What is fellowship with God?

Quick Answer: What is fellowship with God? Fellowship with God is synonymous with salvation in the New Testament. When we believe the Gospel, we are invited into an intimate and unending fellowship with the Trinity (1 John 1:1-3; John 17:21). 

Diving Deeper: Fellowship is often viewed as an on-again, off-again relationship with God. Some believe we are in fellowship with God when we aren’t sinning, but when we sin, we are out of fellowship with Him. Then, we must confess our sins in order to get back into fellowship with Him.

But the New Testament does not present fellowship as something that can be interrupted by sin. In 1 John 1:1-3, fellowship is synonymous with salvation. We are either in fellowship (saved) or outside of fellowship (lost). There is no bouncing in and out of fellowship with God. Furthermore, confession of sins does not restore fellowship by bringing us more forgiveness. Remember that only blood brings forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus shed His blood once in order to take away our sins, so that our fellowship with God would be secured forever (Hebrews 10:12-14). 

Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19 speak of grieving and quenching the Spirit. Some point to these passages to propose that fellowship with God can be broken. However, a closer examination of these passages should not lead us to this conclusion.

In Ephesians 4:30, Paul speaks of grieving the Spirit by expressing things like “bitterness, rage, and anger” (Ephesians 4:31). When we do not love, and when we treat one another poorly, God is grieved or deeply concerned for us. This is not a disruption in fellowship with God. He is simply concerned about our well-being as we make choices to express sin instead of allowing Him to live through us.

Likewise, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 presents the imagery of quenching (or not expressing) the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a raging river within us wanting to be expressed. We don’t want to dam up those waters, hindering the expression of Christ within us.  Still, if we do quench or grieve the Spirit, it doesn’t mean our fellowship with God has been broken. We need God’s constant presence in our lives to make it through a sin struggle, and we could never learn and grow if He broke fellowship with us each time we failed.

We are forever in union and in fellowship with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17). We carry within us the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, even when we sin. He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5).

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. As a believer, have you ever felt like you fell out of fellowship with God? What was the reason?
2. How does our permanent union with Christ help us understand the fellowship issue?
3. What does it mean to you that God doesn’t abandon you during your struggles?
4. React to this statement: The only reason a believer can turn from sin is because they are still in fellowship with God.