spiritual oneness for all his followers, just as he is one with God the Father. He also prays for oneness for the church in the present and future. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. This oneness of the Trinity is a model for believers and the church for all time. Being one with someone means there is a deep connection. It represents love, respect, and trust. No other religion calls its followers one with God. This is unique to Christianity and how God views those who have trusted Jesus as their savior. This knowledge should cause us to pause and praise God for his amazing grace.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 )
The oneness of the church
As Christians, our relationship with Christ helps us have unity and oneness with other believers. Being a follower of Jesus unites us with other believers worldwide. No matter where we go in the world, we find other Christians, and we can have fellowship with them because of the gospel of Christ. The message of Jesus’s death on the cross for our sins supersedes ethnicity, culture, and skin color. We are united in Christ for eternity.
Ephesians 4:3 (ESV) “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be [c]made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
Psalm 133:1 (NKJV) “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”
Oneness in marriage
When two people get married, according to Scripture, they are one.
Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Matthew 19:3-6 NIV)
…and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Mark 10:8-9 NIV)
Genesis 2:23–24 (NKJV) “And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Being one in marriage includes
1.) Loving your spouse as you love yourself- When you love your spouse, it’s evident in your marriage in the way you communicate and act toward each other.
2.) Being together in God’s call for marriage. This togetherness unites you in the mission of marriage. It’s more than just pleasing yourself or your spouse, it involves representing Christ and the church.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (Genesis 1:28 NIV)
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NIV)
3.) Seeing the distinct relationship as a married couple. Marriage is like no other relationship in its lifelong commitment. Other relationships, although important, can’t compare to commitment “until death.”
4.) Oneness in the flesh- Scripture calls marriage a union of the flesh. Sex is unique to marriage. In an age where sex is a casual encounter, this seems old-fashioned and weird. But God knows the human heart and what is best for us. He created sex to be a deep, personal, physical experience for a couple who are committed to one another for life.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24 NIV)
5.) Seeing the relationship as permanent- Scripture explains situations where divorce is allowed, such as adultery. Still, when Christians enter into marriage, they vow to stay together for a lifetime, working hard to make the marriage last. Marriage is hard work but worth the effort.
Yielding to Christ
Yielding to anybody isn’t a popular concept today. People who yield are viewed as weak and willing to let someone else get ahead of them. In Scripture, yielding to Christ means allowing him to lead us and submitting to his authority. We know that this yielding is not only to glorify him but for our good.
Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. (2 Chronicles 30:8 NIV)
Scripture tells us that yielding to Christ means surrendering our lives to the God of the universe, to our creator. We yield to Christ because we trust him and know he loves us. He knows what’s best for us, so we follow his lead in every area of our lives. How do we grow in yielding to Christ?
- Keep Christ’s commands–If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 ESV) We will obey Christ in our daily lives as we yield to him.
- Live by faith-I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
- Praying about everything- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.(Philippians 4:6 ESV)
- Abide in Christ- I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 ESV
- Let go of any sin or idols that have a hold on us– Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.(Colossians 3:5 ESV)
- Hope in God- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.( Romans 15:13 ESV)
Conclusion
As followers of Christ, we have a unique relationship with God the Father, Jesus, his Son and the Holy Spirit who lives in us. No other religion offers its followers this type of relationship or position. When Adam and Eve sinned, God set into motion a way for us to get back to the Garden of Eden in our relationship with him. Left to ourselves, we were separated from God. He knew that on our own, we couldn’t make our way back to him. So he sent his son, Jesus, who willingly came to earth as one with God and God himself, to be sin and receive the punishment we deserved. His death and resurrection allow us to not only know God but to be one with him forever. As Christians, we enjoy a unique standing to be one with Christ and one with believers worldwide.
