Fellowship

ONE of the loveliest words in the Chris­tian's vocabulary is fellowship. It means participation, sharing, community of interests, companionship. This is expressed in the New Testament by a whole group of words, but owing to the required shortness of this article, I can merely intro­duce but one of them. This one is koinonia. This term is used by Plato for co­education; it is a favorite expression for the marriage relationship as the most inti­mate between human beings. A man and a woman enter into marriage in order to have koinonia, that is, to share everything in life together, whether joy or sorrow, whether illness or good health, whether wealth or poverty.

This feminine abstract noun is used twenty times in the New Testament, and is translated in the King James Bible "fellow­ship" twelve times, "contribution" once, "communion" four times, "distribution" once, "to communicate" once, and "com­munication" once. In addition to this noun we have koinoneo, a verb used eight times in the New Testament; koinonikos, an ad­jective used once; and the noun koinonos, "a sharer, partner," found ten times.

For one's encouragement to study all these terms that express various phrases of fellowship, we shall consider in some detail examples of koinonia, beginning with our relationship with the Godhead.

The apostle John speaks of the fellow­ship between workers and then adds that this fellowship is "with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). He is telling the believers that they may have what the apostles have. This wonder­ful sharing is one of the fruits of accepting the gospel of Christ. This fellowship is not possible for those who are in darkness (verse 6), but it is so close with the child of light that John literally says, "God con­tinues to abide in him, and he in God" (1 John 4:15). Such verses as these suggest the unity of the Godhead; also it is in the person of the Son that God bridges the chasm that sin caused between Him and mankind. The use of the preposition meta, "with," by John in 1:3 of his first Epistle stresses the separateness of the three persons, even as the koinonia emphasizes their unity. Christ is truth and light in con­crete form, and it is only as we walk in the light that we enjoy this fellowship. The possibilities of blessings for the believer that stem from it are simply breathless.

In particular relation to the Son let us consider the following: The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:9 speaks of the Father as trustworthy, reliable, and he places that word (pistos) in the emphatic position in the Greek. He then states that the Father calls ns into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It should be realized that the apostle is not here speaking of fellow­ship or communion in spirit with Christ, but of actual participation in Christ's Son-ship. This is, of course, a participation that opens the door to countless sharings with Christ, such as being joint heirs with Him (Rom. 8:17), and being like Him as sons of God (2 Thess. 2:14; 1 Peter 4:13). The main thought here is sharing even now many of the privileges of sonship. That is the wonder of this objective genitive con­struction here: "that fellowship that be­longs to His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." This is a collective participation and union that does not depend on our faithfulness but is fully guaranteed by God's trust­worthiness. This fact is the basis of Paul's joy and hope; it is also the basis of ours.

The third Person of the Godhead. The apostle Paul names the three persons of the Godhead in 2 Corinthians 13:14 in pro­nouncing a benediction, again an intima­tion of the three persons' unity. In this benediction he speaks of the communion of the Holy Ghost, thereby intimating that whoever has the fellowship of the Holy Spirit has also the grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God.

This is the most complete in wording and meaning of all the benedictions writ­ten by Paul, owing in part, one would think, to the wretched party spirit and con­tention that had plagued the Corinthian church. So the apostle speaks of the gra-ciousness toward us that comes from the heart of Jesus Christ, of the love of God that must fill and inspire the believers to walk in His ways, and then that sense of realization of partnership with the Holy Spirit, which unites the church as mem­bers of one Body. Then the apostle adds "with you all," so that none is left out. This verse not only definitely suggests the tripersonality of the Godhead but also thereby informs us that our blessings from above are threefold: so also our fellowship with God is threefold.

In Philippians 2:1 the apostle continues and expands his exhortation of chapter 1: 27. He states four motives to stress and in­culcate Christian duties. In chapter 1:27 he speaks of the believers' conduct—that it should be a brave standing up (politeuesthe) for the gospel of Christ in a spirit of union; that is, that disposition of mind which animates the true child of God. Now he expands this in chapter 2:1. He speaks of the encouragement of which Christ is the source; of the comfort that flows from love; of the fellowship with the Holy Spirit—a partaking of His gifts and strength; then, of tender emotions and un­derstanding.

Always the manner of Christian fellow­ship is determined by the particular con­text of each reference. This is particularly important for an understanding of those references that speak of koinonia between brethren, and this fellowship always de­notes a relation between persons, based on Christian unity (Eph. 4:4). There is a koinonia that is a sharing of friendship, deep inward regard for others. This is spo­ken of by Luke in Acts 2:42, stating that the three thousand converts who were added to the church by one stroke were continuing steadfastly "in the fellowship." This is a fellowship of the believers, one with the other: no inward hard feelings, but a proper Christian regard for one another's rights, privileges, and welfare.

The apostle Paul speaks of expressing this fellowship in an objective, practical way, a "practical sharing," motivated by their fellowship. Three times he uses the term koinonia in connection with taking up a collection for the poor believers in Jerusalem. This is Christian fellowship ex­pressed as a practical thing. The three texts are Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8:4; 2 Corinthians 9:13. Hebrews 13:16 speaks of the same kind of privilege: "to communi­cate forget not" (K.J.V.), but more liter­ally, "forget not fellowship," and it means precisely that.

The apostle is exhorting the believers in respect to their various duties, and telling them to carry out all these in a spirit of fel­lowship. One duty spoken of in Romans and Corinthians is taking up the collection for the mother church, which had been ex­periencing hard times. This collection was a public duty or service (leitourgesai, a term used of a public service in Romans 15:27). The koinonia was not the collec­tion, but emphatically the spirit of fellow­ship that was the motive behind the taking up of the collection, a motive that set forth the inward unity of the church, and which was indeed the noblest characteristic of the whole transaction.

The apostle speaks of "fellowship in the gospel" (Phil. 1:5). He is extremely happy and thankful to God for the Philippians, and the prayer of thankfulness he directs to God each time he thinks of them is based on their "fellowship in the gospel." That is, fellowship in personal faith on Christ as the Saviour and Mediator, fellowship in worship, fellowship in proclaiming the truth to others, and when occasion should arise, undoubtedly real spiritual fellowship expressed in willingness to contribute to the expense of the gospel work.

The apostle speaks of "the fellowship of the mystery" (Eph. 3:9), which has been hidden in God from the ages. This "mys­tery" in the New Testament does not mean the mysterious as in the English word, but that which is outside the range of natural apprehension, and can only be realized and appreciated by divine revelation. It is that which is made palpable in a manner and time appointed by God, and only to those who are controlled by His Holy Spirit; it is the mystery that has been hid­den from the ages and generations of the past, but is now revealed to the saints (Col. 1:26). It is used of spiritual truth generally as revealed in the gospel (1 Cor. 13:2). The apostle's preaching unfolded this mys­tery in the full light of revelation, i.e., the Gentiles to obtain the gospel; and with that, spiritual truths generally with the un­ion of redeemed men with God in Christ. One of Paul's privileges was "to enlighten" (photisai, "to make see" K.J.V.) all men in respect to fellowship in this mystery now revealed by God. This is a unity in the body of Christ.

There is a particular fellowship in the sacrament (1 Cor. 10:16). The apostle speaks of the cup upon which the minister asks a blessing, and the bread which the minister breaks, and states these emblems are a means of our fellowship, our inward union in a participation of the benefits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. These em­blems are a means of our living, vital un­ion with Christ. The cup and the bread are not said to be the blood and body of Christ, but a fellowship (koinonia), a joint partic­ipation of the blood and body. It should be noted that the apostle does not say "the fel­lowship," for that would imply the sacra­ment was the only means of fellowship; sc­ire says "a fellowship," namely, one that is sacramental, a real participation in the benefits of the crucified body and shed blood of Christ for justification and for­giveness of daily sins.

The other great fellowship terms of the New Testament present a wide field of Christian sharing. They speak of a fellow­ship between men simply because they are men. There is a fellowship in material things, fellowship in experience, a joint ownership in business, in responsibility.. There is no group of words in the New Testament more gracious than these of fel­lowship in glory, in pain and tears, in. things divine and human.

This Biblical fellowship theme takes its beginnings from the name Jehovah, which admittedly expresses life in its continuance and actuality, yet nevertheless expressed the idea of presence to the Israelites. In talking with Moses of the name Yahweh the Lord was expressing a conception of re­lation, for existence is a relation concept. Yahweh is the God who is present with His people; so He said, "Certainly I will be with thee" (Ex. 3:12). Similarly the sanc­tuary was a place for meeting, for fellow­ship; and there Moses talked with God  as with a friend (Ex. 33:7-11). The prophets thought of the Temple as the meeting place of God and His people. The sixth chapter of Isaiah is a graphic word picture of this concept of God's presence with His chosen nation.

The eucharistic fellowship, so briefly spoken of above, is a continuation of this relation theme. The title "Holy Commun­ion" presumably arises from the King James translation of koinonia in 1 Corin­thians 10:16, "communion." The cup and the loaf (ton arton) imply a fellowship, a sharing in a common salvation, and most surely suggest a unity in fellowship of one Christian with another by means of the Communion. In his sermons to the pagans the apostle must have said many things to show to his hearers the vital differences be­tween the fellowship meals of heathenism, which were fellowshiping with demons (1 Cor. 10:19, 20), and the fellowship of the Lord's table. For Christianity is not just another religion that advocates a fellow­ship, but is the religion to put an end to all other religions with their fellowships, and to bring men into fellowship with Jehovah of hosts.

This brief introduction is to commend the ministry to a devout study of the group of words in the New Testament that treat of many aspects of Christian fellowship.