If I know my readers, the title of this post will be answered by a resounding, "Of course I can share him with others. I do it regularly/sometimes/occasionally." (You determine the frequency.) We are convinced this is the biblical mandate, but is it correct to speak in this way? Can Christ actually be shared?
Think about the word "share." What comes to mind? Envision a finite amount of something—goods, money, food, water—that can be distributed amongst a set number of individuals. Each gets a portion of the whole, whether of equal size to balance allotment, or in varying sizes on the basis of need or generosity. The more people there are, the smaller will be the portion. Is this what happens when I share Jesus with someone? Do I lose a little bit by sharing him with others?
The difficulty with using this language is that it does not convey what we are to do concerning Christ. When we say we want to "share" him or the gospel, we are using inaccurate, though popular, language. We are not called to share. We are called to proclaim, witness, and teach of him to a lost and dying world. You do not offer someone just a portion of Christ for their own nor negotiate how much there will be. You are to be offering all of who he is and what he has done on the cross for the sin of the world. In fact, to offer any less is to offer nothing at all. We want the person to whom we are speaking to take in the full benefit of the Lord and his redemption.
Some might think my cause is picayune, but it deals with our relationship with God and one another as believers. The Greek word κοινωνία (koinonia) is usually translated "fellowship" or "communion." It is a unity based on having the fullness of something in common—in this case the Lord Jesus himself. What we have in him as a his body on earth is as complete and full for one believer as it is for the next. There is no lack among his children. Because there is the unity of the body, we are able to rightly share with one another, so that the entire body grows and is functioning properly. The apostle John states it so well:
Think about the word "share." What comes to mind? Envision a finite amount of something—goods, money, food, water—that can be distributed amongst a set number of individuals. Each gets a portion of the whole, whether of equal size to balance allotment, or in varying sizes on the basis of need or generosity. The more people there are, the smaller will be the portion. Is this what happens when I share Jesus with someone? Do I lose a little bit by sharing him with others?
The difficulty with using this language is that it does not convey what we are to do concerning Christ. When we say we want to "share" him or the gospel, we are using inaccurate, though popular, language. We are not called to share. We are called to proclaim, witness, and teach of him to a lost and dying world. You do not offer someone just a portion of Christ for their own nor negotiate how much there will be. You are to be offering all of who he is and what he has done on the cross for the sin of the world. In fact, to offer any less is to offer nothing at all. We want the person to whom we are speaking to take in the full benefit of the Lord and his redemption.
Some might think my cause is picayune, but it deals with our relationship with God and one another as believers. The Greek word κοινωνία (koinonia) is usually translated "fellowship" or "communion." It is a unity based on having the fullness of something in common—in this case the Lord Jesus himself. What we have in him as a his body on earth is as complete and full for one believer as it is for the next. There is no lack among his children. Because there is the unity of the body, we are able to rightly share with one another, so that the entire body grows and is functioning properly. The apostle John states it so well:
That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)The next time you are tempted to share Christ with an unbeliever, don't. Instead, tell that person of his sin and Jesus' all-sufficient sacrifice on the cross for his behalf. Upon believing, then that person can share with you in the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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