Fellowship - 1 John 1:7

v.7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

So, we’ve been told that Christians do not walk in darkness. Now, John is telling us that Christians not only fellowship with Jesus, but also with each other. Listen to me carefully, if you’re having a difficult time being with fellow believers, there is something wrong in your walk with the Lord, period. 

I believe that we all need to sit down and take an inventory of our lives and where we are with the Lord from time to time. Why? – Because to walk in the light (Jesus is the Light) means that we not only have fellowship with God, but also fellowship with each other. Those two things go hand and hand. It’s not one or the other.

The Blood of Jesus

However, there is another aspect to this verse: the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

All Sin: Once that is done through the blood of Jesus; our sins (past, present and future) are forgiven.

First, in the past we are saved from the penalty of sin. Christ took all of our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. As a result, we stand without condemnation today. Paul said in Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. He also told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Second, in the present we are being saved from the power of sin. The Bible also uses the word salvation to describe a process that begins the moment we receive Christ. The process will continue until we are ultimately with Christ. We call this process sanctification. It is the daily process of yielding our lives to Christ so that sin will not reign in our lives. Again, Paul wrote in Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

Third, in the future we will be saved from the presence of sin. Someday the Christian will experience final or complete salvation. This final step is necessary because even though our spirit and soul was saved at the moment of salvation, our flesh (body) was not. At salvation we gained a new nature, but we did not lose our old nature. However, one day our flesh will be saved and we will lose our old nature forever (Romans 8:22-23; 13:11-14). Finally, the writer of Hebrews 9:28 wrote So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.