[Therefore] … if [you have] any common sharing in the Spirit,
Summary: In this portion of Paul’s passage about our relationship with Christ, Paul points us to our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit.
As we continue exploring Paul’s pre-flight checklist of spiritual connection to Christ, we come to this passage: “[Therefore] … if [you have] any common sharing in the Spirit…” (NIV).
The phrase “sharing in the Spirit” jumps out at me because I have no idea what that means. To better understand Paul’s intent, let’s look at some of our old standby resources.
The first stop is Bible Gateway. This is a Bible resource page that provides multiple translations. If we look up a single verse, we can select “all English translations” and get a listing of the verse as it appears in about sixty different translations.
Looking over the listing of translations, we find that over half of all English translations use the phrase “fellowship of the Spirit.” Six translations use the phrase “participation in the Spirit,” and a few use “sharing in the Spirit.”
So what does Paul mean?
Let’s turn to Blue Letter Bible for a deep dive into the Greek.
Paul uses the word “koinōnia” to describe what he is pointing us to. Strong’s Concordance and Lexicon defines this word as:
“partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction:—(to) communicate(-ation), communion, (contri-)distribution, fellowship.”*
Now we are getting somewhere!
To partner with God’s Spirit is to listen, hear, and obey (Galatians 5:25). Being a partner also means we share our concerns, our hopes, our needs, and our desires (1 Peter 5:7). Partners work together, play together, and share everything (John 15:4-5).
Koinōnia is a broad term that reflects God’s omniscience. Fellowship suggests both fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers.
This is not something we measure, like whether or not we did a good deed. This is an experience similar to swimming underwater. We become immersed in God’s Spirit, surrounded and filled with the life and breath of God.
Application: Learn to discern God’s Spirit in our lives and the lives of others.
Food for Thought: How does God’s Spirit reveal itself to us?
*”G2842 – koinōnia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (niv).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 8 Jul, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2842/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
Good meditation and good question!
Sorry for the long response!
We have often spoken about the spiritual and the physical, and the veil that is between them. I believe that we are all emerged in the Spirit, just some are unaware, and others aware in measure. So when I read your question “How does God’s Spirit reveal itself to us?” it makes me think of being aware of His expression. So there are two parts to that: His expression, and my awareness.
As a believer, I can read the Bible, pray, speak with other believers, help my neighbor, and not be aware of the Spirit’s expression. I can also read the Bible, pray, speak with other believers, help my neighbor, and be aware of the Spirit’s expression. The difference is the condition of my heart. I think that the hardest thing to explain is that He is already knocking at the door, trying to get our attention, but He won’t enter until we open the door. When we open the door to His Spirit, in humility, forsaking sin, He answers. He is there ready to give guidance, and to answer questions, but we have to be open and obedient to Him. We cannot hold onto sin and hear His expression. If Jesus is our Lord, and we seek His Spirit, we will walk in humility, and we will seek to repent and turn from sin, and we will be actively listening to hear His voice, which enables us to be aware of His Spirit in everything we do. We must decrease so He can increase. He speaks to us through His Word, prayer, meditation on His Word, fellowship, and in helping our neighbor. We can know it is His voice because there is an unmistakable peace and goodness to it, devoid of fear, and most importantly, it changes the listener. Changes attitudes, beliefs, strengthens faith, changes the direction of life.
I believe in initial contact as well for a nonbeliever. That a nonbeliever finds that moment of clarity, humility, finds that moment of recognition of sin, and the Spirit plants that seed of belief. The belief is not so much “Is there a God” but rather “God loves me.” Belief grows to faith that God sent His Son to provide a way for our redemption. That His love is greater than our sin. I believe that is when the nonbeliever has that first awareness of the Spirit.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
As I read over what I wrote I realize that I am really expressing my personal experience. For many years I tried to “do” what I thought would “bring” the Holy Spirit to me. That I was unaware of His presence because of the walls in my heart I had built up. It took me a while to see all the walls, I really would not have seen them had the Holy Spirit not revealed them to me. But as He did, and as I joyfully asked Him to tear them down, I find I now constantly seek Him, and I am constantly on the watch for intrusive thoughts that are counter to His Spirit. Like I said before, in reading His Word, prayer, meditation on His Word, in fellowship, and helping others, I began to hear His voice, and each time it changed me.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Thank you, Chris!
Long responses are welcome here. 🙂
I appreciate how you describe learning to hear God’s Spirit. So important!
How does The Holy Spirit reveal Himself to us? There is the divinely inspired word of God that comes from the work of the Holy Spirit in the human authors.
2 Peter 1: 19 – 21: We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Along with the word of God, we have fellowship (as your devotion so wonderfully pointed out) with God Himself. The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit that we are children of God and reveals that truth to us and can prompt us as we seek Him and desire to do His will. We are “led by the Spirit.”
Romans 8: 14 – 17: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8: 26 – 27: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
So, a couple of ways that He reveals Himself to us through His word, and prayer (which can include songs of worship).
There are many other ways – using our spiritual gifts in service, through fellowship with others and godly counsel, etc.
I find it interesting though that He wants to have a relationship. That He desires to know us and be known by us. That He indwells us and moves close to us. I find that truth very encouraging.
Thank you, Rich!
Amen!
I also believe God hungers for relationship with us. I think that is part of the reason we can be filled with joy when we listen to his Spirit.