Koinonia is first a union...
Koinonia, the powerful word for "communion" and "partnership". The word that tells us we have "common" things amongst us. Our relationship with one another is based on these. One Faith, one Lord, one Spirit.
We also talk about "communing with God", in terms of our daily activity in relationship with Him. My communion through prayer and the Word, that fill me with the fruit of my relationship with Him.
But the prequel to these chapters is the "union" I have with Christ. There is an objective reality, a done deal, that sets the stage for the rest of Koinania. I Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Kaleo eis koinonia. Completed work.
We are in Christ, in union.
It is a state of being, this union. Our very spiritual life flows from this union. Our state of being is that we are "in Christ".
We can talk of the fellowship or communion we have with Him today from I Cor. 1, but that is not the primary teaching of this passage. Foremost is the objective condition of union with Him.
As a consequence, we are
1. Justified
2. Blameless
3. Sons and Daughters
4. members of His body (Eph. 5:30)
With His life running through my veins, I have no room for my own (Galations 2:20). With His mind supplanting mine, I have no room for purposes other than His.
Thus the very conflict that arises daily in our lives! Our old lives resist our union, and we feel it!
We are called to engage this reality regularly. How?:
1. This understanding is so foreign, that it must be reinforced regularly (Taking communion).
2. It needs the reinforcement of others (Fellowship, or meeting to talk about and encourage our union).
3. It requires yieldedness so that I can see fruit born from it. (Confession & Repentance).
We have to be careful that we do not understand incorrectly the "robe of righteousness" It is not some state of righteousness that we care around bestowed but separate. It is a way of talking about the state of being that results from my union with Him! He is my righteousness consequently of my being in koinonia with Him! All resides upon the shoulders of my union with my Lord and Savior.
My perpetual state of being, and most significant reality is…
In Christ...
We also talk about "communing with God", in terms of our daily activity in relationship with Him. My communion through prayer and the Word, that fill me with the fruit of my relationship with Him.
But the prequel to these chapters is the "union" I have with Christ. There is an objective reality, a done deal, that sets the stage for the rest of Koinania. I Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Kaleo eis koinonia. Completed work.
We are in Christ, in union.
It is a state of being, this union. Our very spiritual life flows from this union. Our state of being is that we are "in Christ".
We can talk of the fellowship or communion we have with Him today from I Cor. 1, but that is not the primary teaching of this passage. Foremost is the objective condition of union with Him.
As a consequence, we are
1. Justified
2. Blameless
3. Sons and Daughters
4. members of His body (Eph. 5:30)
With His life running through my veins, I have no room for my own (Galations 2:20). With His mind supplanting mine, I have no room for purposes other than His.
Thus the very conflict that arises daily in our lives! Our old lives resist our union, and we feel it!
We are called to engage this reality regularly. How?:
1. This understanding is so foreign, that it must be reinforced regularly (Taking communion).
2. It needs the reinforcement of others (Fellowship, or meeting to talk about and encourage our union).
3. It requires yieldedness so that I can see fruit born from it. (Confession & Repentance).
We have to be careful that we do not understand incorrectly the "robe of righteousness" It is not some state of righteousness that we care around bestowed but separate. It is a way of talking about the state of being that results from my union with Him! He is my righteousness consequently of my being in koinonia with Him! All resides upon the shoulders of my union with my Lord and Savior.
My perpetual state of being, and most significant reality is…
In Christ...
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