“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” 1 John 1:6
Fellowship is one of those words not used much outside of church or religious circles. Even then we primarily use it when talking about relationships with other believers. But what does it mean to have fellowship with God? And how does that differ from our relationship with God? These are important questions because the answer replaces doubt and defeat with peace and joy.
If you’re a born-again child of God, then you know Him in two ways—relationship and fellowship. You entered into a relationship with God the moment you were saved. So while we’re all God’s creation we’re not all God’s children. He becomes our heavenly Father when we’re born into His family. And since you cannot be unborn, your relationship with God is settled once and for all. This relationship makes fellowship with God possible.
After salvation we share in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The Holy Spirit enables us to be like-minded with God and to express the nature of Christ in everyday living. But if we disobey our heavenly Father our fellowship with Him changes because, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In other words, when habits from our old nature become habits in our new nature, we’re walking in darkness and are out of fellowship with God.
Understanding God’s holiness and our sinfulness is critical to uninterrupted fellowship. Your attitude about sin affects the amount of joy you have. It also determines whether or not you experience the abundant life promised in Christ (John 10:10).
A major problem today is the message that we’re not sinners in need of forgiveness; just people who make mistakes. But John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Any time we believe the enemy’s lies instead of God’s truth, it steals our joy and upends our peace.
Sin cannot break your relationship with God but it definitely affects your fellowship. If you live that way, you’ll feel defeated and may even doubt your relationship with Jesus. What’s the solution? Stop lying to yourself and put the truths of God’s Word into practice (1 John 1:6). Walk in the Light of Christ, which brings the fellowship of other believers and the promise of God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:7). What personal sin do you need to expose to the Light so you can live in fellowship with God and with other believers?