Facets of Salvation #4—Community

What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3

We are no longer alone! If we are being saved as we follow Jesus in the obedience of faith, we are in good company. Loneliness has plagued the human race since sin entered the world. The death that entered the world as a result of sin separated us from God and from one another. As long as we imitated that first attempt to usurp God’s role as God, we were on our own, at odds with everyone else in the world who was living the same way. But when Jesus began to deliver us from our self-centeredness, we ceased trying to persuade ourselves and others that we are self-sufficient. For he incorporated us into a band of brothers and sisters who have one thing in common, namely that we all delight in the glorious, all-sufficient, triune God, who works for those who hope in him. Since we are no longer alone, we have the possibility of increasing our joy by participating in the grace that brings us together. One way to accomplish this is to encourage one another by talking about what we see and what we hear with regard to Jesus. For he is gracious to all of us together, but to each of us in a different way. We all experience his grace in wonderfully useful kindness, unique to our needs and abilities to communicate. Sharing this makes the fellowship work.

Today, Lord, help me see and relate the glory of your goodness as you and the Father do in the fellowship of the trinity.