Fellowship

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

There is a connection here between walking in the light and fellowship that is profound. If we walk in the light we will have fellowship. That means that fellowship is not optional, not something we can take or leave. Fellowship is the result of walking in the light. If we do the one thing the other will follow. Now, I think I just said the same thing three times in different ways. That's because it's important.

So what is fellowship? The Greek word John used in this passage means an association or close relationship. We have fellowship with God. That is part of what it means to walk in the light. On the human level fellowship means something like "common life." We share common goals, purpose, and interests as Christians, but primarily we share Christ. He is our common bond. There is also the idea of participation, or sharing. In Philippians 3:10 Paul says he longs to share in the sufferings of Christ. In a broader sense we share many things with God. We share in his character in things like love, patience, compassion, holiness and the fruit of the Spirit. The more we share in these the more like him we become, in other words, the more godly we become. Again, on a human level we participate, or should participate in each other's lives. We care about what our fellow Christians care about. We hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice. Implicit in this thought is the idea of need, and this really sums up the profound nature of 1 John 1:7: we need each other. If we are to become godly we need fellowship with each other. John is very clear that we can't separate these two things.

Think of someone today with whom you can have fellowship. Make it more than superficialities. Ask them about their walk with the Lord and encourage them to ask you.