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Paul’s letter to Philemon is his only surviving private letter, and it is a very personal message to a “dear friend and coworker” (Phlm 1) who is a slave-owner. In the letter, Paul encourages Philemon to forgive a runaway slave named Onesimus and to welcome him back — not as a piece of property, but as a brother in Christ. He wants Philemon to embrace the Christian faith ever more deeply, so that he will see his slave in a whole new light: “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother” (Phlm 16). “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective,” writes Paul, “when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ” (Phlm 6). In the original Greek of the New Testament, Paul prays that “the koinonia of your faith may become effective ….” Koinonia means sharing, contribution, fellowship, spiritual communion.
Among the finalists in the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee was a 14-year-old from Texas named Karthik Nemmani. Although this was his first national spelling bee, he showed the poise of a veteran throughout the contest, spelling with little emotion and often keeping his arms clasped behind his back. He was confronted with the following words, any one of which could have caused him to stumble: Condottiere, miarolitic, cendre, ankyloglossia, and jagüey. Nemmani spelled them perfectly, each and every one. The final word was koinonia, meaning spiritual communion. Nemmani spelled it out: K-O-I-N-O-N-I-A. Confetti rained down and Nemmani smiled broadly. He had spelled koinonia correctly, and was declared champion of the bee.
Most of us would break out in a cold sweat if we had to spell koinonia on a national stage, and we might panic if we were asked to define it. But the term is worth exploring, since it is a Greek word that appears 19 times in the New Testament. Critically important for Christians in the ancient world and today, it is often translated as sharing, contribution, or fellowship. No insignificant term, koinonia is something that we need to understand and implement in ministry and mission.
For starters, koinonia means sharing. Such sharing is experienced today when American Christians take part in short-term mission trips to countries in the developing world, such as Guatemala and Honduras. There, Americans have a shared experience of the Christian faith with their foreign partners, and they discover the power of faith, hope and love in very impoverished environments. Lives can be changed through such sharing of Christian faith, especially when the experience is grounded in good deeds and beneficial relationships.
But koinonia also has a more concrete meaning: Contributions. In his letter to the Romans, Paul reports that Christians in “Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share their resources” — literally “make a certain contribution” — “with the poor” (Rom 15:26). Here, the word koinonia is translated as “resources,” but it could also be translated as “contribution.” In Second Corinthians, Paul brags that the Macedonians made contributions “beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry” (2 Cor 8:3-4). Their sharing was koinonia, the giving of generous gifts. Such a call to generosity is repeated in Hebrews, which says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Heb 13:16).
Koinonia also means fellowship. The Book of Acts says that the first converts to Christianity “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “God is faithful,” says Paul in First Corinthians, “by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son” (1 Cor 1:9). And John expresses a desire “that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Koinonia is fellowship — companionship, friendship, comradeship.
Finally, koinonia means spiritual communion. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?” Paul asks the Corinthians. “The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). Paul sees the cup as a koinonia in the blood of Christ and the bread as a koinonia in the body of Christ. When we receive the sacrament called Communion, we are sharing a meal that connects us to Christ and to each other. But the presence of Jesus is not limited to Communion. At the end of Second Corinthians, Paul offers a set of words that are often used as a blessing at the end of Christian worship, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor 13:13). Paul’s hope is that the communion-fellowship-koinonia of the Spirit will remain with everyone long after they have read his letter. The word koinonia in Philemon is one of the Bible’s greatest hits because it challenges us to be committed to generous giving, fellowship, and spiritual communion. When we do this, we are connected to God and to each other, sharing the Christian faith through good deeds and beneficial relationships.
Questions:
1. How does the Christian faith help you to see other people in a new light?
2. Which meaning of the world koinonia is most important to you, and why?
3. What does the communion-fellowship-koinonia of the Spirit mean to you?
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