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. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 1John 1:3,4
The Apostle John says the objective in teaching Christ is
for our fellowship, which is rooted in God, and is the fulfillment of our joy. Fellowship
is a vital sign of the life of the church, and I want to notice the logical order
of things presented in this passage. First is fellowship with the Father and
with his Son Jesus Christ, second is fellowship with each other, and third that
our joy may be full.
Our fellowship with God is the center of worship. Fellowship
with God is something we are blessed to have because of the redeeming work of
Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit according to the
election of the Father. Having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, we draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Heb 10:19,22).
This describes worship on the individual level and is the core of corporate
worship. Paul
professes that fellowship with Christ means partaking in his sufferings which
he was called to do and we should be ready to as well.
When we meet together, as the body of Christ, with a common
desire to worship together, then that fellowship flows over to the love we share
from breast to breast. This is described in Phil 2:1,2. The basis of that fellowship
is the one mind and one accord that those saints share in the adorable Savior
that they are praying to, singing about, and preaching about. This fellowship
is what those that were baptized at Pentecost (Ac 2:42) continued in steadfastly
with the apostles’ doctrine, communion, and prayers. Obviously, agreement is
required for fellowship, see 2 Co 6:14-16. We can’t have fellowship with Christ
and with things that are against Christ. We can have temporary fellowship with
each other in this world outside of Christ, but it is fragile and unfulfilling
and not the church as He established it. Prioritizing our agreement with men above or equal to our agreement with Christ, will likewise ruin fellowship. Christ said the great commandment was first to love God, and secondly to love our neighbor (Matt 22:36-40). That order is important.
Finally, John intended our joy to be full. I don’t believe we
can find the fulfillment that Christ intended for us to have in this life, without
worshiping in the fellowship of his church. This same apostle quoted Jesus in
John 10:10 that He came that we might have life and that we may have it more
abundantly. That’s two things, life and life more abundantly. Christ came to
save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21) and to establish his church (Dan
2:44, Matt 16:18). Both of those things were complete when he gave up the ghost
(John 19:30). I will emphasize this one more time, our life and victory over
sin and death is based on the sacrifice of his own body and blood that he gave
and completed on the cross (Heb 10:14-18). Life is given to the entire mystical
body of Christ by grace without works or conditions on our part. Life more
abundantly is given in his church. The church in this world is never for giving
life, but it is for living that life more abundantly.
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