Here is my OP again. I may possibly have missed something, but I can't see where you have made any real attempt to deal with the substance of it
In the light of various threads, I feel that this is an important question to consider. There seem to be four differing views on the subject.
1. The Church of Rome view which proclaims that the Reformation was a great mistake and that all churches should come together under her who is the 'one and only true church of Christ.'
2. All that is required is a visible unity. All those who declare themselves Christian should come together in some sort of umbrella movement and work together for the progress of Christianity without worrying about Gospel distinctives. Their slogan is, "Doctrine divides; service unites."
3. The 'Gospel Unity' view. This is the view that there is no unity outside the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That unless there is agreement on the fundamentals of Christianity, particularly on the Person and work of Christ, the New Birth and the Divine inspiration, authority and sufficiency of the Bible, there can be no real church unity. But if these are agreed on, differences on the administration of ordinances and on Church order should not prevent fellowship between churches.
4. The 'Exclusivist' view. This is the view of KJV-only people, Landmarkists and some sections of the Reformed churches. With these people, fellowship between churches can only take place when there is total agreement on their particular distinctives.
Here I am going to argue for the third alternative. Not to say that Baptist distinctives are irrelevant or unimportant, but to say that they should not preclude Gospel fellowship.
The two texts that treat most especially on the question of unity are John 17:21 and Ephesians 4:13, and the verses surrounding each text. I will look at John 17 in this post and consider Ephesians 4, which is more complicated, in a later post (DV).
John 17:20-22. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in you; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me, and the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one."
The Lord Jesus has previously said that He is not praying for the world (v.9). He is praying here specifically for those who will come to believe through the Apostolic message- the Gospel. His prayer is that 'they all may be one;' not just a few, but all. The reason why our Lord desires this unity is 'that the world may believe that you sent Me.' The unbelieving world is not impressed with disunity. When they hear a babel of discordant voices, they are not likely to listen, and if they do, they are very likely to miss the truth.
The unity for which He prays is the same unity that exists between the Persons of the blessed Trinity. That is a unity of essence. There are three persons and yet one God with a unity of outlook and thought and purpose and love, yet there remains a distinction of Person.
This unity is not something new; it is already in existence. In vs.11-12, our Lord says, "[From] Now I am now longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You, Holy Father. Keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them I kept them in Your name......" So the unity was there already, and now that the Son is leaving the earth, He prays to the Father to keep them. So this unity which is to pertain to the Church of Christ is one of essence. What makes a Christian is not a mere profession, nor an outward ordinance, but being a 'partaker of the divine nature' (2 Peter 1:4), born again of the Spirit of God. Not indeed, made divine, but being indwelt by the Spirit of God. It is these, and no others, for whom the Lord prays, that they may be one. "......Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the Son of perdition, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled." Judas is not one of them. He was among them but was not of them. He participated with them but his heart was not changed. So it is not outward professors who have this unity, but those who are born from above.
So the unity is not of man, but of God. It is not a group of people deciding to found a new denomination or a new society. It is not a matter of friendship or mutual admiration; it is of God, a unity of those who have been born of Him. And since the Lord Jesus prays for this unity, it must be an established fact. There is a further unity; the 'perfect' or 'complete' unity of v.23. This is something for the future and has to do with Ephesians 4:11-14 which I hope to write on later.
The Lord Jesus continues (v.24), "Father, I desire that they also whom You have given Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory." There is no question of some of these people being outside of the New Jerusalem because they are not part of some mythical 'Baptist Bride.' No, no! All the elect will be together on that last day, before the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10).
