“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 cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 (ESV).
Fellowship in the body of Christ
If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. Then our life is very good, Satan is crushed under our feet, and we truly love one another.
But we must be very awake to keep this light, love and fellowship in the Spirit. Even a little jealousy, a little suspicion about a brother or sister, a little unkindness or gossip can give Satan a chance to come in. So each of us must work hard to keep Satan under our feet. If we do this, the God of peace will crush Satan under the feet of the church, which is the body of Christ (Romans 16:20).
When each of us makes every effort to keep Christ’s commandments without spot (1 Timothy 6:14), it becomes a strong defense in the church’s battle against the powers of evil.
When we obey Jesus’ commandments and keep our sinful nature crucified, this will, in the power of the Holy Spirit and through faithfulness and love for the Father and Son, bind us together in an unshakable unity within the body of Christ. This is the church, where the members help each other through every bond that God gives. In this way the whole body grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does the work that is given to him to do (Ephesians 4:16).
One member alone is not a whole body, but all the members together form the body. God put the body together as He wanted so that we can learn to bear with one another and receive the help from one another that Christ, by His grace and gifts, has given each person for spiritual growth.
Laws of the body of Christ
But when Satan comes in, he brings division. The spiritual help from each member is torn apart and the body cannot function. This can be avoided if each member of the body would rather suffer instead of giving in to sin. In just five minutes you can say so much evil that even five years cannot heal the broken fellowship and restore trust.
Christian assemblies that don’t know this glorious fellowship in the Spirit also don’t know the holy laws that work within the body, because a body is not formed yet. They come together for church services and then go away again as people who only know each other in a natural, human way according to the flesh. Such relationships are extremely shallow.
Paul said, “Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” 2 Corinthians 5:16 (ESV). To know the Lord is to be one spirit with Him. It is the love in the Spirit that is the binding force within the body of Christ on earth.
May we therefore learn to walk carefully in the church of the living God, which is the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:15).