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#2.
The joy of this fellowship.
pp. 56, 57
It will be remembered, that in our last article we compared I John 1: 1-3 with
II John 7-11, and saw that fellowship among saints was limited to those who held the
doctrine of Christ. In quoting the passage from the second epistle we omitted verse 9.
This we must now consider as it has a distinct bearing upon the next constituent of
fellowship brought forward in the first epistle:--
"Whosoever goeth forward and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (II John 9).
With this we may compare the second feature: "And our fellowship indeed is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (I John 1: 3).
He who denieth the Son denieth the Father also (I John 2: 23).
He who denieth the doctrine of Christ hath not God (II John 9).
He that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father (John 14: 9).
"He that hateth Me (said Christ) hateth My Father also" (John 15: 23).
"These things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor Me"
(John 16: 3).
"He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father" (John 5: 23).
"He that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me" (Luke 10: 16).
Examples could be multiplied to show this one great fact: that it is vain for any man
to boast of a knowledge of God, or of the Father, who does not believe the Scriptures
concerning the Son. To enter into the blessed fellowship of I John 1: 1-3, it is essential
to pass through the one Door, and Christ has declared: "I am the Door." To find that
fellowship which is with both the Father and the Son, it is necessary to travel one Way,
and Christ has declared:--
"I am the true and living way, no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14: 6).
This, then, is the second feature of fellowship. To this the apostle adds the words:--
"And these things write unto you, that your joy may be full" (I John 1: 4).
This statement, moreover, finds its echo in II John 12, where, after warning the child
of God concerning that fellowship with evil which is connected with denial of the
doctrine of Christ, the apostle says:--
"Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink; but I
trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that your joy may be full."
The reader may remember that instead of following the A.V. in II John 10, 11 by
quoting the words, "God-speed", we used the word "Hail". In the original the word is
chairo, and means "rejoice", "greet", etc. In II John 4 it is translated "rejoice", where