In the New Testament, the term fellowship (from the Greek, koinonia), is consistently used to refer to a joint participation in the spiritual.
- In 1 Corinthians 1:9, Paul uses it to refer to our relationship with Jesus Christ.
- In 2 Corinthians 6:14, he admonishes Christians not to be yoked together with unbelievers and evil.
- In 2 Corinthians 8:4, he attributes the word to the important spiritual work of benevolence to saints who were suffering.
- In Galatians 2:9, he talks of the “right hand of fellowship”, indicating the apostles’ endorsement of his preaching to the Gentiles.
- In Philippians 1:5, he notes that their support of his work in preaching to the lost was “fellowship in the gospel”.
- John speaks of the spiritual relationship we enjoy as children of God, and with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ in 1 John 1:6-7.
Today when religious people use the term they are more likely to be talking about recreation, eating and fun. Putting an (inappropriately) weighty term upon a trivial activity does not make it more credible or important.
Paul wrote, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
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