An Examination of Fellowship (Koinonia)

What does the word "fellowship" mean?

The word translated “fellowship” comes from the Greek word “koinonia”. In the New American Standard, we also find “koinonia” translated as “share”, “participation” and “contribution” on different occasions throughout the New Testament.

Some times translations do not adequately get the point across of the word they are translating. Fellowship is not one of those cases; fellowship is a great translation of the Greek word “koinonia”. It is just the combination of two words put together that in their essence really do grasp the original meaning of the word. Unfortunately, the word "fellowship" has become so common that it no longer strikes us at being the combination of two separate words. With fellowship, we have the word “fellow,” and we have the word “ship”. "Fellow" is not used commonly in today's culture unless you are from the Deep South; however, it is used in university settings. A fellow in a university is someone who is considered an equal in a group of peers. When you become a fellow at a university, you become part of a group of equals. A fellow is someone that is an equal. There is no superior in a fellowship.

When you combine fellows and put them on a ship together, you have a group of equals on a ship heading in the same direction together. People on a ship have to work together to get where they are going. This is not your typical ship though. It is not a ship with a hierarchical structure; it is a ship of equals. The key to being a fellowship is that we are going somewhere together and our success on that journey depends on us working together. If the ship sinks, all of the fellows on the ship sink. A fellowship is a group of equals in a situation together.

Koinonia, the word translated fellowship, was used in Greek times as a union between people. It was most often used to describe the relationship of people who were in business with one another, but it was also used to describe the bond between two people in marriage. This means that fellowship with one another is not something to be taken lightly. It is not something that can be lived out with just a simple handshake. It is not something that we can have with one another just because we share doctrinal concepts. It is not attained through just gathering together at a specific buildin. It is something that has to go much deeper than that. Koinonia, as shown in its traditional use describing business partners and marriage partners, shows a bond between people which is focused on the idea that the success of one is linked with the success of the other.

Imagine if you would that Sam, Shannon, and I opened up a business. Let's say in our case it is a restaurant. Shannon would be the cook because of his propensity to not grow facial hair like Sam and me. I would run the floor, and Sam would do the bookwork and ordering. Say we shared ownership in the business, making us financial partners. The financial success of Sam would be dependent upon my success in serving the customers and training others to do a great job serving the customers. My success would be dependent upon Shannon making meals and training others to make those same great meals. We would be in the business together and our success or failure would depend upon each one of us doing our jobs well. That, in a nutshell, is what koinonia or fellowship is – it is a link between people in which they share mutual dreams, actions, and respect. The success of each person is intimately linked with one another.

Koinonia is a family relationship of sorts. Not an unhealthy family like many that we see around us, but a healthy family. The Bible describes our relationship with other believers as a family in various places. In 1 Peter 2:17, Peter describes us as the “family of believers”. In Galatians 6:10, Paul describes us as the “family of faith”.

The Steiners are an amazing family in our church. You might know a family like them. What is experienced in their family is a great example of what it is to be a family. People look at the Steiners and want to be a Steiner. They see the fun the family has together at family gatherings and want to join in. That is fellowship. The main difference between the fellowship which the Steiner family shares to the fellowship we are supposed to have is that the Steiner fellowship is based upon a shared bloodline and is exclusive to people who are either born into or married into the family. (And I am not saying there is something wrong with a healthy biological family like that – Their fellowship is one that I wish to emulate with my family.) But our fellowship among us as brothers and sisters in Christ should be just as great or even greater than any biological fellowship. But is it? Are we the type of people who share our lives together in a way that others long to be part of our community? Do we know each other intimately like a family? The main difference between the fellowship Christians should experience and the fellowship of the Steiner family is that our fellowship is not exclusive to bloodlines; it is inclusive to anyone who is seeking God or has decided to be washed in the blood of Jesus.

Our fellowship should be much greater than the fellowship experienced by a biological family. It should be a fellowship that other churches would long to emulate and people would want to join in on, but that is not our goal. Our goal is to just be faithful and be the group of people God intends for us to be. Being Christians is not just adhering to a set of doctrinal statements, but it is living our lives together in such a way that we exhibit the lives that Christ intended for us to live. This life lived would give credence to the authority of Scripture and the doctrines we share. Let us strive to be the people Christ intended for us to be.