Fellowship #23
κοινωνία(koinonia)GreeknounStrong's G2842
Fellowship (koinonia) — the Greek word for partnership, sharing, or common participation, describing the New Testament church's shared life together and shared union with Christ.
Koinonia comes from the Greek word koinos, “common” or “shared,” and in ordinary usage described any partnership or joint venture — a business partnership, a shared investment, or common ownership of property. The New Testament borrows this commercial and social term for the church’s shared spiritual life and mutual belonging.
Biblical Usage
Acts 2:42 lists koinonia alongside the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, and prayer as a core, regular practice of the earliest church — not an abstract feeling but a concrete, shared activity. John uses the word for the deepest kind of union the gospel makes possible: “our fellowship [koinonia] is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3), rooting human fellowship with other believers in a shared fellowship with God himself.
Theological Significance
Paul thanks the Philippians for their “partnership [koinonia] in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:5), using the word for their financial and practical support of his ministry — a reminder that koinonia in the New Testament is rarely just an emotional bond, but showed itself concretely in shared resources, shared meals, and shared mission.
Key References
- Acts 2:42
- 1 John 1:3
- Philippians 1:5