In the previous post on this subject we showed how koinōnia, the word that gives us our word fellowship or communion, involves participation or partaking. Paul spoke of how all members of the body of Christ jointly partake or participate in the blessings of communion with the head of the body. He wrote:
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (koinōnia) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (koinōnia) of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread." (I Cor. 10: 16-17 nkjv)
Here we see where koinōnia involves "partaking" of "that one bread" which is Christ, the true bread that came down from heaven. In order to "live forever" a person must partake of this bread. (John 6: 51) It is therefore stunning that our Hardshell brothers say that communion with Christ, or partaking of him as the bread of life, is not essential for obtaining eternal life.
Thus koinōnia may be viewed both vertically and horizontally. Vertically it speaks of the communion of a renewed spirit with God that results from a faith union with God. It may be viewed horizontally when it speaks of a communion between believers in the church community. If a member of the body is in union with the head (Christ), then it will have interaction with the head, or a sharing between them. So too will members of the body have union with one another and a mutual sharing with each other and with the head. Therefore, you cannot separate union from communion as Elder Gowens has done. If my head or brain is not interacting with my heart and lungs, I will die. So koinōnia involves "shared life."
We could also say that same thing regarding Christ being the "true vine" and professing Christians being the "branches." Jesus said:
"1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15: 1-5 nkjv)
A branch is joined to the vine, that speaks of union. A branch receives its life sustaining sap from the vine, and that speaks of communion. Jesus speaks of believers being "in" him and him being "in" the believer. I had a brother ask me years ago how something could be in something while that something is in it. That seemed illogical. If I have a piece of paper in my bible book, how can the book be in the piece of paper? I told him to think of a glass jar in the water and how the glass is in the water and the water is in the glass.
Think of a baby in the womb of its mother. It is joined to its mother by an umbilical cord. It is impossible to conceive how it could have union without communion. The communion is seen in the fact that the baby is participating in the life of the mother, receiving nourishment from its mother, and this is communion. We must also keep in mind that the root of koinōnia is the word "common." It was a word that the ancient Greeks used to speak of business partnerships and joint ventures. "Partaking" is the literal, experiential translation of the verb form (koinōneō) or the state of being a partner (koinōnos). So, we have our word "commonwealth," which is a social or political group, such as a nation or other community, and which originally was derived from what was called the "common weal," and the philosophy that what was good for the community was good for the individual. Wrote the apostle Paul:
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth (politeia) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." (Eph. 2: 12 kjv)
Christians have many things in common, things they share. More on that shortly.
A person who is a believer in Christ is a member of Christ's mystical body, or the church. He may not be a member of any local church, but he is a member of the universal body that contains every believer. By virtue of their new birth and union with Christ Christians are part of the larger Christian community or commonwealth and can participate in the "fellowship of the mystery" (Eph. 3: 9), and in "fellowship in the gospel" (Phil. 1: 5), and can give to other believers the "right hands of fellowship" (Gal. 2: 9), and be involved in "the fellowship of the ministering to the saints" (II Cor. 8: 3-5) by giving financial support to ministers and evangelists, by giving "a certain contribution for the poor" (Rom. 15: 26), where the word "contribution" is from koinōnia. Here the idea of joint partnership is evident. That is horizontal koinōnia resulting from vertical koinōnia.
"That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." (Eph. 3: 6 kjv)
To be a "partaker" is to be a participant or sharer. To be a sharer in the promise of salvation one must receive Christ or enter into him and for Christ to enter into the believer and to dwell in his heart. This entails both union and communion. To become "fellowheirs" and a member "of the same body" is to be united to Christ and to all other believers. It is also for those only who have "partaken of his promise in Christ." What is that promise? It is the promise of salvation from sin, condemnation, and death, and of an eternal inheritance, of eternal life and immortality. This promise is in Christ and realized "by the gospel," which means by believing in the gospel. This destroys the Hardshell belief that the salvation that comes by the gospel is not an eternal salvation, for eternal salvation is what is described in this text. Wrote the apostle Paul further:
"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." (Heb. 3: 14 kjv)
Partaking of Christ brings salvation. It is the way Christ is received. Apart from Christ there is no union or communion. Having Christ is having eternal life. So wrote the apostle John: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (I John 5: 12 nkjv) Partaking of Christ means the same thing as receiving or sharing in Christ. All the blessings of salvation result from union with Christ. I cannot imagine, as did Gowens, and as do the Hardshell Baptists, partaking of Christ, being in union with Christ, without having communion with him. If Christ is abiding in a person, then that person will enjoy communion with Christ. The word "enthusiasm" originally meant "God within," and if God, Father, Son, and Spirit, are dwelling in you, then you will experience fellowship and communion with him. Further, born again believers are described as being lovers of God and lovers of Christ the Son of God. It is hard to believe that people can love Christ without enjoying communion with him.
The apostle Paul, who I believe wrote the Book of Hebrews, spoke of those who are "partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Heb. 6: 4). He also wrote about the "fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil. 2: 1) and of "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit." (II Cor. 13: 14) Again, I cannot conceive of anyone being a partaker of the Spirit and not enjoying blessed communion with him. He is called the "Comforter" because he comforts the people of God. If Gowens is right, that many people have union with the Spirit and yet do not experience communion with him, then they receive no comfort from him, for to comfort would be part of what it means to have communion with him.
The apostle Peter spoke of believers being "partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1: 4) That means they participate or share in the divine nature as a result of being "born of God" and becoming his children and that is included in what it means to have been "called into the koinonian" of the Son of God. (I Cor. 1: 9) Therefore it is ludicrous for Gowens and the Hardshells to say that eternal salvation does not involve fellowship or communion or participation with God.
Things Christians Have In Common (or share)
In koinōnia there is not only union but a sharing of things in common. This is true in vertical koinōnia and in horizontal koinōnia. We have already seen where believers share the divine nature with God. Being the children of God they also share God's likeness and image. Here are some things that believers share in common with each other and with God and which is part of their fellowship with God.
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4: 4-6 nkjv)
This is what it means to be called into the koinonia of the Son of God. This is what is shared by the people of the koinonia within the body of Christ or of the Christian community. They all participate in the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God the Father, and partake of the same hope and calling, having the same faith or creed, and experience the same baptism. We read of the "common faith" (Titus 1: 4) and of the "common salvation." (Jude 1: 3)
Interesting is the fact that the Greek word for "common" in these passages is koinos. It's original meaning denoted what is shared by all, though it came to be associated with the general population, or with the ordinary people, who were often viewed as "commoners," or unclean people, those not of the aristocracy or elite. Koinonia is derived from koinos. To be called into the fellowship of God and the Christian community is to share or partake in common the things itemized above. So we read:
"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers...And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." (Acts 2: 42, 44-45 nkjv)
The idea that people can have union with the Father, Son, or Spirit, and yet not have communion with the three divine persons, or the idea that people may be saved without participating, or sharing in, or partaking of the things we have enumerated, is outlandish. It is certainly not an example of "rightly dividing the word of truth"! Any of our Hardshell brothers want to come and show where I am wrong in my rebuttal to what Gowens said?
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