27.1 Communion of the Saints: Co-Heirs

Table of Contents

The Text

The Chapter

All saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by his Spirit, and faith, although they are not made thereby one person with him, have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory; and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each others gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

The Confession

All saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by his Spirit, and faith, although they are not made thereby one person with him, have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory

1 John 1:3 (CSB) what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

John 1:16 (CSB) Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness,

Philippians 3:10 (CSB) My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

Romans 6:5–6 (CSB) For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,

and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each others gifts and graces

Ephesians 4:15–16 (CSB) But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (CSB) A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:

1 Corinthians 3:21–23 (CSB) So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours—whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come—everything is yours, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man

1 Thessalonians 5:11–14 (CSB) Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Romans 1:12 (CSB) that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

1 John 3:17–18 (CSB) If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

Galatians 6:10 (CSB) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

We are united to the Christ! We are in union with the Christ.

Here's the thing: since we are in union with Christ, who has shed his blood for our souls and ransom us to him, we then are also join together, you and I and all believers since Adam till Christ comes back.

Matthew 22:37–38 (CSB) He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.

Christ said, "This is the greatest and most command." But do not miss what he says next:

Matthew 22:39–40 (CSB) The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

We tend to see "Love your neighbor as yourself" and then often pontificate what it means "as yourself". That is almost not the point. Christ said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" is like "Love the Lord your God". Loving others is like loving the Lord your God.

Those who know their Bible knows that this sounds awfully familiar. Feast on this:

1 John 4:7–21 (CSB) Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

The emphasis on loving one another is paramount and crucial. And then if we think it is going to be easy because we get to just love church folks (which can be its only challenge--God's grace for us all), Christ established just who is our neighbor--every living soul that walks this earth. (Luke 10:25-37)

Why is that? Why the emphasis on loving each other and it is like loving God? Because God is love:

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

The command: to love God and love our neighbor because it is like loving God. We do this because we see our Father in heaven do this. We know he loves us because he sent his only begotten Son to live and die for us so that we could die and live to him forever and ever.

John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.