Some Truths About Leaving the Church

June 26th, 2025

Some of the saddest parts of my life concern those who have left the Lord’s church. I’ve known some who abandoned the plea of simple, New Testament Christianity to join the world of denominationalism; I’ve known others who cast off belief altogether and adopted an agnostic or atheistic lifestyle. Sometimes, the sadness of these moments has been compounded by Christians, who, trying to make sense of a brother or sister’s departure or simply trying to view the situation positively, will say something like, “He/she is doing really well,” or, “He/she seems to be better off.” Statements like these demonstrate a lack of understanding regarding “depart[ing] from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1) and likely mean that the Christian who says them won’t be a part of God’s effort to turn “a sinner from the error of his way” and “save a soul from death” (James 5:20). It’s important for all who are trying to remain true to “the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ” to prayerfully consider the following truths without allowing favoritism towards a person to color their thoughts (James 2:1)

First, there is no getting around the truth of Peter’s words:

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them (2 Peter 2:20-21).

There’s not really a lot of interpretive wiggle room here. When Peter speaks about those who “have escaped the pollutions of the world,” he’s talking about Christians. When he speaks about the ones in particular who “are again entangled in them and overcome,” he’s talking about those who “sin willfully” and without repentance (Hebrews 10:26). The conclusion Peter reaches regarding such people is clear: in no way are they doing well or better off.

But what about those who still believe in God and have only left to attend a denominational church? And what if they really seem to be vibrant, active, and happy in so doing? I will be the first to say that no group of believers should be judged merely on the basis of not being the one that I attend or know something about; I am sure that Jesus has many “other sheep” that I am not personally aware of (John 10:16). Having said that, these days, it typically only takes a visit to a church’s website and an open Bible to see if a group really is the one that is described in the Bible. It’s not pharisaical to compare what people do and teach with the Bible; in fact, the Bible calls it “fair-minded” or “noble” (Acts 17:11 NKJV, ESV). So how should I view the situation when the teachings and practices of a group differ from what is found in the Bible, but a Christian I know and love seems to be doing well there?

It is absolutely essential to understand the simple truth John conveys here:

Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9).

Can anyone do well without God? No. And having God is tied together with having the “doctrine” or “teaching” of Jesus Christ.

Some will argue that “the doctrine of Christ” is not the teaching that belongs to Jesus (i.e., His New Testament) but rather the particular teaching about Jesus that is referenced in verse 7, namely, that Jesus came in the flesh. And, since most denominational groups obviously don’t deny this truth, some will argue that this passage has nothing to do with them. While this of course ignores the contextual encouragement in verse 6 to “walk according to His commandments,” is there any weight to this objection? Do the particulars of Jesus’ New Testament matter if someone ignores them but otherwise still believes in Jesus?

Let’s think about a specific example in Scripture. If you read the Galatian letter, you will never find anything about the Galatians believing Jesus did not come in the flesh. In fact, you won’t find anything about them rejecting the core message of the Gospel, i.e., the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). You won’t find any reference to them denying the importance of faith, repentance, confession, or baptism. Many Sundays at a Galatian church would look the same as Sundays at other faithful first century churches. The only thing you would find different at the churches of Galatia is that the leaders were encouraging the members to perform religious circumcision (Galatians 5:2-4) and observe Jewish holy days as a body (Galatians 4:10), in order to do “the works of the Law” of Moses (Galatians 3:10). They still believed in Jesus and worshipped God; wasn’t that good enough?

Note Paul’s words to the Galatians and compare them with 2 John 9. Remember as you read them that the Galatians still believed in Jesus and were still active in their belief:

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9).

Just as with Peter’s words I quoted above, there’s not a lot of wiggle room here. To turn to a different Gospel – which, again, in this case was the Gospel supplemented by some Old Testament practices – was to turn “from Him” (i.e. God) and from “the grace of Christ.” It was to be undeniably and categorically “accursed.”

Too often, Christians don’t make the connection that Peter, John, and Paul made between Jesus, His teaching, and His church. These three things are totally tied together; to let go of one or two of them is to let go of all three. This is why Jesus said what he did about some active believers who refused to obey His teaching:

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23).

This may seem unreasonable until you realize that the New Testament is the will that Jesus died to put into effect (Hebrews 9:15-17), and the church is Jesus’ bride for which He gave His life (Ephesians 5:25-27). The church is not an organization to be shaped by our opinions and preferences or a group to be joined or left through our will; it is bone of Jesus’ bones and flesh of His flesh, since it is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Please Christians, keep all of this in mind when you think and speak about those who have left the church.

-Patrick Swayne
patrick@tftw.org