I John 2:19 - Those Who Go Out From Us

I John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

Message: Those Who Go Out From Us

Time: A date of authorship ranges from around 65 AD to AD 95-110. John, the son of Zebedee, one of the 12 disciples is said to be the author. The main theme is love and fellowship and is written to those who are already believers.

What the Lord is Saying:

As a reminder, this is a book written to believers. In verses 15-24 is given the division title of "Do Not Love the World" and it contrasts love of the world versus not. Thus, if you are not, then you have the love of the Father in you.

Verse 18 speaks of the anti-Christ which is defined in verse 22 as anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ. More specifically, in verse 19 is the explanation of people that are walking with Christians, living with them, walking alongside them, going to church, practicing disciplines, but they were not really of us. It is said that there are two different types of faith: professing faith and possessing faith. There are those that accompany faith and faith practices for reasons that are not about living faith in our lives. I think this is a really hard concept because so much of the Western Christian is embodied in the ways of the world and end up looking like a full-time follower of the world and those things of the world and just a part-time Christian.

One example of this type of person that is only professing faith is they don't remain or persevere -- otherwise they would have remained with us. There is a lack of consistency. This is something that is concerning because there are disciplines of the faith that some do not perform. People willingly go to church, but few show up to share their faith on outreach night or when there is a prayer meeting gathering, few attend. They put up with church, living it on a part-time basis, but are not willing to make it a full-time commitment.

Some might use this text as a marker to describe those who fall away from the faith, but rather it is a picture of those who are wolves in sheep's clothing. They never had true faith to begin with. When push comes to shove, they flee. But, its possible that someone has true faith and falls away for a season, but then returns. Sometimes I think people pass judgment on someone but do not see the full picture of their life.

Promise: When we see people seemingly falling away, we should pray for a repentant heart, but ultimately trust God for the outcome of their life.