1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
The “they” of this verse refers back to the “antichrists” of the previous verse. This was apparently a group of people who had been part of John’s church but had left. They could not make the commitment to follow Christ. Perhaps they harbored their sin and would not confess it. They may have loved the world too much and could not embrace the selfless way of Christ. The gospel’s promise of eternal life sounded nice to them but they were not willing to commit to the obedience that faith requires. The first and most crucial step of obedience is confession and repentance.
This group left on their on accord. They were Christians by name only but not by heart. Their darkened hearts could not handle living in the light of the true believers. This should not cause the true believers to be discouraged, but that happens when people leave a church. Many times “leaving” a church just means the people are looking for greener pastures some place else. Hopefully this leaving is not because of bitterness in their hearts that results from putting self before God or others. I am afraid, however, that deep down, even looking for greener pastures at the more exciting church down the street indicates heart issues.
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