SOME OF OUR CHURCH LEADERS are devoting a large portion of their time to the effort to answer the prayer of Jesus—the prayer "that they may all be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21). Federation of churches is constantly proposed by these voices in Christendom as the solution to this supposedly long unanswered prayer.
Then why is it these leaders ignore the plain words of our Lord's petition? The unity for which Christ prays is a vital unity of life in Christ and in God. It is a prayer that is offered for those who "shall believe on me through their word," and He prays "that they may be one in us." This union is only in the Father and in the Son and is realized through the Holy Spirit dwelling in true believers. It is not a mechanically organized unity at all. It is not a federation of organizations. Such a federation may exist regardless of the Holy Spirit and is usually built upon a compromise of the truth. Such a church unity no doubt is coming, but it is not the unity of the body of Christ. It will be the devil's counterfeit of the body of Christ and will consist of a conglomeration of people who have no right opinions as to the inspiration of the Word of God. It will be a manmade thing (not the spiritual unity God creates) and will come to its doom in the Great Tribulation.
Let us have what outward unity it is possible to have on the basis of the truth as it is given in the inspired Word, but mark the fact that the prayer of Christ is answered by separation not federation.
The frequent appeals that are being made with a view to helping Christ out of a hole by answering His prayer, are largely camouflage. It is another of those weak attempts to find a Scripture passage to help out a manmade theory.
—Dr. Keith L. Brooks, The King's Business, 1922
