WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP?

It has been said more than once by this 'poster', that this word "fellowship" is the English term most often used as a rendering for the Greek word 'koinonia'. It is not the equivalent of koinonia, for an equivalent means "equal in value or power", and there is no one single word capable of capturing the full meaning of 'koinonia'. The translators who gave us the New English Bible knew this lack, and gave us the expression "sharing in the common life".  I personally think this is the best rendering that I have seen.

Fellowship is composed of the two words 'fellow' and 'ship'. Fellow is from the Anglo-Saxon 'felagi', comrade or partner. It now has been surmised that it may have originally signified those who bound them-selves together by a blood covenant. 'Ship' is a suffix indicating state or condition. Sonship is a state in which we share as sons, and companionship is a state in which we share as companions. Fellowship is a state in which we share as fellows, that's as partners or peers.

The word 'fellow' shows it is a relation of persons to each other and not things. No one ever asks, "Do you fellowship boats?"  "Do you companionship lawnmowers?" It would be just as absurd to ask, "If you fellowship premillennialism?" or, "Do you fellowship divorce and re-marriage?" it would equally be strange if you ask, "Do you partnership your partner in your service station?" Also, some others ask, "Do you fellowship this or that individual?" You may be in partnership with your associate, and in fellowship with your brethren, but we need to keep our language straight as well as our concepts.

In the context of the New Covenant scriptures, fellowship and/or koinonia is the state or condition of sharing in the life of Jesus Christ into which we all are called of God by the gospel. Every one in this universe who believes with all his heart, that Jesus is the Messiah, repenting of past sins, confessing Christ before the world and being immersed in validation of that faith is in the fellowship! If I'm a son of God and you are a son of God, then we be brethren. Another way of saying it, wherever God has a son/daughter, there I have a brother/sister, and I can't do anything about it, other than accept it. Whether I like it or not.

He is in it by an act of God and nothing we mortals can do will alter that state of being, in Christ. We are called as individuals, we respond as individuals and we are received as individuals. But we are not simply called OUT of the world only, we are called together IN Christ. We are not joined to Jesus, because we are joined to others, but we are joined to others, because we are joined to Jesus. Our relationship on the horizontal plane does not create our relationship on the vertical plan, but vice versa.

One is not factional because he does not agree with the status quo. It is not sinful to entertain and even cherish an opinion not held by the majority. It only becomes a sin when one solicits adherents to his view for the purpose of building up a party to propagate and defend it thus causing a split among God's saints.

One can be a sectarian and not be in a sect. All sects grow out of the sectarian spirit and the spirit precedes the sect. The sectarian spirit is always exclusivistic and it creates exclusive sects.

Obviously it is easier to give lip service to such an ideal than to implement it. One may enunciate such a belief that the Lord's body is made up of all the saved, both in heaven and on earth, but if he confines his love, affection and recognition only to those of his own clique, he is then a sectarian because he allows the sectarian spirit to govern his actions, rather than the pure Word of God. It is just as essential to protect the freedom of an individual, allowing him to think for himself, as it is to protect an assembly of saints from one who tries to think for each and everyone there.

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life." (Phil. 2:14-16)

Yours for Truth and Freedom......Horace Hooper......