Authentic Christianity is not an exclusive club. Churches that turn into social clubs where members expect to receive certain perks die and do not bring God glory. One of the keys to authentic Christianity is a desire in the individual Christian and the church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 1 John, chapter 1, verse 3, the writer states that what they have seen and heard they proclaim! They do not hold it in. They do not keep it exclusively to those they deem qualified. They proclaim the message!
Why?
So that others may ALSO have fellowship with them. Christian fellowship is not defined by a list of rules or a multi-tiered payment chart where the more you give the more you get. Christian fellowship is defined by a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ.
The 2nd Person of the Divine Trinity, the Son of God, the Word of Life, He, and He alone is the identity of what it means to be a Christian. It is the righteousness of Christ that all Christians possess as a gift of His grace through faith.
Jesus Christ is eternal life!
John wants his readers to know that they have authentic Christianity if they have the salvation that comes only from the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
The Extent Of Our Fellowship
Notice that John defines the extent of our fellowship in this verse. He says “You may also have fellowship with us.”
Fellowship – participation, communion, sharing, in common, mutual blessings.
The fellowship to which John refers is a shared participation that all Christians have together. It’s the things that we have in common because of our standing in Christ. Then he further defines this fellowship. We have fellowship together and that fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Consider the following cross-references:
We learn more about our fellowship from the above verses. Eternal life is defined as fellowship with God. In the book of Colossians, we find that in our unregenerate state, we were enemies of God. In salvation, we are adopted into the family of God, we are at peace with God, and in genuine fellowship with God.
We also learn that our fellowship is with the Father and the Son. We are in fellowship with the Father who sends the Son and we are in fellowship with the Son who sheds His blood to save us from our sins and bring us into a right relationship with the Father. There is always Trinitarian harmony within the God-head regarding redemptive history both accomplished and applied.
John focuses on what genuine biblical fellowship looks like so that it can be contrasted easily with what is not. Those claiming fellowship with God are not authentic if they do not possess the fruits of that genuine fellowship. This was a major issue in the early church as many claimed to be in the right relationship with God but did not have genuine biblical fellowship with God or the Son because they had not been saved by grace through faith.
If you have been saved by the grace of God, you have eternal life, peace with God, and fellowship with both the Father and the Son.
God Centered Commentary – 1 John 1:2 – Eternal Life Is Manifested