Fellowship With God

Have you based your fellowship with God on your good or bad behavior? In other words, when you live a relatively holy and obedient lifestyle do you then consider yourself in “fellowship” with God but when you commit a random act of sin your “fellowship” with God is broken and must be restored again. From the Holy Scripture I want to offer another possibility regarding our “fellowship” with God as believers.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

The first observation we should make in 1 John chapter one is that he (John) is addressing a mixed audience. He is addressing both the saved and the lost. The obvious reason for this conclusion is that he does not specifically and exclusively address his letter to the “believers,” “beloved,” “little children,” “saints,” or “church at” in his opening comments. John uses descriptive titles later to specifically identify believers but not in the first chapter. That’s important.

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Here is another observation. You might assume that because he uses the word “we” in chapter one he must be referring to fellow “believers” since he is also a believer. But in the Greek the word “we” is called a third class conditional statement. In effect the statement means this. “If we—and we may or may not.” In other words, the things John is writing about may or may not apply to the particular reader. The reader may or may not have done these things, namely acknowledged his sins and confessed them. If he has confessed his sins and believed John’s report, however, he is in the light, is cleansed by the blood of Christ, is forgiven, is cleansed from all unrighteousness and is in fellowship with God. This is the unconditional and undeserved gift of God. If, on the other hand, he has not agreed with John’s teaching and rejects it he remains in darkness, is not cleansed by the blood of Christ from his sins, is not forgiven, is not cleansed from all unrighteousness and is not in fellowship with God. The “context” and the “words” used in chapter one helps us decipher whom he is addressing.

Let me give you an example of how the word “we” could refer to both the lost and the saved in a mixed crowd. I often went to the local homeless rescue mission here in Houston and preached the Gospel. Some of the men were saved. Most were not. While preaching I used the word “we” something like this.

Men, according to the Bible we are all sinners. And because of sin we are separated from God. If we confess our sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we will be born again. God is faithful and He is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day. If we believe this truth we have life.”

Even though personally I had already acknowledged and confessed my sins, believed on Jesus, and was no longer required to do it again and again, I used the word “we” in my sermon. I was not including myself as someone needing to do those things; I had already done them. Therefore, according to the Bible I had already been washed in the blood of Christ, forgiven for my sins, and cleansed from all unrighteousness, yet I used the word “we” in my sermon.

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Considering the text

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ

” (1 John 1:1-3).

When John says, “that which was from the beginning” He is speaking of Jesus Christ. He is declaring the deity of Christ. Jesus was not a created being; He is the creator. He was from the beginning. John says we heard Him, we saw Him with our eyes, we looked upon Him with great attention, and our hands have handled the Word of life. John is saying essentially this. “I know that I know what and whom I am speaking of and you would be wise to also believe it.” John emphasizes belief later in his letter. 1 John 3:23 tells us,  “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” And 1 John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God

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.”

John declares the person of the Lord Jesus Christ unto the hearers. That’s who he is referring to in his opening comments. Why does he do this? The answer is so that the readers may have fellowship with him and with other believers. Here is the key. John clarifies that their (he and the other Disciples of Christ) fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Notice that their fellowship with the Father and with Jesus Christ was not obtained through good works, good behavior, good disciplines, or good life choices. This is crucial that you understand this. Their fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ was based solely on believing in Jesus Christ. Believing in the person they had heard, seen, looked upon, and handled put them in an eternal bond of unbreakable fellowship with God.

Now let me ask you a question. If your fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ was based solely on belief in the written record and not on your good behavior, can your bad behavior break that fellowship? The answer should be obvious. Since your fellowship with God is based solely on the completed work of Christ and Christ alone there is nothing you can ever do, good or bad, that will maintain it or break it. Your good works and grand deeds did not bring fellowship with God in the first place. Get that. If you believe in the death of Jesus Christ for your sins, His burial, and His glorious resurrection then you have fellowship with the Father and His dear Son Jesus Christ. If you do not believe and reject Jesus Christ then you do not have fellowship with Him and the wrath of God is still upon you. Period.

Light & Darkness

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

These verses in 1 John could be confusing because we may think they are referring to our outward walk and not our absolute positional reality of being new creatures in Christ. In other words, for some the light represents good and holy things while darkness represents the sinful and wicked things. If our fellowship with God is based on our holy and obedient walk in the light (in our thoughts, words, and deeds) then we must conclude that our fellowship with God is frequently broken and restored throughout our Christian life. Unless of course you’ve lost all reality and think you no longer commit random acts of sin. Some teach (I once did) the solution for the sin problem in the life of a believer is to confess that specific sin so we can be forgiven and cleansed (again) until the next failure.

This is really a Christology (theological interpretation of the study of Christ) problem. It is a failure to appropriate by faith the finished work of Christ on our behalf. It is a failure to really believe that Christ has satisfied the just and holy demands of God toward sin once and for all. It is a failure to recognize that the sacrifice of Christ has fully and completely sanctified those who believe. It is a failure to understand the power and effectiveness of the blood of Christ for all past, present, and future sins. It results in a failure to understand and appropriate the amazing, unearned, unmerited, and undeserved grace of God by faith.

Consider 1 John 1:5. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

It’s easy for most of us to understand this. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all—ever! But when it comes to applying this truth to those who are born again believers, we hedge. I realize the Bible exhorts us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but this passage in 1 John is not dealing with living out the practical daily Christian life and avoiding sin.

There are six key words that help us understand this truth. The words are “…as he is in the light” found in 1 John 1:7 which says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

.”

In the above referenced verse darkness is contrasted with light. Read verse 6 also in order to get the context. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth

:” (1 John 1:6). How do we know if we walk in darkness? The answer to that question is simply this. Those who reject the written record of God, how that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, walk in darkness. In other words, if we reject what the word of God says about Christ we are walking in darkness—plain and simple. You may say that you are in the light based on some good deeds but if you do not believe the written record you remain dead in your trespasses and sins.

What does verse 7 say to us. “…if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” Let’s give careful attention to the words so we can arrive at the proper meaning and message.

How is He in the light?

1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Focus on the words, “…as he is in the light….” God is light and in Him there is no darkness. How then is it possible for me to walk in the light as, or in the same manner, He is in the light? We cannot do it if this is referring to outward holy behavior and inner righteous thoughts. There is no way. But if we, by faith, receive Christ we are forgiven, cleansed, placed into fellowship with God, and in the true light. Not from any of my works of righteousness but because of Christ and His righteousness.

This new life of eternal fellowship with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ constrains us to follow the ways of God but is never broken or severed when we commit sin. That’s the miracle of life in Christ and that’s amazing grace! Now go forth and follow Him.

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One Response to “Fellowship With God”

  1. Megan Says:

    I have been watching for your post since we had coffee last week!!! Thanks SO much for putting the time into writing this out. I’ve been looking up some verses myself and meditating on them this week. Very encouraging. :)