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Question 3

Dean paraphrases Tozer: many church problems come from “missing an attribute of God,” then ties unity to the “brotherhood of the Trinity” in John 17 (“as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee”); what does John 17 suggest God is like within Himself, and how should that pressure our definition of “faithfulness” when faithfulness seems to pull us toward separation?

Another way to ask: What does John 17 show about how God relates within Himself (Father and Son)? How should that affect what we call “faithful” when being faithful seems to push us to separate?

Direct Answer John 17, as Dean presents it, reveals God as a life of shared belonging and mutual honoring—“all mine are thine, and thine are mine”—and Jesus calls His people to mirror that oneness. That means “faithfulness” can’t be defined only as being correct or strict; it must also take seriously unity as a gospel testimony “that the world may believe.”

Support from Transcript:

Dean paraphrases Tozer: if problems persist, “somehow we’re missing an attribute of God… something about the nature of God.”
He points to the “brotherhood of the Trinity… presented in John 17,” saying it “changes your view of the church.”
He quotes Jesus: “all mine are thine, and thine are mine,” describing shared life between Father and Son.
He highlights Jesus’s goal for believers: “that they may all be one… as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.”
He gives the purpose: “that the world may believe… It’s a testimony… Our Lord stakes his testimony on this issue.”

Discussion Follow-ups When separation feels necessary, how can we test whether we’re protecting Christ’s holiness or neglecting Christ’s prayed-for unity? What would it mean to treat unity as part of God’s “attribute” we must represent?

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