How to Move from Knowing About God to Fellowship with the Father NOW

How to Move from Knowing About God to Fellowship with the Father NOW.

Moving from knowing about God to having true fellowship with the Father requires accepting the apostolic testimony about Jesus Christ and living in obedient righteousness. Fellowship is blocked by rejecting the eyewitness testimony of Christ’s incarnation and resurrection or by practicing lawlessness.

Definition of Fellowship

In the context of 1 John, “fellowship” means a close spiritual bond, association, and joint participation with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is more than social interaction; it is a transformative personal communion with the divine.

How Fellowship is Established: A Step-by-Step Explanation

1. Accept Authoritative Eyewitness Testimony: Fellowship begins by believing the firsthand account of those who physically witnessed Jesus Christ. The Apostle John states he and others heard, saw, and touched the “Word of Life” (1 John 1:1-2). This testimony is the foundational truth that enables fellowship.
2. Proclamation for Shared Participation: The apostles proclaimed this testimony so others could join in their fellowship, which is ultimately “with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
3. Obedience and Righteous Living: True fellowship involves doing “the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21). It is a living bond that transforms a person toward love and righteousness.
4. Maintenance Through Continuous Bond: The spiritual bond must be actively maintained. Turning away from it weakens faith and can lead to spiritual death.

What Blocks Fellowship?

• Rejecting the Core Testimony: Denying the historical reality of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection—as some early heretics did—blocks fellowship at its source (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).
• Practicing Lawlessness: Engaging in sin and disobedience (“you who practice lawlessness”) severs the bond, regardless of any claims made in Jesus’s name (Matthew 7:21-23). Without a genuine, growing spiritual bond, one is rejected.

Concrete Examples

1. Example of Foundation: John, a practical fisherman, dedicated his life to Christ based on direct sensory experience—seeing, hearing, and touching the risen Jesus. Fellowship is extended to others who believe this documented testimony.
2. Example of Blockage: A person who calls Jesus “Lord” and even performs acts in His name but does not obey the Father’s will practices lawlessness. Jesus states, “I never knew you,” indicating the absence of true fellowship (Matthew 7:22-23).

Why This Matters

Establishing this fellowship is the mechanism for receiving spiritual life and the hope of eternal life. It transforms a believer’s present existence and is the basis for ultimately standing in God’s presence. The completeness of joy that John describes (1 John 1:4) is contingent upon this shared fellowship.

Summary

True fellowship with the Father is a spiritual bond established by believing the apostolic eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ and living in obedient righteousness. It is blocked by denying the factual reality of Christ or by living in disobedience to God’s will.

Sources

• 1 John 1:1-4 (eyewitness testimony, definition, and purpose of fellowship)
• Matthew 7:21-23 (lawlessness as a block to fellowship)
• 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 (denial of the resurrection as a critical error)