If asked, many would say that Lincoln is on the penny … but it is only his likeness. Jesus states that He and His Father are one (John 10:30), but how does that oneness come about? And how can we get in on that perfect fellowship with God?
I. 1 John 1:5-7. God’s character is that there is no darkness at all. Light throws off no shadow. God is good, for our good (Romans 8:28-29), so that we will do good (Ephesians 2:10). We can live a lie and tell others that we are in fellowship with God, but we will only fool ourselves and some others. We will never deceive God, who knows our true nature and motives.
II. Colossians 1:15-20. The Son, who claims oneness with the Father, is an exact representation of the Father’s character and radiance. He has that because He in the flesh abides in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:8-11). We are told to abide in Christ by living His commandments (John 15:4-11), a process which comes as a result of much discipline (Hebrews 12:7-14) but allows us to be perfected in holiness to share in fellowship with Him.
III. 1 John 1:8 — 2:6. Fallen from the image of God in which we were created, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross renews that image in Him (Colossians 3:5-10) through the discipline process (Ephesians 4:20 — 5:2). To share in oneness with God is to take on His perfect nature; then we can have fellowship with Him and other Christians who are also walking in the light as Jesus does.
To truly be Jesus’ disciple, our walk needs to match our talk.