"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.” (1st John 1:7)

John makes a statement that is a surprising twist. It is a twist, or rather a connection, that he will make throughout this letter.

If we are walking the same path as Jesus, then it would be no surprise if John said that we have fellowship with Jesus. However, that is not what John concludes. He concludes that righteous living leads to fellowship with other saints of God. The contrary would then be true as well. If we are walking in sin, we have no true fellowship with other believers.

The point John is making here is critical. He is not saying our righteous walk does not lead to fellowship with Jesus. No, not at all. Our righteous walk does lead to fellowship with Jesus but that fellowship is only experienced through fellowship with other saints of God in the church.

Moreover, John is also telling us that the experience or feeling of forgiveness is also experienced through church fellowship!

John will visit this delightful "twist" multiple times throughout his letter as he teaches us the crucial importance of active church fellowship in our spiritual health.