True Fellowship

1 John 1

“Some Christians try to go to heaven alone, in solitude. But believers are not compared to bears or lions or other animals that wander alone. Those who belong to Christ are sheep in this respect, that they love to get together. Sheep go in flocks, and so do God’s people.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1–3 (ESV)

Warren Wiersbe begins 1 John 1 in light of fellowship—living fellowship, joyful fellowship, and honest fellowship. In verses 1-3, we see that God wants us to have a living fellowship with Him and His children. In Jesus Christ, He has revealed what true life really is as He is Truth. Even though you and I cannot see Him and touch Him as the apostles did centuries ago, He can still be real to you and I as His Holy Spirit opens the Word to our heart.

Having fellowship with Jesus and the apostles by studying the New Testament. This goes beyond the legal relationship of justification to intimate communion with the Savior that is available to all believers. The truth of the Bible, when applied to the life of the believer, enhances our fellowship and spiritual intimacy with God.
 
“And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:4 (ESV)
 
True joy transcends external circumstances. It is stability on the inside in spite of what is occurring on the outside.
 
God wants us to have a joyful fellowship. It is not the fellowship of a slave with a master but that of a child with a parent. God delights in His children and longs to share His love with them. When you and I are happy in the will of God, we are ready to live for Him and serve Him.

“Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” John 14:19–24 (ESV)

Dr. Tony Evans says, “When you are connected to the love of the Father and Son in obedience, Jesus promises to reveal more of himself to you. If you listen to a radio station in your car, you know that the further you get from the broadcast station, the worse your reception of the signal gets. Many people have difficulty connecting with God because they’ve wandered too far away to pick up his signal. But if you come back home in obedience, relating to God through Christ in love, he will disclose more of himself to you.”
 
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5–7 (ESV)

Fellowship with God is determined by our walk not by our talk. Only as we live fully exposed to the truth of God is the ongoing cleansing work of the blood of Jesus activated to reveal, cleanse, and empower us to address the sin that has been exposed. Then fellowship with God is maintained and expanded. Failure to do this keeps God’s work dormant in the life of the believer.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor 3:17–18 (ESV).

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8–10 (ESV)

Wiersbe continues by stating in His Word Commentary that “God wants us to have an honest fellowship. This means “walking in the light” and dealing honestly with sin. Salvation is a matter of life or death, but fellowship is a matter of light or darkness. If you lie to God, to others, and to yourselves, you will lose your fellowship with God and your character. A godly character does not develop in the darkness.

When we confess our sins to God, we are agreeing with what God’s Word reveals about us. We are admitting that what the light exposes is not just a mistake, a bad habit, or a mere product of our upbringing. It’s sin. To deny your sin is to call God a liar and forfeit the hope of His word doing its transforming work in your life.

Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? Have you confessed your sin and sought forgiveness and salvation?

Today, know that we must admit our sin, regret the actions of our sin, plead the blood of Christ, and believe that God has indeed done what He promised, namely, to cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness and restore us to fellowship and service.

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