1 John 1: 3-10 

Fellowship with God

One of my favorite aspects of Christianity is fellowship. Whether at church, in a home group, attending a men’s breakfast or just having a chat, Christian fellowship is great. Why? Because we know that the basis of our interactions is with God in mind. We can talk about the light as we walk in the light.

In his first letter, John addresses false teachers’ claims of living in the light by assuring the reader that his message comes directly from Jesus so they can believe him without reservation. His message is that God is completely holy and if we want fellowship with God we must walk in his light. How do we do that? The Gospel has to transform our lives. We can no longer live in darkness as we have in the past. That does not mean to be sinless, but to live openly before God and seek to be holy as he is holy. And true fellowship with God always comes with fellowship with other believers. If we can’t get along with other believers, this brings into question our fellowship with God.

Of course we need to confess our sins to God. Like believing, confessing needs to be ongoing. Just as when we first believed and received the benefits of salvation, we continue to believe in order to experience them repeatedly. When we sin we don’t lose the forgiveness we received when we first believed, but we need to continually confess our sins to experience forgiveness in our daily lives. Ongoing confession of sin is a part of walking in the light.

Fellowship with God and other Christians means living vulnerably and being honest about our sins. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. When we confess our sins and live in the light, we can experience true Christian fellowship with God and others. Isn’t that great?

Prayer: Lord God, Heavenly King, Almighty God and Father, you are holy, Lord, and it makes us tremble; yet you call us to walk with you in your light. Help us daily to confess our sins and live obediently and openly before you, seeking to be holy as you are holy, so we can have real fellowship with you and our Christian brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ holy name we pray.  Amen. 

Taken from How to Have Fellowship with God by Stephen J. Cole.