Topical Bible: The Call of God: To Man Is: To Fellowship With Christ

Bible > Topical > The Call of God

◄ The Call of God: To Man Is: To Fellowship With Christ ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The call of God to man is a profound and transformative invitation to enter into fellowship with Jesus Christ. This divine call is central to the Christian faith, emphasizing a personal and communal relationship with the Savior. The Scriptures reveal this call as an essential aspect of God's redemptive plan, inviting believers to partake in the life, love, and mission of Christ.

Biblical Foundation

The call to fellowship with Christ is rooted in the New Testament, where the apostles articulate the nature and purpose of this divine invitation. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, the Apostle Paul writes, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" . This verse underscores the faithfulness of God in initiating and sustaining the believer's relationship with Christ.

Union with Christ

Fellowship with Christ involves a mystical union, where believers are spiritually joined to Him. This union is described in John 15:4-5, where Jesus declares, "Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches" . This imagery illustrates the vital connection between Christ and His followers, emphasizing dependence and fruitfulness.

Participation in His Sufferings and Glory

The call to fellowship with Christ also includes sharing in His sufferings and glory. In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses his desire "to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death" . This participation is not merely an identification with Christ's experiences but a transformative process that shapes the believer's character and hope.

Communion with the Triune God

Fellowship with Christ extends to communion with the Triune God. In 1 John 1:3, the apostle John writes, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ" . This verse highlights the communal aspect of the Christian life, where believers are drawn into the divine fellowship shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Living Out the Call

The call to fellowship with Christ is not a passive experience but an active pursuit of holiness, love, and service. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges believers to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received" . This exhortation reflects the transformative impact of fellowship with Christ, leading to a life that mirrors His character and mission.

Conclusion

The call of God to fellowship with Christ is a central theme in the Christian faith, inviting believers into a deep and abiding relationship with the Savior. Through union with Christ, participation in His sufferings and glory, and communion with the Triune God, believers are transformed and empowered to live out their calling in the world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Christ and Man in the Atonement
... Is it true that there is one Mediator between God and man, Himself man, this man,
Christ Jesus ... Himself, and that it has been the mind of all who call Him Lord ...
/.../denney/the atonement and the modern mind/chapter iii christ and man.htm

"If we Say that we have Fellowship with Him, and Walk in Darkness ...
... Papists call it the mother of devotion. ... it follows, by unavoidable consequence, as
clear as the light, that no man can have fellowship with God that walks ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xii if we say.htm

The Beloved Pastor's Plea for Unity
... equally received a call from God, and a call for the ... To all that be in Rome, beloved
of God." Do not ... Where there is aliquid Christi, as a good man used to say ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 39 1893/the beloved pastors plea for.htm

The Fellowship of his Son.
... saint has ever sounded the depths of this wonderful call of God ... Son of God, He who
is the true God and the ... came to this earth and appeared in the form of Man. ...
/.../gaebelein/the lord of glory/the fellowship of his son.htm

Predestination and Calling
... Is that your call? ... The slave is not called. It is the free man that has been brought
out of Egypt, who proves that he has been called of God and is ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/predestination and calling.htm

Entire Sanctification in Patriarchal Times.
... He obeyed the call, and this typifies conversion. ... But Jacob was a man who had faith
in God's promises, even if he did not always obey His commands. ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iii entire sanctification in.htm

My Brethren.
... we are all of One and this One is God, the Father ... Therefore He is not ashamed to
call them brethren ... It is true we possess this relationship with the Man in Glory ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the lord of glory/my brethren.htm

[Shewing] that Common and Saving Grace Differ, not Only in Degree ...
... The dead shall hear the voice," and immediately after the call they are ... degree of
the same kind of qualities and principles, as when God made man of the ...
/.../edwards/treatise on grace/shewing that common and saving.htm

"God with Us"
... It is the "Son of man" whose name shall be called ... 9:6. The I Am is the Daysman between
God and humanity ... separate from sinners," is not ashamed to call us brethren ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 1 god with us.htm

His Name --The Mighty God
... TO BE THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, YET DO NOT, AND WILL, NOT, CALL HIM GOD. ... regard to
the divinity of Christ, is absolutely fatal, and that a man cannot be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/his namethe mighty god.htm