Communion with God
An interactive guide to the soul's highest privilege and deepest longing. Explore the pathways to a richer, more transformative fellowship with God.
The Unshakeable Foundation
Before you can experience communion *with* God, you must understand your position *in* Christ. This core truth is the foundation for a stable, grace-filled spiritual life, freeing you from the pressure of performance and inviting you into a relationship that is already secure.
Union with Christ
YOUR OBJECTIVE, UNCHANGING REALITY
- ✓A gift of God's grace, received by faith.
- ✓Based entirely on Christ's finished work.
- ✓Permanent, secure, and unshakeable. It cannot grow or diminish.
- ✓This is your identity and position.
Communion with God
YOUR SUBJECTIVE, EXPERIENTIAL ENJOYMENT
- ⇄A mutual, conversational exchange with God.
- ⇄Nurtured by spiritual disciplines like prayer and Scripture.
- ⇄Can ebb and flow based on various factors.
- ⇄This is your experience and fellowship.
The Liberating Truth: You are not practicing spiritual disciplines to earn your union with Christ—that is already secured. You practice them to deepen your communion with the God to whom you already belong.
The Inner World of Communion
Fellowship with God is a rich, dynamic reality that engages your whole person. This section provides interactive ways to explore communion with each person of the Trinity and to meditate on God's character, drawing you into a deeper, more personal engagement.
The Trinitarian Shape of Fellowship
In Sovereign Love
Communion with the Father is primarily in receiving His "free, undeserved, eternal love." It is not something earned by the Son, but is the very reason the Son was sent. This truth counters the fear that the Father is only a figure of judgment.
▶ How to Engage: By faith, simply *receive* the Father's love as revealed in Scripture. Your response is to *return* that love in grateful praise and willing obedience.
▶ When to Focus: When you feel anxious, forgotten, or distant from God, meditate on the Father's unshakeable, fatherly love for you in Christ.
Meditating on God's Attributes
A powerful way to engage in active communion is to contemplate God's character. As you fix your mind on His perfections, they make a "sensible impression" on your soul, producing a sanctifying response. Click an attribute below to see how.
The Path of Practice
While communion is a gift, it is also cultivated through intentional practices. These God-ordained disciplines are the pathways by which we place ourselves in the stream of His grace to experience and enjoy Him more deeply. Click on a discipline to learn more.
Scripture
Prayer
Worship
Repentance
Solitude
Journaling
Fasting
Corporate Life: Together in Fellowship
Communion with God is not meant to be a purely individualistic pursuit. The Christian life is designed to be lived in community, where our personal fellowship is nurtured, protected, and expressed most fully within the body of Christ.
⛪ The Body of Christ
The local church is God's primary design for spiritual growth. It is not an optional extra, but the essential environment where believers hear the Word preached, pray together, encourage one another, and hold each other accountable—all vital for sustaining a life of communion with God.
"Christian fellowship is the mutual bond that Christians have with Christ that puts us in a deep, eternal relationship with one another."
🍷 The Lord's Supper
This sacred meal is a unique means of grace for experiencing communion with Christ. In partaking of the bread and wine by faith, Christ is spiritually present in a special way, and a true spiritual communion takes place between the Lord and His people.
- Remembrance: Proclaiming His death until He comes.
- Unity: Reminding us we are one body in Him.
- Presence: Feasting on Christ as our spiritual food.
- Hope: A foretaste of the future heavenly banquet.
The Fruit of Fellowship
The pursuit of communion is not an end in itself. A life of rich fellowship with God produces tangible, transformative fruit, equipping us for the challenges of this life and preparing us for the glory of the next.
Strength for Spiritual Warfare
| Biblical Figure | State of Communion | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Samson | High (Initially) | Invincible, conquering his enemies. |
| Samson | Broken | Fell easily before the plots of his enemies. |
| David | High | Stood triumphant over all his foes. |
| David | Faltered | Fell to temptation and fled his enemies. |
| Job | Maintained | Conquered Satan even from a dunghill. |
| Adam | Lost | Was conquered by Satan in Paradise. |
Insight from Thomas Brooks: "Your strength to stand and withstand Satan's fiery darts is from your communion with God."
The Pursuit of Godliness
The ultimate goal of communion is Christlikeness. As we spend time in fellowship with God—beholding His glory, speaking with Him, meditating on His character—the Holy Spirit works to conform our character to the image of the Son. Our thoughts, desires, and choices are gradually reoriented to align with His.
A Foretaste of Glory
The joy, peace, and delight found in moments of intimate fellowship with God are a genuine foretaste of the eternal joy we will experience in His unveiled presence. This ongoing communion is the process by which God makes us "fit for that beatific vision that shall be our everlasting happiness."