Fellowship - 1 John
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The theme for these studies will be “Fellowship” and we will be discovering together what John has to teach us about this important subject. This time we are looking at 1st. John chapter 1 and the first four verses.
It is in verse three that the apostle gives us the purpose of his writing. Here it is: “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us.” And he goes on to add that, “our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
For John, fellowship with other Christians was important because together they were joined to God the Eternal Father and his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. It was important to John, but how important is it to you? Is it possible that you enjoy attending various church services and meetings and yet you are not bothered whether or not you experience true fellowship with the people who are there, or even with God Himself?
The truth is that it is perfectly possible to come together with others to chat, share refreshments and to be in a friendly mood and to say that you had good fellowship together, when in fact it was nothing more than being sociable in a pleasant atmosphere.
On the other hand, it can happen that you are in a strange place with people who are unknown to you and yet you share a spiritual closeness or oneness in the things of the Lord. What makes the difference? Just this: in this second situation you are sharing in fellowship, the same spiritual life and the same spiritual experience, even though coming from different backgrounds or even different nationalities. It is the fellowship that is enjoyed between those who have known the reality of being born again by the Spirit of God having turned from their sins and put their faith in Christ as their personal Saviour. It is the fellowship that comes from the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.
This is the experience of God’s people all over the world, wherever they live. It is this spiritual life that all true Christians possess that results in true fellowship. We feel that we know one another when we meet because we are in the same saving relationship with God our heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
When John speaks, in verse three of 1 John 1, about fellowship with the Father and with his Son he means a personal and real friendship. It is to really know God. This is a recurring thought of John’s in this letter. In chapter two verse three he says, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey his commands.” And in verse thirteen of chapter two he is writes to people who from the beginning “have known the Father.” And then, in chapter five verse twenty he assures his readers that they have a spiritual understanding which enables them to “know Him who is true” - in other words God Himself.
So this true fellowship between Christian believers is the result of a personal knowledge of God Himself through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In his Gospel, at chapter seventeen, verse three, John records these words in the prayer of the Lord Jesus: “And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
We see, then, that the really important thing is knowing God personally through Jesus Christ who reveals Him to us. Anything else apart from this is just empty religion, lacking spiritual life and reality.
It is important to stress again that this fellowship is for all of God’s people wherever they are. It crosses all boundaries of age, gender, nationality, education, social standing or even Christian denomination, or whatever other barriers men may erect. We are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord so these things should make no difference. Fellowship with God the Father and his Son establishes fellowship between believers by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
But how important to you, personally, is this fellowship that John writes about? Are you happy to go to a meeting or service and then once it is over to quickly leave, hardly taking time to speak with anyone? Was that true fellowship? In some places there are Christians who just long for fellowship with others of a like mind, but who cannot find it. Perhaps they have had to move to a new town and have been unable to find a church that is spiritually alive and where the gospel is faithfully preached. For others it is the loneliness and isolation of old age or illness that cuts them off from fellowship with other believers.
True fellowship ought to be important to you if you are a genuine Christian. It certainly was for the apostle John. He says in chapter 1 and verse 3 of this letter that he was declaring to his readers all that he had personally experienced concerning the Lord Jesus for a very good reason. It was this, “in order that you may have fellowship with us.” True fellowship between believers is not something to be taken for granted or merely supposed to exist. John wanted to make sure that such fellowship did exist between them, based on their personal relationship with their loving heavenly Father through the saving work of his eternal Son.
And more than this, John knew that such genuine fellowship would bring real joy and spiritual gladness to his readers. He explains this in verse four, “We write to you that your joy may be full.” Where there is little true fellowship in a church, there will be little true joy.
There is a further practical lesson about fellowship to be learned from verse 3. It concerns the question of who is entitled to belong to the fellowship of the Christian church? John has been writing about our having fellowship with one another. We also use the expression ‘coming into fellowship’ or ‘joining the fellowship’ when someone is added to the community of believers on being baptised. Remember that this community, this fellowship, is made up of those who by faith in Christ have experienced the saving grace of God. It is only such who can truly belong to the fellowship of the church. How do we know, then, if someone is ready to be accepted into the fellowship of the church? Mistakes are sometimes made over this, possibly harming the individual concerned and the company of believers involved.
How can such things happen? Sadly, all too easily. It may be because of over-enthusiasm in wanting numbers to increase. There may be church leaders who are not mature or discerning enough to look for the signs of a true conversion. Tragically, there can be very wrong motives in bringing some into the fellowship. A person’s social standing or material wealth may be seen as being of benefit to the church, regardless of their spiritual standing.
How can we avoid such mistakes and such shallow judgements about people? This is where this first Letter of John is so helpful. It marks out for us the characteristics, the evidences, of those who fellowship, first of all and essentially, is with the Father and with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
More than this, it helps you to test yourself also. You can see by the evidences of the Christian life whether you rightly belong in the fellowship of believers or whether you still need to get right with God.
By looking at these things together, I don’t want you to fall back in despair, but to discover the message of this letter of John and gain assurance of salvation. Remember that john says in chapter 5 verse 13 that this letter was written to people so that they might know that they have eternal life. That is what I want for you from these studies together - the assurance and conviction that your sins are forgiven and that you are reconciled to God through your personal faith in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.