What A Fellowship
Have you ever wondered what it means to be in relationship with God? Many have questioned how can one truly have a relationship with someone they have never seen. When the reality is that from creation, there was always a unique relationship between God and mankind. Let’s explore a little further.
The first chapter of Genesis teaches us everything that exists in this world, God spoke it into existence. But when God created man, He was more personal in His formation. Genesis 2:7 says, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”[1] And Genesis 1:26a says, “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”[2] That means we were explicitly created with an intimate connection and personal fellowship with God. For nothing else in heaven or on earth, was created in the image of God, EXCEPT mankind!
I used the word fellowship, because it denotes a closeness and intimacy that was established in creation by God. It was always God’s desire that man be in fellowship with Him, to resemble and reflect His image in the earth. But when Adam disobeyed God, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin was created. And his sin distorted and disfigured the image of God that he was created in, and he destroyed our fellowship with the Creator. BUT GOD… God’s love for His creation would not allow sin to keep us separated from His presence, so He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so that He might redeem and restore our relationship with Him.
A deeper explanation of this word fellowship is found in the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, where it states:
In the beginning, Adam was placed in the garden to enjoy friendship and communion with God. When the creature chose to assert his own autonomy rather than live under the Creator’s gracious care, fellowship was broken. Hence Adam and Eve hid themselves from the Lord’s presence. Yet God immediately sought them out and revealed his plan for the ultimate restoration of sinners through the work of the Redeemer.[3]
This is good news for those of us that believe in Jesus Christ, for we now have a fellowship with God the Father. As our Father, when we cry out to Him in times of need, He will always hear and answer our cry. So to be in relationship with God means to be in fellowship with Him, where you know Him to be God, for yourself. In other words, you have had a personal encounter with God through His Son Jesus Christ, and though you have not seen Him with your eyes, you have experienced His presence in your life. And through Christ, you have been born-again so that you can glorify God and enjoy a personal, loving relationship with Him.
If that doesn’t excite you, look at what the Apostle Paul said: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”[4] That word “called” literally means “a divine invitation to participate in the blessings of redemption”.[5] That means, God sent you a personal invitation to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ! And because of the salvific work Jesus did at Calvary, your sins have been washed away and your relationship with God has been restored.
Therefore, we can say with assurance, WHAT A FELLOWSHIP we have in Jesus and what a joy it is to know that Christ has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. But it doesn’t stop there…through our fellowship with Christ, we must strive to be in fellowship with one another. For, I John 1:7 says, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.[6]
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Gen 2:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Gen 1:26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Fellowship. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 789). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
[4] The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Cor 1:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[5] The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible King James Version. (1984). Kaleō. Lexical Aids To The New Testament (2564). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers
[6] The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Jn 1:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The first chapter of Genesis teaches us everything that exists in this world, God spoke it into existence. But when God created man, He was more personal in His formation. Genesis 2:7 says, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”[1] And Genesis 1:26a says, “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”[2] That means we were explicitly created with an intimate connection and personal fellowship with God. For nothing else in heaven or on earth, was created in the image of God, EXCEPT mankind!
I used the word fellowship, because it denotes a closeness and intimacy that was established in creation by God. It was always God’s desire that man be in fellowship with Him, to resemble and reflect His image in the earth. But when Adam disobeyed God, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin was created. And his sin distorted and disfigured the image of God that he was created in, and he destroyed our fellowship with the Creator. BUT GOD… God’s love for His creation would not allow sin to keep us separated from His presence, so He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so that He might redeem and restore our relationship with Him.
A deeper explanation of this word fellowship is found in the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, where it states:
In the beginning, Adam was placed in the garden to enjoy friendship and communion with God. When the creature chose to assert his own autonomy rather than live under the Creator’s gracious care, fellowship was broken. Hence Adam and Eve hid themselves from the Lord’s presence. Yet God immediately sought them out and revealed his plan for the ultimate restoration of sinners through the work of the Redeemer.[3]
This is good news for those of us that believe in Jesus Christ, for we now have a fellowship with God the Father. As our Father, when we cry out to Him in times of need, He will always hear and answer our cry. So to be in relationship with God means to be in fellowship with Him, where you know Him to be God, for yourself. In other words, you have had a personal encounter with God through His Son Jesus Christ, and though you have not seen Him with your eyes, you have experienced His presence in your life. And through Christ, you have been born-again so that you can glorify God and enjoy a personal, loving relationship with Him.
If that doesn’t excite you, look at what the Apostle Paul said: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”[4] That word “called” literally means “a divine invitation to participate in the blessings of redemption”.[5] That means, God sent you a personal invitation to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ! And because of the salvific work Jesus did at Calvary, your sins have been washed away and your relationship with God has been restored.
Therefore, we can say with assurance, WHAT A FELLOWSHIP we have in Jesus and what a joy it is to know that Christ has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. But it doesn’t stop there…through our fellowship with Christ, we must strive to be in fellowship with one another. For, I John 1:7 says, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.[6]
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Gen 2:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Gen 1:26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Fellowship. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 789). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
[4] The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Cor 1:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[5] The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible King James Version. (1984). Kaleō. Lexical Aids To The New Testament (2564). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers
[6] The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Jn 1:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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2 Comments
Amen, Eld. Medious, what a well written message explaining our relationship with God.
Thank you, Rev. Medious for such wonderful insight on our realationship with JESUS.What a fellowship we have as believers in Christ , we stand on His Word. His Word Is Truth. So glad I am walking in the light of knowing who JESUS is. Covered by the precious blood.Amen, Amen.