That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life (and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us); that which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write that our joy may be made full. And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and are not practicing the truth; but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin. (1 John 1:1-7)
In this short passage there is first the eternal life. From this eternal life there is the divine fellowship, and this divine fellowship brings in the light, which is God Himself. Thus, in this passage we have the life, the fellowship, and the light.
Romans 8:6 tells us, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” This verse speaks of death as well as life and peace. We must realize that either death or life and peace, as mentioned here, is something we can sense deep within us. Otherwise, how can we know that we have death or that we have life and peace? We know that we have death or life and peace by the sense within us. The word sense does not occur in this verse, but it is clear that when we set our mind on the flesh, we know death by sensing it, and when we set our mind on the spirit, we know life and peace also by sensing them. Therefore, there is the inner sense of life in this verse. It appears that this verse has nothing to do with 1 John, but in the reality of the spirit it is very much related to the first chapter of 1 John. In 1 John 1 there is the fellowship of life, and in Romans 8:6 there is the sense of life.
In the previous chapter we saw that the law of life and the anointing are among the riches of resurrection. We also have God Himself, the divine life, which is Christ in the Spirit, and the divine nature as our riches. These are the five main items of the riches of resurrection, and as those who are in the new creation, we have the position and full right to enjoy these items. On the ground of the new creation we can experience resurrection, which includes God as our portion, Christ as our life, the divine nature, the law of life, and the inner anointing. Consider how rich these things are. Day by day we are enjoying these five items of the riches of resurrection, whether we realize it or not. Even as a newborn child of God, we enjoy these riches and live by these riches every day.
From the riches of God Himself, the divine life, the divine nature, the law of life, and the inner anointing there are two other items: the fellowship of life and the sense of life. These are the products of the riches of resurrection. The eternal life brings us a divine fellowship. When we have Christ as life in the Spirit, we have fellowship in that life. The fellowship of life is like the current of blood in our body. The blood in our body is the life of our body. If our body contains no blood, there is no life, for the life is in the blood. There is also the current of blood in our body, and through the current of blood all the negative elements are eliminated from our body, and nourishment is transmitted to every part of our body. Day by day the current of blood carries away the waste products and conveys the supply of nourishment to every member of our body. The current of blood continually fulfills these two functions. Negatively, it washes the members of our body and carries away the refuse, and positively, it supplies health to our body.
What, then, is the fellowship of life? Just as the blood is the life of our body, so our spiritual blood is Christ in the Spirit as our life (Col. 3:4). With Christ, our spiritual blood, as our life there is the current of life. Christ as our life is flowing within us all the time, just as the current of blood is continually flowing in our body, and this flowing of life is the fellowship of life. It is by this flowing of life, this fellowship of life, that all the riches of Christ are carried to us. The continual flowing of the riches of Christ meets our need of nourishment on the positive side and of cleansing and discharge on the negative side. Only the medical profession can tell us how much nourishment and discharge is daily carried out by the current of blood. Thus, the fellowship of life is the flowing current of the eternal life, which is Christ.
We may illustrate this matter by considering a light bulb. The current of electricity flowing to the bulb is registered at the meter. If the current is stopped at the meter, no light will appear in the bulb. All the functions of electricity depend on the current of electricity. When the current of electricity is turned off, the function of the bulb to give light ceases.
Before we as unbelievers were saved, we did not have the flowing current of the eternal life. I remember my own experience very well. Before I was saved, I did not have the living feeling of life flowing within me. But from the time I was saved, the more I have loved the Lord, contacted Him, and lived for Him, the more I have sensed something within me flowing and flowing and flowing. This is the current of life, or the fellowship of life. The eternal life, which is the Son of God, is real and substantial. It can even be heard and seen, touched and handled, declared and preached (1 John 1:1-3). Since we have received this life, we have the fellowship, the current, of life. Through this fellowship of life it is very easy for us to be brought into the presence of God.