BASIC WORD THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE

THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE

The fellowship of life, being the flowing of the divine life, comes from the life of God and is preserved by the sense of life to supply us with the riches of the divine life. 

In this lesson we want to see something concerning the fellowship of life. The King James Version renders the word fellowship as “communion.” “Communion” is a good translation, but its true meaning has been somewhat spoiled by traditional thought and usage.

In Philippians 2:1 the apostle Paul speaks of the fellowship of spirit. A number of translators consider that the spirit mentioned here is the Spirit of God. But actually this is not the Spirit of God but our spirit. We know this because it is mentioned in the context of a list of our spiritual virtues. In Philippians 2:1 Paul speaks of encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of spirit, and tenderheartedness and compassions. These are not the virtues of God but our spiritual virtues, so the spirit here must be our spirit. We have to make this point clear to the saints. This is very important because this verse tells us that the fellowship of life is going on in our spirit. Our spirit is the location of today’s fellowship that we have with the Lord and with the saints.

In John 15:4-5 the word fellowship is not mentioned, but we know that these verses in fact refer to the fellowship. In these two verses the word used to indicate fellowship is abide. The Lord said, “Abide in Me and I in you.” This mutual abiding actually is the fellowship.

                                     THE MEANING OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE

A. Sharing in Common

In Greek the word for fellowship means “sharing in common.” First Corinthians 10:16 says, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?” We share the Lord’s Body in common, and we share the cup in common, so the Body and the cup become our fellowship. In Philemon 6 Paul speaks of “the fellowship of your faith.” Philemon had faith, and with that faith there was a kind of sharing in common.

B. The Flowing of the Divine Life within Us

The fellowship of life is the flowing of the divine life within us (1 John 1:2-3, 6-7). We can illustrate this with two things. First, the circulation of blood is a very good illustration of the flowing of life. [536] The blood within our physical body flows, circulates, all the time, and this circulating, or this flowing, is a good picture of the spiritual fellowship of life, the flowing of the divine life. Another illustration that can be used is the current of electricity. The current of electricity is the moving of electricity. In like manner, the fellowship of life is the moving, the flowing, of the divine life within us. We all know that the blood circulation needs the vessels of our body, and the electrical current needs the wires. We are like the vessels and the wires for the spiritual flow of the divine life.

1. Vertically between the Father, the Son, and Us

The flowing of the divine life within us first is vertical between the Father, the Son, and us (vv. 6, 3).

2. Horizontally between Us and One Another

The flowing of the divine life, the fellowship of life, is also horizontally between us and one another (v. 7). The horizontal aspect depends upon the vertical aspect. First John 1 says that we first have fellowship with the Father and the Son; then we have this fellowship with one another. If our fellowship is wrong vertically with the Father and the Son, we cannot have the fellowship horizontally with one another. The fellowship between us horizontally depends upon our fellowship with the Father and the Son vertically.

This vertical and horizontal fellowship is like the weaving of a textile. In this vertical and horizontal fellowship, there is the mingling of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—with all the saints. Actually, the proper fellowship is the mingling of the Triune God with all the redeemed saints. In other words, the fellowship eventually consummates in the oneness of the Triune God with the Body of Christ. This fellowship is the flow of the life of the Triune God within us.

              THE SOURCE OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE—THE ETERNAL LIFE OF GOD

The source of the fellowship of life is the eternal life of God. First John 1:2-3 says that the eternal life has been reported to us so that we may have fellowship. This word proves that the fellowship comes out of the eternal life. The eternal life is the source of this fellowship.  Just as the electrical current comes out of the power plant, the fellowship comes out of the eternal life.

Many in Christianity think that fellowship is a kind of social contact in a social association with social activities. But fellowship is not a kind of social contact. We have to reject that. We do not want that. The real and genuine fellowship among us originates in the eternal, divine life. If the source is wrong, that is not the genuine fellowship.

                       THE MEANS OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE—THE HOLY SPIRIT

The means by which the fellowship of life is carried out is the Holy Spirit, so it is called the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 13:14. The Holy Spirit is the instrument, the means, that carries out this fellowship. Actually, it is really hard for us in our experience to differentiate these three things: the fellowship, the life, and the Spirit. These three things are one. The life is the source, the fellowship is the flow, and the Spirit is the carrier, the means. In our experience we cannot differentiate them, but in our explanation of the truth we can.

                           THE LOCATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE—OUR SPIRIT

Our spirit is the location of the fellowship of life. This is based upon Philippians 2:1. We have to point out as clearly and strongly as possible that if our contact with one another is not in the spirit, right away it becomes a social thing. Our contact must be in the spirit. Then our contact becomes the fellowship. This is because the flowing of the divine life is altogether not in our soul, our natural life. It is altogether in our spirit.

The fellowship of life is carried out by God’s Spirit in our spirit. Our mind may apprehend the fellowship, but it is not in our mind. Our emotions may be happy about it, but the fellowship of life is not in our emotion. It is altogether in our spirit. So if we are apart from our spirit or outside of our spirit, right away our contact with one another becomes a kind of social association that is no longer the fellowship of life. The fellowship of life must be in our spirit.