Share on
Protestantism: The Antithesis of Jesus' Prayer in John 17 - Apologetics for the Masses #539
Unsubscribe/Subscribe
https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/unsubscribe - to unsubscribe from this newsletter
https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter - to subscribe to this newsletter
Topic
Protestantism Is the Antithesis of Jesus' Prayer in John 17:20-23.
General Comments
Been getting a number of requests for my speaking schedule lately, so I'll give you the three that I have on the calendar in 2026 as of right now:
1) March 21 (this Saturday) - Worcester, MA. Worcester Diocesan Men's Conference. My talk is titled: Does God Want Everyone to Be Catholic? For more information on the conference, the speakers, and/or to register: https://catholicmenworc.com/. If you live nearby, come on down...I'd love to see you there!
2) October 9 - Catholic Familyland, Bloomingdale, OH. Totus Tuus Conference Family Conference. For more information and/or to register:
https://afc.org/totus-tuus/
3) October 10 - Wilkes-Barre, PA. Scranton Diocesan Men's Conference. Website link will be posted when available.
Introduction
{This newsletter is a little longer than average, but hopefully you'll enjoy it nonetheless. It builds on what I talked about in the last newsletter.}
At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed to the Father that we who believe in Him through the word of the Apostles - i.e., His followers - Christians - would be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:20-23). And not that Christians just be "one," but that they be "perfectly one". So, my question is: Does Protestantism, by its very nature, move us closer to fulfilling the prayer of Jesus, or does it fundamentally oppose the realization of Jesus' prayer? Let's explore that question in depth...
Challenge/Response/Strategy
I want to begin by affirming a few principles. These are what I closed the last newsletter with:
1) Given the Principle of Non-Contradiction, any particular statement of doctrinal belief is either true...or not true. It cannot be both.
2) If you believe in something that is not true, you are believing in a lie.
3) The Bible tells us that Satan is the "father of lies," (John 8:44).
4) Therefore, if you believe in a lie, you are believing in something that is of Satan.
5) If you believe in a false doctrine, you are believing in a lie.
6) Therefore, if you believe in a false doctrine, you are believing in something that is of Satan.
7) The Bible tells us that "in later times" some will depart from the faith by giving heed to "doctrines of demons" - aka, false doctrines - (1 Tim 4:1).
8) Therefore, if you believe in a false doctrine...you are giving heed to the doctrines of demons...and it could cause you to "depart from the faith".
Now, let's look at John 17. I want to quote not only verses 20-23 from John 17, where Jesus prays for those who will believe in Him through the word of the Apostles, but also go back a few verses - to verse 14 - where Jesus first prays for the Apostles themselves:
John 17:14-23, "I have given them [the Apostles] thy [the Father's] word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. 20 “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 The glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me."
So, again, the question is, essentially: Does Protestantism, by its very nature, work towards the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer that His followers be perfectly one as He and the Father are one, or does Protestantism, by its very nature, work against the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer?
Alright, let's start dissecting this passage to see what information we can glean from it that will help us to answer this question. First, Jesus lets us know that He has given the Apostles God's Word - "I have given them Thy Word," (v. 14), and He tells us that God's Word is truth - "...Thy Word is truth," (v. 17). Then, Jesus prays that the Father will sanctify the Apostles in the truth (verse 17) and that they will be consecrated in the truth (verse 19). So, the first thing to note here, is that truth is of the utmost importance in Jesus' prayer to the Father on behalf of the Apostles. Jesus has given the Apostles the truth - God's Word - and is asking that the Apostles by sanctified and consecrated in God's Word...sanctified and consecrated in the truth.
Next, in verse 18, we see that Jesus is sending the Apostles into the world as the Father has sent Him into the world - "As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world." And how did the Father send Jesus into the world? Well, we see, first and foremost, that Jesus was sent into the world to bear witness to the truth, "For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth," (John 18:37). So, Jesus is sending the Apostles out into the world to share the truth...the truth given to them by Jesus.
Jesus gives the Apostles the truth that He came to bear witness to, and then He sends them out into the world to share that truth. Why? Because the truth is inextricably linked to salvation. 1 Tim 2:4, "[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." John 8:32, "...and you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 18:37, "Every one who is of the truth hears My voice." Knowing the truth is necessary for salvation.
Again, why is truth so important? Because if you believe in lies...if you believe in false doctrines...you could very possibly depart from the faith, as God's Word tells us in 1 Tim 4:1. And, if you depart from the faith, will you be saved? Well, according to the Word of God, those who have disowned the faith are considered worse than unbelievers (1 Tim 5:8). And, according to Protestant theology, unbelievers go to Hell. Being "worse than an unbeliever," then, probably means you are destined for a very low rung of Hell. Knowing the truth - not believing in lies - is vital to our salvation. Vital to being set free. Vital to hearing the voice of our Savior. Vital to knowing Jesus Christ Who is the Truth (John 14:6). Vital to our salvation. Knowing the truth...knowing Jesus Christ...is intrinsically linked to salvation. To know the truth is to know Jesus. To know Jesus is to know the way of salvation.
Okay, we've looked at the first half of the passage - verses 14-19. Now, let's look at the 2nd half of that passage. What do we find? We see Jesus shifting from praying for the Apostles, to praying for those who will believe in Him through their word: “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word," (v. 20). Who is it that believes in Jesus through the word of the Apostles? Us. Christians. We would know nothing of Jesus were it not for the Apostles. So, here, at the Last Supper...Jesus is praying directly for us to the Father. And what exactly is it Jesus prays for in regard to us...in regard to His followers...in regard to Christians? That we may be one - one as Jesus and the Father are one (verses 21-23). In three verses of Scripture, Jesus prays - three times! - that Christians may be one...perfectly one!...as He and the Father are one. And why is it so important that Christians be perfectly one as Jesus and the Father are perfectly one? So that the world may believe in Jesus! Jesus wants the whole world to believe in Him and vital to that happening is that His followers be one as He and the Father are one!
I couldn't tell you how many times over the last 25 years or so that I've been asked: "Why do you focus so much on converting Protestants? They believe in Jesus. They have the Bible. They have the Holy Spirit. Why don't you focus on converting those who don't already believe in Jesus? Wouldn't that be the better thing to do?" Well, sorry, but Jesus prayed that Christians be one as He and the Father are one. So forgive me if most of my effort goes towards doing whatever I can for that prayer to come to fruition. Furthermore, the best hope we have of converting those who do not already believe in Jesus, at least, according to Jesus' prayer in John 17, is for Christians to be one as Jesus and the Father are one. It is when that happens that we have the best hope of "the world" believing that Jesus was sent by the Father.
So, working on bringing Christians together as one - evangelizing Protestants - is indeed working on bringing non-Christians..."the world"...to belief in Christ. Because right now, when non-Christians look at Christianity, in general, what do they see? They see division. Tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of divisions. They don't see unity. They don't see Jesus' followers being one as Jesus and the Father are one. When taken in its entirety, Christianity, as it is presently constituted, is a pretty pathetic witness to the unity of the Father and the Son. Who, in their right mind, would look at all the divisions within Christianity and thus be convinced that Jesus was indeed sent by the Father?
Okay, let's look a bit more closely at Jesus' prayer about His followers being "perfectly one," as He and the Father are one, vis-a-vis answering the question we started off with in this newsletter about Protestantism. What does that mean that Christians should be perfectly one as Jesus and the Father are one? Does that mean all Christians should have the exact same political beliefs? Economic beliefs? The exact same beliefs regarding global warming? Immigration? The size of government? Taxes? All Christians should homeschool? Drive the same type of car? Have the same favorite flavor of ice cream? All Christians should be Crimson Tide fans? What does it mean???
I think we can safely say that it doesn't mean all Christians need to believe the exact same things on politics, economics, government policies, food, travel, education, sports, and so on in order to be one as the Father and Son are one. What about, however, the truth of God's Word that Jesus gave to the Apostles and which He sent out the Apostles to share with us? Should all Christians be one in that regard? The answer to that question, has to be, "Yes." Yes, Jesus is telling us that we, His followers, need to be one - perfectly one - as believers in the truth of God's Word. We need to be one - perfectly one - in regard to the truth Jesus felt it so important for the Apostles to be sanctified and consecrated in. The truth that He came to witness to and that He sent the Apostles out to witness to. Jesus prayed that we...those who would believe in Him through the word of the Apostles...should be perfectly one in our beliefs in regard to the doctrines and dogmas and practices of the Christian Faith.
Why would Jesus put so much focus and emphasis on the truth - the truth that He had given to the Apostles - in His prayer to the Father at the Last Supper, unless He knew that those of us who believe in Him through the Apostles, need to have that truth for our salvation? And do you think He wanted us to have just some of the truth? Just partial truth? Or do you think Jesus wants us to have the whole truth and nothing but the truth that He gave to the Apostles?!
Now, asking again: Does Protestantism, by its very nature, move us closer to fulfilling the prayer of Jesus - that we be perfectly one as Jesus and the Father are one - or does it fundamentally oppose the realization of Jesus' prayer? Given my analysis of John 17:14-23 above, which puts forth the proposition that when Jesus speaks of Christians being perfectly one as He and the Father are one, He is fundamentally saying that Christians need to be one in belief on matters of faith and morals...matters of Christian belief, teaching, and practice...matters of doctrine and dogma...then, when we look at Protestantism, I think the answer to our question is pretty clear. But, before we come to a final conclusion, let's look a little bit more closely at Protestantism.
When we put Protestantism on the witness stand, what conclusion do we come to as to whether or not it is pro-Christian unity or contra-Christian unity? First, when we ask Protestantism how many denominations there are within her, what answer do we get? Thousands? Tens of thousands? I don't think she even knows. However, if you define a denomination as a church, or group of churches, within Protestantism, that have either their own separate theological system or their own separate authority structure, or both, then what answer do you get when you ask how many denominations there are within Protestantism? I daresay no one can answer that question with any precision. But the answer has to be in the tens of thousands upon tens of thousands, if not even hundreds of thousands, or even millions! When you count every so-called "non-denominational" church as its own one church "denomination," then you are easily looking at hundreds of thousands of denominations within Protestantism and, more than likely, millions of denominations. Just think of every denomination and non-denomination as a division within Protestantism and drive around whatever city or town you live in and count how many divisions - how many separate "churches" and denominations - there are within the confines of Protestantism, just in your own area. Then, extrapolate that out to how many separate "churches" and denominations there are in your state, in the country, in all the countries around the world. It is staggering!
Yet, when you question Protestantism as to how this can be so, given Jesus' prayer in John 17, what is the answer you get? Well, I've talked with literally thousands of Protestants in the last 28 years of doing apologetics in public forums, and I have asked that question many, many times. I have yet to have a single Protestant - whether they be Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and so on - indicate that they have any concern, whatsoever, with all the divisions within Protestantism, with the exception of one group. The only Protestants who have ever indicated to me that there should be no denominations within Jesus' church, are the folks in the Campbellite Church of Christ. The problem there is, though, every single congregation in the Campbellite Church of Christ operates independently from all the others. There is no one authority within the Campbellite Church of Christ that can rule on matters of doctrine or morals. So, essentially, each congregation within the Campbellite Church of Christ is its own denomination with its own separate authority structure, even if they have the same set of beliefs.
But, back to the vast majority of those within Protestantism who have no issue with all the divisions - what reason, or excuse, do they offer for the state of Protestantism vs. Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper for His followers to be one as He and the Father are one? I have pointed out to folks, numerous times, that within Protestantism you have any number of combinations of beliefs, many of which contradict one another. Some denominations have bishops. Some don't. Some denominations have priests. Some don't. You have those who believe it's okay to baptize infants. Others say it's not. Some believe baptism is by immersion only. Others don't. Some believe baptism in regenerative. Others don't. Most believe in salvation by faith alone. Some don't. Many believe in Once Saved Always Saved. Many don't. Some believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Others a Mid-Tribulation Rapture. Others a Post-Tribulation Rapture. Still others believe in all three Raptures. And still others believe in no Rapture. Some believe in soul sleep. Others don't. Sacraments. No sacraments. Trinity. No Trinity. Speaking in tongues. No speaking in tongues. Healings. No healings. Instrumental music. A cappella only. And on and on and on I could go.
What answer or argument do I get that justifies all of these divisions within Protestantism? "Well, it's okay to disagree on the non-essential doctrines as long as we agree on the essential doctrines." So I ask, "Well, Jesus wants us to be one - perfectly one - as He and the Father are one, right? So, given that, do the Father and the Son disagree on any doctrine...any doctrine at all? Even the so-called non-essential doctrines? For example, do the Father and the Son disagree on whether it's okay to baptize babies or not? If they don't - and you know they don't - then how can you say it's okay for Protestants to disagree on those things and be 'one' as the Father and Son are one?"
I've never gotten an answer. Never. The other way Protestants have tried to justify all the divisions within Protestantism is the "12 Tribes of Israel" argument. They will say something along the lines of: "Well, Israel - which was, essentially, the Old Testament 'church' - was divided into 12 separate camps. But, even though they were in separate camps, they were all united around the Tent of Meeting - the dwelling place of God amongst the Israelites. So, it's okay to be in separate 'camps' or denominations, as long as God is at the center." After they say that, I simply point out to them two things: 1) Yes, the tribes of Israel were indeed in separate camps, but they all believed the same things - they did not differ in regards to doctrine and practice; and, 2) They all had a common leader - Moses! So, no, the fact that the 12 Tribes of Israel were in 12 separate camps, is not the same thing as having different denominations with different, and often contradictory, doctrines and with different leadership structures.
All in all, the conclusion one must come to in regard to Protestantism, is that, at its core, it is opposed to the prayer of Jesus Christ at the Last Supper for unity among His followers in regard to their theological beliefs, teachings, and practices. If each and every Protestant division/denomination claimed to be the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ, with the fullness of the truth as given by Christ to the Apostles, and passed along by the Apostles to all Christians throughout the centuries; and if each Protestant division/denomination lamented the fact that there were so many divisions within Protestantism and cried out that it ought not be so; and if the vast majority of Protestant divisions/denominations did not accept without protest all the division and didn't attempt to offer justifications for all the division and instead were seeking to unify all Christians under one banner, one belief system, one authority structure; then, one might conclude otherwise. But it just isn't so.
As I showed in my last newsletter, every "church" that claims to be a "Bible" church - i.e., it claims to take it's beliefs from the Bible alone - cannot be the Church founded by Jesus Christ before a single book of the New Testament was ever written. Every Protestant church in existence was founded by a man (or woman) or group of men (or women), it was not founded by Jesus Christ. Not a single Protestant church in existence actually practices Sola Scriptura, instead, they practice Sola - Man's Fallible Interpretations Of - Scriptura. Which is why we have so many divisions within Protestantism. Because they base their beliefs on the Word of Man as opposed to basing their beliefs on the Word of God as given by the Father to Jesus, Who gave it to the Apostles, who have passed it down through their successors for all those who believe in Jesus through their word.
As evidence for my claim above, I state that if all Protestants who claim to go by the Bible and the Bible alone, and who claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit when interpreting the Bible, were in fact going by the Bible alone and were in fact being guided by the Holy Spirit...then there would be one, and only one, Protestant church and it would have one body of non-contradicting doctrine. The Bible does not teach contradiction in doctrine nor does the Holy Spirit guide anyone into contradiction of doctrine. Since contradiction of doctrine exists within Protestantism, then either they do not go by the Word of God alone, or they are not guided by the Holy Spirit in their interpretations - or both.
Jesus wanted us to have the truth that He gave to the Apostles. Did different Apostles teach different doctrines to different peoples? Not if they were all teaching the truth of God's Word that they received from Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Then why do Protestant denominations teach different doctrines? Did the Apostles ever teach it was okay to disagree on the "non-essential" doctrines as long as you agree on the "essential" doctrines. Not if they were all teaching the truth of God's Word that they received from Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Then why do Protestant denominations do so? Does not Paul say, "I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment," (1 Cor 1:10)? When it comes to doctrinal and moral teachings, are there dissensions between the various bodies of Protestant teaching? Yes. Are the various bodies of Protestant doctrine of the same mind and the same judgment? No.
Protestantism, by its very nature, works in opposition to the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer that His followers be one as He and the Father are one. Protestantism allows its adherents to casually ignore the meaning of Jesus' prayer in John 17. It is perfectly comfortable with various and sundry bodies of contradictory doctrine supposedly existing within the Church founded by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit. It allows its adherents to be totally unconcerned with working towards the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer for unity. It allows its adherents to be perfectly content and comfortable with division within the Body of Christ. Protestantism not just allows for, but makes excuses for, contradictory beliefs within the Body of Christ. When two separate "churches" within Protestantism teach contradictory doctrine, then the congregation of at least one of those churches is believing in false doctrine...the doctrine of demons. Which means, according to the Word of God, they are at risk of departing from the faith (1 Tim 4:1). They are at risk of losing their salvation.
Given that, I adjure all Protestants, regardless of your particular denomination or non-denomination denomination, to really pray and think about whether or not your church...your denomination...is a help or a hindrance...to the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-23, and act accordingly. Or, maybe it's simply completely and unabashedly unconcerned with that prayer of Jesus. If it is, then that should tell you something. I invite you to actively work towards the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer that Christians be one as He and the Father are one. And I invite you to do so by examining - really looking at and considering the arguments for - the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Closing Comments
I hope all of you have a great week. Please pray for me as I travel to and from the Boston area for the Men's Conference in Worcester. Specifically, that I not have to contend with lines at security that are hours long. Thanks!
Donations
The Bible Christian Society is a non-profit organization that relies solely on your support to bring the truths of the Catholic Faith to tens of thousands of people throughout the U.S. and all around the world each year. If you would like to help us do what we do, you can donate online at:
https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/donations
or send a check to:
Bible Christian Society
PO Box 424
Pleasant Grove, AL 35127.
Anything you can do is greatly appreciated!
Unsubscribe/Subscribe
https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/unsubscribe - to unsubscribe from this newsletter
https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter - to subscribe to this newsletter
Share this newsletter on:
