The word koinonia (Greek κοινωνια, pronounced "koy-nohn-ee'-ah ") occurs 20 times in the Greek source text from which the translation of the New Testament in the 1611 Authorized ("King James") Version (KJV) is derived. Of those 20 occurrences, 12 are translated as "fellowship" and 4 as "communion".
The Merriam-Webster definition of koinonia is:
- the Christian fellowship or body of believers
- intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community
This is consistent with the description of the "communion of saints" in the PC(USA) 1998 Study Catechism:
Question 66. What do you affirm when you speak of "the communion of saints"?
All those who live in union with Christ, whether on earth or with God in heaven, are "saints." Our communion with Christ makes us members one of another. As by his death he removed our separation from God, so by his Spirit he removes all that divides us from each other. Breaking down every wall of hostility, he makes us, who are many, one body in himself. The ties that bind us in Christ are deeper than any other human relationship.
Question 67. How do you enter into communion with Christ and so with one another?
By the power of the Holy Spirit as it works through Word and sacrament. Because the Spirit uses them for our salvation, Word and sacrament are called "means of grace." The Scriptures acknowledge two sacraments as instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ — baptism and the Lord's Supper.