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“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

It is certain that if we live in the church, the covenant community, we will most definitely need to have a way to purify ourselves from sin. That is because we cannot live a life of love with others without committing an offence against another. That offence may be on of deliberate commission or one of omission. It may be one of mere insensitivity or deliberate exclusion. In any case, we must know that when such faults are admitted, confessed and efforts made at remedy that there is a cure beyond being understood or even forgiven by those we have offended. God sees our hearts. He forgives. Jesus purifies us so that we can go on living a new life and approaching the same situation with new sensitivity.

John tells us that the only possibility for fellowship is walking in the light. If one walks in the light and another does not there is no possibility for fellowship. There may be a possibility for cordiality but there is no real fellowship. Walking in the light of Truth must be mutual if we are to find the full meaning of the family of God. The more specific and intimate our lives are together the richer the fellowship.

There are many levels of fellowship in the church. There is a fellowship that is based upon feelings of affection. There is a fellowship that comes from going through hard times together. There is a fellowship that rises up on us when we have pleasant moments with a group. Finally, there is a fellowship of unconditional love.

The love of Christ in the church is unconditional and mutual. We form bonds that enable us to help one another grow in Christ. In such a covenant relationship we are able to speak the truth as we see it and be heard. We have a sense we have permission to speak into the life of another and be understood. Others have the freedom to speak truth to us. When we have such a bond of fellowship we really understand what it means to rejoice with and to suffer on behalf of others.

Unity is not found in rallies. It is found in knowing we share the same things with others and them with us. Unity cannot be promoted. It cannot be achieved. Unity grows out of bonds formed when we find those with whom we can walk in the light. Christians are, therefore, never satisfied until they find such unity because to find it, in any measure, is to find Christ just as to bond with Christ is to find such unity.