The Corporate Nature of Salvation

In the church fellowship is a familiar concept, and yet a gravely misunderstood one. We speak much about it. Most if not all of us have heard about the beauty of “fellowship.”

Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

In fact, if you were to do a survey of the churches, it wouldn’t take long to find one which had a place designated as “fellowship hall.” And yet in spite of our familiarity, biblical fellowship is conspicuously absent from many churches.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean by this that most churches are cold. It’s just that what is going on in some of the “warmest” churches is a far cry from genuine, biblical fellowship. The things that our world/society identifies as marks of a loving and supportive atmosphere are the very things that are mistaken for genuine fellowship:

• A warm handshake at the door.
• An embrace.
• A genuine smile.
• An unconditional acceptance.
• A secure atmosphere.

While these things may accompany a setting in which biblical fellowship is occurring, they must NOT be confused with biblical fellowship. Lest we settle for a cheap imitation, it is imperative that we NOT ONLY understand what biblical fellowship is, BUT ALSO dedicate ourselves to participate in it.