THE RIGHT HANDS
OF FELLOWSHIP
By
Shelby G. Floyd
September, 2008
PART FOUR
FELLOWSHIP WITH SPIRITUAL THINGS
LESSON SEVEN
FELLOWSHIP WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST
Near the
end of the great letter, which Paul wrote to the Christians at
Too often the subject of fellowship is treated in too general a way. It is the purpose of this essay and some which are to follow, to define Christian fellowship in more specific terms. In Romans 15: 27, we have a phrase that specifically defines Christian fellowship. Paul speaks of the Gentiles having been made “partakers of their spiritual things.” The word partaker is from koinoneo, and is a first aorist indicative verb meaning, “to come into communion or fellowship, to become a sharer, to be made a partner.” (Thayer, p. 351.) Partaker is used in Rom. 15: 27, with the dative of the thing in which they shared and were made partners; therefore, the object of the verb partakers is the clause, “spiritual things.” Since the term “partakers” is a verb this implies certain acts were done in order to have and maintain fellowship with spiritual things.
Salvation
is said to be of the Jews. (Cf. John 4: 22.) It was through the instrumentality
and agency of the Jews that the gospel came to the Gentiles. The Jews carrying
out the great commission to take the gospel to
Since they
had received these wonderful spiritual blessings by the Jews, the Gentiles were
debtors to the Jews. In other words, they had received far more than they could
ever repay, for no man can know the value of the blessings of Christ. Since
they were debtors to the Jews, it was their duty to minister to the Jews in
carnal things; therefore, Paul had taken up a collection from the Gentile
Christians of Macedonia and Achaia, and was at the very time he wrote the
letter to
It would be
a wonderful thing today if all who have been made partakers of spiritual things
could feel the great debt that is laid upon them. If so, we would be ready to
help those who have been instrumental in giving us these great blessings, and
we would feel indebted to take the gospel to the whole world. Paul himself
said, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the
wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel
to you that are at
Fellowship With
The Body Of Christ
In the days
of the apostles, there was not one church for Jewish Christians and another
church for Gentile Christians, for both were united in the one body of Christ,
the church. Jesus never promised to build but one church. To the apostle Peter
he said, “. . . upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 18.) The church at
In New Testament times, both Jew and Gentile met upon the first day of every week to observe the Lord’s Supper consisting of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, which was a memorial of the shed blood and broken body of Christ. (Acts 20: 7.) Paul argues that since all Christians were united in the communion of the body of Christ, since they were all partakers of the one bread, this also reminded them of their unity one with another, in the body of Christ, the church. He says, “For we being many are one bread, and one body.” In 1 Corinthians 10: 16, the word communion is from koinonia, and means fellowship, association, communion, community, joint participation. (Thayer, p. 352.)
When
everyone partakes of the Lord’s Supper together, it is a reminder that we are
essentially one, bound up together in the spiritual body of Christ, the church.
(Cf. Romans 12: 4-5.) To the Ephesians, Paul spoke of the unity of the church
and the fellowship of both Jew and Gentile in that spiritual institution. He
said, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3: 9.) Paul emphatically
states in what the mystery of the fellowship consists: “That the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel.” (Ephesians 3: 6.)
There can be no fellowship one with another or with God outside of the church. In the church both Jews and Gentiles are joint heirs, a joint body and joint sharers in the promise of Christ. *
*Shelby G. Floyd originally published The Right Hands of Fellowship
in The Informer, bulletin of the Garfield Heights Church of Christ in
QUESTIONS ON THE LESSON
1. Does the verb “partakers” in Rom. 15: 27 indicate that certain acts were required to have and maintain fellowship with “spiritual things?” Discuss.
2. In what sense is salvation said to be of the Jews? How were the Gentiles made partakers of the spiritual things of the Jews?
3. Since the Gentiles were debtors to the Jews for their spiritual things, in what were they obligated to minister to the Jews?
4. In what work was Paul involved when he wrote the letter to the Romans?
5. If we are truly grateful for being partakers of spiritual things in what will we involve ourselves?
6. Can one know the specific spiritual things in which both Jew and Gentiles had fellowship?
7. Were the Jews and Gentiles members of the same church or were there a church for each? Discuss.
8. How does the communion of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine argue for one church?
9. Since the church is the body of Christ, how many bodies are there?
10. What is the fellowship of the mystery concerning both Jews and Gentiles?
SCRIPTURE TEXTS
Rom
27They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.
NIV
Gal 3:26-28
26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
NKJV
1 Cor
13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
NKJV
Rom 1:14-17
14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15So, as much as
is in
me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for
everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
NKJV
1 Cor
16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?
And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one
loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
NIV
Acts 20:7
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and,
because
he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until
NIV
Rom 12:4-5
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the
same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all
the others.
NIV
Rom 12:4-5
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the
same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all
the others.
NIV
MEMORY VERSE
Eph 3:6-7
6that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in
Christ through the gospel,
NKJV