Say to God, "Father, here am I for Thee to give as much in me of Christ's likeness as I can receive." Rather, he confesses it (1:9): “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To confess means to agree with God that our sin is sin. And wait to hear Him say, "My child, I give thee as much of Christ as thy heart is open to receive." I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? This is indicated by the negative explanation, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.” It is this moral connotation that Jesus brought out when He said (John 3:19), “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”. As you meditate on this wondrous salvation and seek full fellowship with the great and holy God, and wait on Him to reveal Christ in you, you will feel how needful the giving up of all is to receive Him. CBN.com-- The Bible reminds us again and again that God is a personal God -- not some faraway, distant Idea, but the Supreme Person, who actually enjoys the fellowship of his people. To walk in the light is to seek to be holy as God is holy. John tells us that we can have fellowship with God! To this end, let your first act in your devotions be a setting yourself still before God. In the immediate context, verse 6 refers to fellowship with God, and thus verse 7 would seem to point in that direction. Apparently these false teachers were doing this, because John’s next hypothetical statement is (1:8), “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” They may have been claiming that they had achieved a state of sinless perfection. 2. Words from this book have been read in 190 countries and 50 languages. Cleansed. In Him we are dead to sin. Navigation at the top of each page, allows you to open the table of contents, visit the home page, ask questions or share your story. Fellowship with God (?) Or, perhaps because they believed that the body could not touch the spirit, they were claiming not to have a sin nature. Walking in the light is not a description of a class of spiritual believers, who have achieved perfection or some high state of sanctification. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. This Christ is a living Person. Following his lead, other church growth leaders have started with the “religious consumer.” They have gone to people with the question, “What would you like in a church? But, it’s a false peace that will not hold up in the day of judgment. Can you find a single instance in the Bible where evangelism. We have not only Christ's life in us as a power, and His presence with us as a person, but we have His likeness to be wrought into us. The cleansed person is free to draw near to God in worship, because the defilement of sin has been taken away. Two wrong responses in particular to notice here. Another aspect of “fellowship” is our experience of intimacy with God. Begin each day by tarrying before God, and letting Him touch you. The New Testament assures believers of this partnership. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a failed exam, money problems, or even a crisis of faith, we can find ourselves down.If we go too low, it can lead to anger and a feeling of disillusionment with God. The entire church growth movement, including one of its most famous leaders, blatantly contradicts this. But this verse creates a difficulty, in that other Scriptures teach that we are forgiven totally at the point of salvation, including all future sins. The Truth About Reconciliation, Pt. Match. Lastly, Lloyd-Jones points out that starting with God’s holiness is the only way to true joy. Make it positive.” So, the church marketers go back to the drawing board and re-design the church to meet the felt needs of the consumer. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. How can we avoid the deception of thinking that we are walking in the light, while really we’re walking in the darkness? To understand this paragraph, we must see that John is writing against the false claims of the false teachers. No, he goes on believing in what Jesus did for him on the cross. 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. He says that to have fellowship with God, we must recognize that He is absolutely holy. Among other things, there are two relationships that are discussed in 1 John. Gravity. God delights in nothing but His beloved Son, and can be satisfied with nothing else in those who draw nigh to Him. the premise for having fellowship with god (5) a. definite, and entire surrender to Him to work in you. Having “fellowship with God” is the only way to live a godly life in a world that is opposed to God. 1 John 2 – Hindrances to Fellowship with God A. Fellowship and the problem of sin. Robert Schuller redefines sin to mean something other than what Scripture declares. How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? Luke 22:15-16 Luke 22:15-16 specifically concerns Jesus' Passover offering, but we need to consider its effects in light of the peace offering rather than the sin offering.. First, God is satisfied because man is in communion with Him through Christ, the offering. Tell more stories and jokes. God’s wonderful promise is that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us. As a sinner you are not worthy to look up to God ; bow in selfabasement. February 05, 2018 by Pastor Chuck Swindoll Scriptures: Psalm 15:1. Count upon it that this blessed work will be done in thee as thou waitest on thy God, and boldest fellowship with Him. (1a) A purpose of John in writing this letter: that you may not sin. 22:37-40). God awaits fellowship with His children. Then accept and value your place in Christ Jesus. I am walking in darkness and have broken fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-6). As a saint, let God's love overwhelm you, and bow you still lower down. The Divine life within us comes from God, and is entirely dependent upon Him. Thus when a believer sins, he does not lose the forgiveness and cleansing that took place at salvation. Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. Ep 5: 8-10 2. The Lord God walked in the garden and talked with Adam as a man talketh with his friend. The result is amazing growth. (First John 2:1-2 also describes what it means to walk in the light, but we will examine those verses next time.) That’s why God created us, paid a great price to make us His children, and “called us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” Constant fellowship with Christ enables us to face the present victoriously, and simultaneously prepares us for a happy “ever after” life with Christ. He imposed on them the rule of silence. Again, we have fellowship with God in the object for which the purpose was first formed, namely, his own glory. 4:17-19; 5:7-12). He offers Himself to you as a personal Saviour and Keeper from the power of sin. God the Almighty One, Who worketh all in all, is even now waiting to work in me, and make Himself known." It means to accept responsibility for it and to turn from it. So I prefer to explain verse 9 differently. 8:12). Make His heart glad by telling Him that you do love Him. We want to make sure that we are in fellowship with God, Jesus, and all of God's children. The aim of the entire Bible is to help us glorify God as we experience the deep joy of a close relationship with Him and close relationships with one another. And, we must not walk in the darkness. 2 Corinthians 13:14. John says, first, to have fellowship with God, we must begin with God and His authoritative revelation of Himself, not with ourselves. Created by. Fellowship with God. You have access into the very heart and love of the Father. The apostle John opens his letter by asserting that one of the main aims of the Christian message is we may enter in to the apostolic fellowship, which is “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:3). If the believer loves his brother in Christ he will also … I must every day have fresh grace from heaven, and I obtain it only in direct waiting upon God Himself. But in his booklet, The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church [Banner of Truth], David Wells reports that in 1993, pollsters added a few questions to, “Are you born again?” They also asked, “Do you go to church with some regularity, do you pray with some regularity, and do you have some minimal structure of formal Christian belief?” The number claiming to be born again dropped from 32 percent to 8 percent. The first and chief need of our Christian life is, Fellowship with God. The Father loves the Son, and delights to work out His image and likeness in thee. But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! Worse, he is calling God a liar and God’s word is not in him!”. 1. He asserts that God is absolutely holy (1:5). Second, man is satisfied because he knows he is accepted by God and in fellowship with Him. STUDY. The manna of one day was corrupt when the next day came. He says (p. 101), “The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’” He adds (p. 102), “The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God.”. But we need to apply this personally. But before we all sign up for the program, John makes it clear that fellowship with God is not a matter of being chummy with your good buddy in the sky! Ongoing confession of sin and the experience of forgiveness and cleansing characterize those who walk in the light. Let every approach to God, and every request for fellowship with Him be accompanied by a new, very definite, and entire surrender to Him to work in you. Second, if we start with God’s holiness, it exposes all false claims of fellowship with God. Test. If I dodge my sin by blaming others or making up excuses for why I sin, I am walking in darkness. Ever doubt your salvation? Count upon it that this blessed work will be done in thee as thou waitest on thy God, and boldest fellowship with Him. (I highly recommend Wells’ books, No Place for Truth; God in the Wasteland; and, Losing Our Virtue [all Eerdmans].). Wells goes on to speculate, based on research, that if you added a few more basic questions (such as, “Are you regenerate?”) the numbers would drop to one or two percent. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Fellowship, Character of God, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. Only the Holy Spirit Himself can teach you what an entire yielding of the whole life to God can mean. Note, also, that John does not begin with his hearers felt needs. Oh! But verse 3 also referred to fellowship with other believers. What the Bible says about Fellowship with God (From Forerunner Commentary) Genesis 2:2-3 The Sabbath is not the afterthought of a majestic Creation, but it is the very climax of the Creation Week. Fellowship with God is, at its most basic, agreement with Him in all things. Rather, John begins with God and he brings us face to face, not with God’s love, but with His holiness. He doesn’t discuss where they may be hurting, or bring up how this message will help them have a happy family life or a successful personal life. Let me use an analogy. To walk in darkness is to try to hide from God, rather than to expose your life to Him. Verse 7 (“cleanses” is in the present tense) indicates that there is an ongoing sense in which the effects of the cleansing of Jesus’ blood are applied to us. You'll even discover a seventh path in eternal paradise. That’s just not popular. O brethren, do not we sympathise with God in this object? You may ask, “But why start with God’s holiness? Sink down before Him in humility, meekness, patience, and surrender to His goodness and mercy. Robert Schuller, in his heretical book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation ([Word], p. 64), argues that classical theology “erred in its insistence that theology be ‘God-centered,’ not ‘man-centered.’” So he calls for a new Reformation that puts man, not God, at the center! So confession points to an ongoing action, but the forgiveness and cleansing are completed actions in the past. We’re all prone to ask, “Why is God allowing this? If someone can’t get along with other believers, he may not be in true fellowship with God. For the further use of “one another” in this Epistle see 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11, 12; see also 2 John 1:5—seven occasions in the two epistles. That's today's … In verse 9, “confess” is in the present tense, but “forgive” and “cleanse” are the Greek aorist tense, focusing on an action as a totality or as complete. Rather, it describes all true believers. He is to be formed in us, so that His form or figure, His likeness, can be seen in us. Through careful Bible … For many years, polls have shown that about one-third of Americans claim to be born again. Unlike some of the cold, unapproachable gods of some religions, our God … True fellowship is with the holy God, not with a good buddy god. Wait on God to shew you in this what you do not know. He says (p. 65) that to define sin as rebellion against God is “shallow and insulting to the human being.” He redefines sin as a lack of trust, which “is another way of saying that we are all born with a negative self-image….” He says (p. 67), “By nature, we are fearful, not bad. It's recommended to read this book from beginning to end, as it thoughtfully takes you along the six paths of fellowship with God. All this can only be in the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you. Ah, the deeds of the Most High tend to manifest his majesty and glorify his Godhead. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31) Bow before God until you get some sense of the greatness and blessedness of the work to be carried on by God in you this day. But here, the main idea is that He is holy. 3. This is John's focus throughout this letter, and it must be our focus as well. Their first claim was, “We have fellowship with God” (1:6), but John says that their lives did not back up their claim. Thus the game of dominoes was born (From “Our Daily Bread” [8/77]). Be silent before God and let Him bless you. If you want to draw the crowds, begin with, ‘God is love.’ Everyone wants to hear that!”, But John begins with, “God is light.” In Scripture, “light” may refer to God as the source of knowledge, illumination, or guidance. We all have bad moments. Enter deep into God's holy presence in the boldness which the blood gives, and in the assurance that in Christ you are most wellpleasing. We want help on how to have happy families, how to be successful in reaching our full potential, and how to recover from divorce, drug addiction, and sexual addictions. and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God walked in the Garden and talked with Adam as a man talks with his friend. Write. Such fellowship with God is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. God has put a desire for relationship in every one of us, a desire He intended to be met with relationships with other people, … They said, “You’re just seeing my body. In fact, don’t preach at us; share with us. 7. As a creature it is your blessedness to be nothing, that God may be all in you. Do not ask, can I be kept from sinning, if I keep close to Him? John begins with the apostolic message, that God is light (1:5). Some explain this as “family” forgiveness that is necessary for fellowship, not forensic forgiveness that is required to deliver us from God’s judgment. God is love, longing to communicate H imself to me. Answer: The Greek word translated “fellowship” in the New Testament is koinonia, meaning “partnership, sharing in common, or communion,” and the essence of partnership is agreement or unity of purpose. John here shifts the “we” from the apostles to a hypothetical group that may include anyone, but especially targets the false teachers. But, what about when we sin? It may point to God’s glory and that He is unapproachable, infinite, unchangeable, and omnipresent. In Christ you are within the veil. In our day, as in John’s, many claim to have fellowship with God, but often this is an empty claim based on their own imagination with a false god that they have made up. Putting different numbers on them, he devised a new game. Point to God ’ s judgment fellowship ” is our self-centeredness, and all of God our... Loves the Son, and boldest fellowship with God, we must begin with His.. 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