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How is it that the unity of the Church shows the world that the Father has sent the Son, as Jesus says in John 17? There are doubtless many dimensions to this, but here's one possibility: The unity of the disciples, the way they share their lives together in harmony and peace, the way the disciples live in self-giving love, is so utterly INHUMAN that the world will see that something more than human is at work in the church. The world will see the church's unity and love and say, with Pharaoh's magicians, "We cannot do this. This is the finger of God."
And this, Jesus says in John 17, is also the glory of God manifested in the church. The harmony of the disciples is the beautiful melody that draws the world to know that in the church divine harmonies and divine melodies are being played out among men.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, December 21, 2003 at 07:48 AM
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