The Greatest Blessing
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Gen. 3:8
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” 2 Cor. 13:14
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ…If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 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.” 1 John 1:3-7
The Greek word κοινωνία, or koinōnía, is translated into both “fellowship” and “communion” as you can see in the verses above. Dictionary.com includes in its definition of communion, “interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication…the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.” Dictionary.com includes in defining fellowship this: “friendly relationship; companionship.” Can you fathom that the Creator of the entire universe, God almighty, wants to have intimate communion and fellowship with you?
Adam and Eve’s greatest loss when they sinned against God was NOT their perfect life in the perfect Garden of Eden. Their greatest loss was communion and fellowship with God with whom they could have had this forever but now were under the curse of death which ever since then has meant all humans are born into sin in a world of troubles separated from God because of our sins and His holiness with the final result of death and hell forever apart from Him. What did they do when they sinned? Hid from His presence! Then what? They were placed under the curse, kicked out of the Garden, losing communion and fellowship with God!
The greatest blessing of repenting, believing in Christ as Lord, turning to God and His ways is NOT a perfect life in perfect heaven, though who wouldn’t want that? The greatest gift is being forgiven our sins and having communion and fellowship with God NOW and FOREVER in heaven. Following Christ is NOT just about the future, nor merely about living in a perfect place called heaven. It’s about enjoying intimacy with God through Christ this very day, this very hour, right in this very moment. Even when we’re entrenched in our greatest trials and battles on this earth, God offers us intimacy with Him through a life dedicated to Christ.
Don’t hide from the presence of the Lord in sin. Repent, come to Christ as LORD, and enjoy the light of God’s love and fellowship forever!