I find it odd when active participation in a local church is viewed as an optional thing in the Christian life, and I have a hard time understanding rationalizations for other options. In the first place, what is our salvation? God saves us from sin, which by nature isolates human beings. Part of the horror of sin is isolation, because we bear the image of a trinitarian Creator who is love—who is community. In his book Experiencing the Trinity, Darrell Johnson says, “[In] the deepest mystery of His being, God is an intimate relationship, a fellowship, a community of love.” Our redemption is not only right relationship again with God, but also right relationship with one another, especially within the family of God. After all, we share the same Spirit whom Jesus sent. In that context, life and faith are things that we do together, not in isolation.

Significant and meaningful spiritual growth and maturity take place in community, not in isolation. Think about the fruit of Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Where are we to grow and exhibit this fruit? It begins in the church. In John 13:35, Jesus tells His disciples: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Without being actively engaged in a local church body, how is the world supposed to know that we belong to Jesus? The church loving each other and reflecting Jesus’ love into the world is one of the most powerful witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Of course it’s embarrassing and disappointing when the church has failed to represent Jesus accurately, but that’s no excuse to try something different by going rogue and attempting to go it alone. When the church in Corinth was in disarray, Paul didn’t tell them to go somewhere else, and he certainly didn’t write to them about how to live the Christian life apart from each other. He dealt directly with the issues and steered them toward maturity and unity. He wrote primarily to churches. Much of those writings focus on what life in community is to look like. And even though individuals have an impact on the people and world around them, it’s the church’s witness in the world that testifies to the world concerning Jesus’ death and resurrection.

My final observation comes from 1 Peter 5:8 where Peter observes that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” In every nature film that I’ve ever seen, lions don’t plow into a herd and attack healthy, protected prey. They attack prey that have wandered from the herd and remain isolated. Putting ourselves in that position by not being actively committed to a local body is foolish and spiritually dangerous. Isolation isn’t an option.