In a video message to the John 17 Movement’s recent conference in Phoenix, Pope Francis says that “division is the work of the ‘Father of Lies’” and that he “does everything possible to keep us divided” (“The Devil Knows Christians Are One,”Catholic Herald, May 25, 2015). The Pope said all Christians are one, whether “Evangelicals, Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics, or Apostolic.” The John 17 Movement is based on the heretical ecumenical interpretation of John 17:21, “That they all may 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.” Leaders of the Movement include Robert Briggs of the American Bible Society, Roman Catholic Bishop Eduardo Nevares, and Pentecostal pastor Giovanni Traettino. In John 17, the Lord emphasizes that true Christian unity is one based on supernatural salvation and obedience to revealed truth. It is not a “unity in diversity” that ignores doctrinal differences for the sake of a broad tent and that reduces truth to “essentials” and “non-essentials.” Christ emphasized that He was praying for those who love and obey the Word of God and keep its doctrine (John 17:6, 8, 14, 17, 19). This is not a prayer that envisions the modern ecumenical crowd that downplays the Word of God for the sake of a broad, lowest-common-denominator “unity.” It is not a unity of all denominations with their multiplicity of heresies. As usual, the Pope has it exactly backwards. The devil is not the father of doctrinal division; he is the father of the ecumenism that is building a one-world “church.” Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). (Friday Church News Notes, June 5, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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