UNION AND INTIMACY

The union of the Father and the Son is proved by Jesus' words and the Father's works (John 14:10). Jesus proves that He is in the Father because He does not speak on His own initiative. He does not speak "by means of Himself" (απ εμαυτου). The Father proves that Jesus does not speak on His own initiative by the works God does through Jesus. The works verify the words.

The Father is living in Jesus (John 14:10). The word "living" (μενων) is a nominative participle modifying Father. It means enduring, continuing or remaining. The Father is continuously living in Jesus. Jesus says, "The living in me Father"  performs (ποιει) - on an ongoing basis - His works, thereby verifying the words of Jesus.

Jesus calls us to believe Him (John 14:11). What are we to believe?  Jesus defines the content of our faith not the cause of our faith in the expression "I am in the Father and the Father is in Me." The particle (οτι) should be translated "that" not "because" (Meyer, John, p 412). We are to believe Jesus when He says "that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me." This is an essential doctrine of Christianity.

Why must we believe that? We must believe Jesus' words about His union with the Father because the mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son is the foundation for the mutual indwelling of Jesus and His followers (John 14:20). We are in Jesus, and Jesus is in us. Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Jesus. The Father sends the Spirit of Truth to be in us (John 14:17). The Tri-Unity of God is the model for our unity in Jesus, so the Tri-Unity of God is an essential teaching of our faith.

The basis of our union with Jesus is His union with the Father. We must believe His union with the Father in order to experience our union with Jesus. The intimacy we enjoy with Jesus is grounded in the intimacy He enjoys with the Father.