Life in Christ

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship. It refers to community, one's place in a group, and the representation of fellowship such as a joint gift. It appears seventeen times in the New Testament.

The concept of koinonia is an important one because it is supposed to characterize the church. John says that the purpose of the Gospel is to lead people to have koinonia with others and with God (, ).

Koinonia refers to more than the warm feeling of relationship. In , which lists churches that have made a contribution to the poor in Jerusalem, "contribution" is the word koinonia. says that communion is koinonia. says we are to have an active koinonia with the Gospel. tells us to have fellowship even with Christ's sufferings.