Many passages refer to the partnership or common blessings found by Christians by using the word “fellow.” By studying these, we can have a greater appreciation for the relationship we have with our brethren. Consider that as Christians, we are…

Fellow Soldiers: Paul called Epaphroditus his “fellow soldier” (Phil. 2:25). As Christians we seek to please Him who enlisted us as a soldier, fighting side by side (2 Tim. 2:4). “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Fellow Heirs: “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ…” (1 Tim. 4:16). As children of God, we are heirs (Rom. 8:16-17). As fellow heirs, we have an “inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4).

Fellow Citizens: To the brethren at Corinth the apostle said, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). Though they may be of different nationalities and scattered all over the world, Christians are fellow citizens. Why? Because, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).

Fellow Workers: Paul asked the church at Rome to “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 16:3). Paul was thankful for those who worked with Him in the cause of Christ. We all need to be fellow workers for the church to achieve the most that it can: “From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16).

David Eldridge