When one considers both the goodness and severity of God (Romans 11:22), it behooves us to ask the question, “Why do some people leave God?” God’s goodness should cause a person to fall to his knees in loving adoration for all the continual blessings God bestows. On the other hand, God’s severity should cause a person to continue to walk with God and to stay close to Him to avoid the terrible wrath of a just God. There are many reasons why some people leave God. While I am certain the following is not an exhaustive list, I submit that most reasons fall into one of the following three areas.
Firstly, some people leave God because of sin. Obviously, sin separates and divides a soul from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), but often those same sins keep a person from ever coming back. The devil makes sin look so appealing and rewarding. Sin can seem so appealing and rewarding that many believe a sinful life is the “in thing” and to do otherwise would be dull and boring. Thus, some love sin and have no desire to turn back to God. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:19-20). Alexander Pope is credited for correctly saying, “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”
Secondly, some people leave God because of storms. Sometimes a catastrophe comes upon a person or his family, and the first question asked is, “Why God?” “Why did God allow this to happen?” However, that question is a misunderstanding of God and His dealings with mankind. For example, there are certain laws of this earth which were placed into effect at creation, and they cannot be changed. An object set in motion will continue unless acted upon by some other force greater than itself. If a child is sled riding down a hill and hits a tree head-on and is killed, while that is an extremely horrific event, God certainly is not to blame. That is simply the laws of nature working in this world. The storms of life come to every person upon this earth at some point or another. We must realize that this world is not Heaven, and such trials and tribulations are a very common thing (John 16:33; Revelation 2:10). Sin and suffering are a result of living in a world filled with sin. Surely, that is what will make Heaven so sweet (Revelation 21:4).
Thirdly, some people leave God because of scars. Living among people can, at times, be very difficult. Often our greatest disappointments and hurts come from those who are closest to us. Consider the wonderful body of Christ, the church. How many people have walked away from God because of being hurt by another Christian? Personally, some of my deepest wounds in life have come from those who claim to love Jesus. However, before walking out on God, there are a couple things we must consider. People are people, even Christians! As such, we all sometimes do things that we should not. Often it may take years for a Christian who has wronged us to admit that wrong, and even still, some may never admit it! Also, carefully consider that not everyone who claims Christianity is Heaven bound! Remember, Jesus made that very point crystal clear (Matthew 7:21ff). Each week there are “many” according to the Master who will enter buildings designated “church of Christ” but will never please God because of hypocrisy and a lack of love for Him and the brethren. Jesus said it is easy to identify fakes based on the fruit they produce (Matthew 7:16-20). How easy would it have been for Jesus to walk away from His mission of seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10) because Judas was not sincere (Psalm 41:9)!
Sadly, God often fails to get the credit for all the good things in life, which He rightfully deserves (James 1:17), but far too often He gets the criticism for things for which He is not to blame. Some leave God because they love sin; some leave God because life’s storms seem unbearable, and yet others leave God because of the deep scars that simply come because we are human and those with whom we deal are human as well. Dear reader, remember God is the only One Who can free us from sin; He is the only One who can navigate us through storms, and He is the only balm for life’s hurtful scars. Don’t blame God! Love Him, adore Him, stay close to Him and spend eternity with Him when this transient life is over. You will be so glad!
