Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this so honestly and for asking for guidance. What you are sensing is not just your imagination. The uneasiness you feel when a group that claims to be Christian begins to justify sin is real, and it is worth listening to.
God created us for fellowship with Him. That fellowship is meant to bring deep joy, but sin always breaks it. From the beginning, when Adam sinned, fellowship was broken and God came asking, where are you. The prophet Isaiah says it clearly, God's hand is not short that it cannot save and His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, but your sins have separated you from God. The apostle John says the same thing in a very direct way. If we say we have fellowship with God while we are walking in darkness, we are not telling the truth. We cannot walk in sin and walk with God at the same time.
Walking in darkness does not just mean struggling with sin. It means calling darkness light, justifying what God calls sin and staying in it. Walking in the light means bringing our lives honestly before God, agreeing with what He says about sin, confessing it, and receiving forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus does not just cover sin for a time, it puts it away so that fellowship can be restored. That is why the way back to God is always through the sin offering first. Our sin must be dealt with through the sacrifice of Jesus before we can have peace and communion with God. Once sin is forgiven, we can walk in fellowship, and that fellowship brings joy and strength.
That same pattern applies to fellowship with other believers. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, and that fellowship then creates fellowship with one another. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. The strength and encouragement we draw from the body of Christ is a real gift, and God uses it to help us stand. But when sin is tolerated and even justified in a community, it spreads. Scripture uses the picture of leaven. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Allowing a little area of sin to be excused will eventually affect the whole group.
A healthy Christian community does not pretend we have no sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves. A healthy community confesses sin, brings it into the light, trusts in the forgiveness that comes through Jesus alone, and seeks the power of the Holy Spirit to walk free from sin's rule. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. That does not mean we will never stumble, but it means we are no longer ruled by sin and we do not make peace with it.
Feeling excluded in a group that justifies sin makes sense. Light exposes darkness, and when you want to walk honestly before God you will often feel out of place among those who want to stay in darkness. The condemnation Scripture speaks of is this, that light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light. To reject the light and the fellowship God offers through Jesus is the serious sin that keeps a person from Him.
God has always loved us even while we were still sinners and sent His Son to die for the ungodly to make a way back to fellowship. He longs for that fellowship with you.
For guidance, bring this to the Lord directly and test everything by Scripture. Ask, does this group help me walk in the light, confess sin honestly, trust Jesus for forgiveness, and grow in freedom from sin by the Holy Spirit, or does it teach me to excuse sin and stay comfortable in it. Does it strengthen fellowship with God and with believers who love the truth, or does it weaken it. Do not be afraid to step back from a fellowship that normalizes what God calls sin. Sometimes separation is needed not to be unkind, but so that the seriousness of sin can be seen and people can be drawn back to repentance and to true fellowship with Christ. That separation is ultimately for restoration.
Pray for wisdom, for God gives wisdom generously when we ask. Ask Him to show you where you can be part of a community that loves His Word, speaks the truth in love, deals honestly about sin, and points you to Jesus for forgiveness and power to live free. Seek fellowship where sin is not justified but confessed and forsaken, where grace is real, and where there is both truth and love. If you have trusted brothers or sisters who know the Bible well in person, talk with them openly about what you have seen and ask them to pray with you and help you discern next steps.
I will pray for you, that God will give you clear discernment, peace in making a wise decision, and a place of fellowship where your joy may be full because you are walking in the light with Him and with others who do the same. May He guard you from discouragement, remind you how much He loves you and desires fellowship with you, and lead you to a community where you are strengthened and where you can be a strength to others as well.
God created us for fellowship with Him. That fellowship is meant to bring deep joy, but sin always breaks it. From the beginning, when Adam sinned, fellowship was broken and God came asking, where are you. The prophet Isaiah says it clearly, God's hand is not short that it cannot save and His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, but your sins have separated you from God. The apostle John says the same thing in a very direct way. If we say we have fellowship with God while we are walking in darkness, we are not telling the truth. We cannot walk in sin and walk with God at the same time.
Walking in darkness does not just mean struggling with sin. It means calling darkness light, justifying what God calls sin and staying in it. Walking in the light means bringing our lives honestly before God, agreeing with what He says about sin, confessing it, and receiving forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus does not just cover sin for a time, it puts it away so that fellowship can be restored. That is why the way back to God is always through the sin offering first. Our sin must be dealt with through the sacrifice of Jesus before we can have peace and communion with God. Once sin is forgiven, we can walk in fellowship, and that fellowship brings joy and strength.
That same pattern applies to fellowship with other believers. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, and that fellowship then creates fellowship with one another. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. The strength and encouragement we draw from the body of Christ is a real gift, and God uses it to help us stand. But when sin is tolerated and even justified in a community, it spreads. Scripture uses the picture of leaven. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Allowing a little area of sin to be excused will eventually affect the whole group.
A healthy Christian community does not pretend we have no sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves. A healthy community confesses sin, brings it into the light, trusts in the forgiveness that comes through Jesus alone, and seeks the power of the Holy Spirit to walk free from sin's rule. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. That does not mean we will never stumble, but it means we are no longer ruled by sin and we do not make peace with it.
Feeling excluded in a group that justifies sin makes sense. Light exposes darkness, and when you want to walk honestly before God you will often feel out of place among those who want to stay in darkness. The condemnation Scripture speaks of is this, that light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light. To reject the light and the fellowship God offers through Jesus is the serious sin that keeps a person from Him.
God has always loved us even while we were still sinners and sent His Son to die for the ungodly to make a way back to fellowship. He longs for that fellowship with you.
For guidance, bring this to the Lord directly and test everything by Scripture. Ask, does this group help me walk in the light, confess sin honestly, trust Jesus for forgiveness, and grow in freedom from sin by the Holy Spirit, or does it teach me to excuse sin and stay comfortable in it. Does it strengthen fellowship with God and with believers who love the truth, or does it weaken it. Do not be afraid to step back from a fellowship that normalizes what God calls sin. Sometimes separation is needed not to be unkind, but so that the seriousness of sin can be seen and people can be drawn back to repentance and to true fellowship with Christ. That separation is ultimately for restoration.
Pray for wisdom, for God gives wisdom generously when we ask. Ask Him to show you where you can be part of a community that loves His Word, speaks the truth in love, deals honestly about sin, and points you to Jesus for forgiveness and power to live free. Seek fellowship where sin is not justified but confessed and forsaken, where grace is real, and where there is both truth and love. If you have trusted brothers or sisters who know the Bible well in person, talk with them openly about what you have seen and ask them to pray with you and help you discern next steps.
I will pray for you, that God will give you clear discernment, peace in making a wise decision, and a place of fellowship where your joy may be full because you are walking in the light with Him and with others who do the same. May He guard you from discouragement, remind you how much He loves you and desires fellowship with you, and lead you to a community where you are strengthened and where you can be a strength to others as well.
