The apostle John in his first epistle states an amazing thing: “truly, our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1st John 1:3) Sinners like us having fellowship with the living God? He also reminds us that we could never say that we haven’t sinned or aren’t sinning even now. So how can we have “fellowship” with the holy God? The word for “fellowship” here is very close kin to the word “partakers” in 2nd Peter 1:4. It is only by the grace of God through the blood and righteousness of Christ that we can fellowship with God. Yet, it is not only relationship here and acceptance, the word means companionship, sharing, and communion. Through the exceeding great and precious promises of the gospel, we as believers have communion and fellowship with God. Listen to John again, “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.” (vs. 3) By what God caused these apostles to see and hear and the word that His Spirit directed them to “declare,” we find out Who and how He is. We find out the One Way we can approach unto Him and the One in whom we are always received by Him. The basis for fellowship with God is agreement with God in Christ! Do we agree with God? We agree with all that He has said in the gospel of Christ crucified! God is pleased with His Son and we are too! He has saved us by His free grace and we are glad He has! He looks to Christ alone, finds all that is needed to satisfy Himself in all points concerning us and we delight that it is this way! We joy in Christ and He does too! He believes in Christ and we do too! He “first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12) and now brings us to trust Him. In the gospel He tells us what we are as sinners and we must agree. We believe what He says and we feel it too. But He also tells us what we are in Christ, righteous and holy, and though we cannot feel this, believing, we agree with Him in this as well! He tells us that He works all things after the counsel of His own will and through we’re found in trial or tribulation, we agree that He is working it all together for our good and His glory. He tells us that all the glory is His and we rejoice that it is this way! We have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ!

G. Shepard