It is impossible for a Christian to ever be out of fellowship with God. Do you believe that? I begin this article with such a bold statement because I want to shake you into serious thought. As we grow in our grace walk we sometimes find ourselves having to rethink some of the things we’ve heard all our lives. This whole concept of being “out of fellowship” is one of those things we’ve all heard, but it just isn’t true. It isn’t true for one simple reason: the fellowship you have with God isn’t up to you. Your Father has embraced you with an eternal grip that makes it impossible for you to wiggle out of His love and acceptance.
If it is possible to be out of fellowship with God, what would cause that? Sin, of course. That’s the silver bullet against the Christian, right? Don’t be so quick to agree. The truth of the matter is that Christ has dealt a death blow against sin that will eternally keep it from ever interfering with how God sees you. Sin has been defeated. When Jesus said, “If is finished!” that’s exactly what He meant.
John wrote in 1 John 1:7, that “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Know this: You do walk in the Light. Even when you sin, you are in the Light because He is the Light of the world and you are constantly in Him. Our perception of the light may be obscured, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are in the light. If I go outside into the bright sunlight and put on a sleep mask so that I see nothing but complete darkness, am I in the light? Yes, I am still in the light. My only problem is that my perception of the light has been blocked.
That’s what sin does in our lives. It blinds us to the fact that we are standing in the Light of His love and grace at every moment and to the reality that nothing can change that. John said that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The word “cleanses” in the verse is the Greek word kathariz, a word which has powerful implications. The word is present, active, indicative – meaning that the blood of Christ at this moment and at every moment is keeping us cleansed of all sin. If we are being constantly kept cleansed of sin, what would cause God to be out of fellowship with us?
When the prodigal son was in the pig pen, his perception of fellowship with his father was totally changed. He would have said that he was out of fellowship but, in reality, his Dad’s attitude toward him hadn’t changed at all. His Dad still loved, adored and accepted him the way he always had done. The problem was in the son’s mind, not in the Dad’s attitude.
The same is true of us. Our Father adores us and nothing ever changes that fact. Our perception may be that we are “out of fellowship” at times, but God never sees it that way. He embraces and loves us even when we feel like we have broken fellowship with Him. You are cleansed of your sins and your Father accepts you. So put aside the notion that fellowship with Him can be broken by your behavior. It isn’t about you. It never has been. It’s all about His unconditional acceptance. He is in fellowship with us and we aren’t big enough to ever change that!
Steve, these posts just keep getting better & better! Thank you for speaking TRUTH. You are making me SMILE! :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is more amazing and awe-awe-awesome to me. The comforting, reassuring, liberating message you delivered here tonight or the incredibly liberating wisdom the Lord imparts to you.
Is soo good to find a fellow internet fell child of Papa who understands grace, forgiveness and Papa's total, complete love for us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for you unbelievably, encouraging blogs
I want to nail what you said here to the wittenberg door of my mind, heart, and spirit! These 95 theses you penned Steve! It's like scratching just scratching the surface of who we are for the insurmountable bull we've been handed by religion, zealot, and institutional church all our lives! Awesome! Unbelievably encouraging! Ditto! Dave Candel
ReplyDeleteSteve, great stuff. Could you differentiate between "always walking in the Light" and not necessarily always walking in (or by) the Spirit, and sometimes walking according to the flesh?
ReplyDeleteWalking "after(or according to) the flesh"(not IN the flesh) happens when we act independently, trusting our own abilities instead of trusting Christ within us to animate our actions. We are always "in the light" because He is the Light and we are always in Him. So it's possible then to walk according to flesh but still be in the Light at the same time. As I mentioned in the article, sin distorts our perspective but doesn't change the truth.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff. Ah, the old "rebound" mentality, that's still so common, unfortunately, where sin-consciousness outweighs son-consciousness, as though it was all up to me. Thankfully, we're kept by the power of God, and not anything I can muster up.
ReplyDeleteAdam was running from God while God was still pursing him and "trying to have fellowship" with him. Whenever we try to relate to God via rules laws and performance they will produce separation between God and us "in our minds", we are acting as unbeleivers. Eph 4:18
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is that nothing can separate us from HIS LOVE. Perfect love casts out all fear because fear produces torment in the heart of an unbelieving believer!!!!
Reminds me of Rom 8:38-39 :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to know that the prodigal was ALWAYS a son.
Not even sin, flesh, old man, death,ourselves or ANYTHING in all creation can seperate us from the love that is in Jesus Christ.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for this Steve. I finally get it.
ReplyDelete