“That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
In the high priestly prayer of Jesus, made just before He was crucified, was revealed very clearly the objective of His work on the cross, and the very reason for which He was revealed to men, to save them. It was to give them LIFE, His life by the Spirit. In John’s gospel account he records the Lord’s words to this effect: “And this is eternal life, that they may know YOU, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”(17:3) Jesus spoke of this LIFE as a gift to men, to individual men, and this according to the authority that the Father had given the Son. The perfect and finished work of Christ at such a terrible cost, was accomplished in order to deal with the sins of men, their sin nature, and Satan’s domination of men, so that men might truly live by the life of Christ, the power of God. The intellectual knowledge of eternal life in Christ is not the end in and of itself, but the basis for the experience, the actual living the life of Christ by the Spirit. Man is called by God to know the Father and the Son by the Spirit. The experiential knowledge has its expression in many ways, the first being, that assurance and blessed effect of being forgiven of all sins. The second effect is that assurance of the love of God, the discovery of His peace, and the experience of His joy. These are some of the fruits, or proofs, of the Spirit of Christ in the heart. A third “effect” of the Life of Christ by the Spirit is found, and seen in its power to overcome sin, Satan, and the world. The victorious Christ lives within the heart, to be trusted, believed, and obeyed, by the enabling of the Spirit. The measure of faith and obedience determines to a great extent one’s experience of such an overcoming life. But how is this life to be lived? What are the ways of God by which a life can be lived by the Spirit, this overcoming life, where Christ is exalted and honored?
It was the Apostle John, in his first letter, who wrote of the essential aspect of one’s fellowship with God that must be grasped and maintained, so that one can KNOW Christ, and live for His glory. John begins by declaring what he and others had seen, heard, and touched, the living Word of Life, Christ Jesus revealed to men. John bore witness to the reality and power of this eternal life, not only declaring its existence and the very presence of it on earth, but also, in the hearts of those who truly believed in Him. He proved this by declaring that men were called to fellowship, or communion, with God and Christ, a common partaking of the life of Christ, this Word of God. He wrote of the possibilities of such fellowship when he declared: “…and truly OUR fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” This is the key to knowing God, fellowship with Him.
There was a message from God, given by John, concerning the practical living of this Life. It had to do with light and darkness. The message was: “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1:5) One cannot have fellowship with God and walk in darkness, practicing anything that is a lie, and not the truth. Christ is the absolute truth, thus, to walk with this One who knows all, one must do so with no “cloud,” no known lie between. Clarity before God, with nothing hidden or embraced which does not pertain to Christ, is essential to walking in the light. Where there is honest clarity and commitment, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin,” keeping the believer clean.
Dear Father, Grant us true fellowship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.