Leaving the world means living without being bound by the beauty of the world or by material things. Do not be afraid of this phrase. From the very beginning, everyone who follows Jesus must indeed leave the world. Unfortunately, many Christians today are unaware of this, and the church often fails to teach it clearly and effectively. If we read the Gospels, we see that those whom Jesus called always left everything to follow Him; however, this does not mean that everyone must become a pastor, an activist, or a full-time church worker. That is not the point. Leaving the world means having a heart that is not bound by the charm of the world and all its splendor.
Whoever we are—whatever our age, status, married or unmarried—we must learn to leave the world. Do not be afraid, for this is the actual requirement of following Jesus. The New Testament consistently teaches this. In church history, to preserve the purity of Christianity, God often used persecution as His means of preservation. Persecution separated Christianity from the world. Revelation 12:6 records: “The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of.” The woman symbolizes the church, which means God preserves His people through a process of separation.
Without persecution, Christianity tends to merge with the world. Christians do not truly leave the world, and as a result, faith is misdirected, which is why persecution in the early centuries was God’s way of protecting the purity of the Gospel. At that time, two major forces pressed upon Christians: Judaism and the Roman Empire. The Jews rejected the Gospel and even persecuted the disciples. The Roman Empire gave authority to Saul to kill Christians. From this, the separation became clear: Christianity was not part of Judaism, and it was not subject to the Roman emperor.
However, since 380 AD., when Christianity was made the state religion, corruption began. When persecution stopped, a new normal emerged—but this caused faith to decline. Christianity lost its purity and no longer reflected what Jesus had taught. This situation has continued to this very day. Many people merely bear the name of being Christian, but they have not left the world. Much of Christianity today is false: not spiritual, not heavenly. For this reason, we must repent and return to the truth of God’s Word.
Indeed, leaving the world is not easy. This process is complicated because for so long we have been accustomed to living in worldly attachments. But Jesus already said that following Him means entering through the narrow gate. That is why Jesus said: “Strive…” Sadly, many believers do not strive in the right direction. They are only busy struggling with household matters, children, finances, health, appearances, or status. It could be that, without realizing it, we too are included among them.
Yet leaving the world is absolute and unavoidable. Without it, we perish. James 4:4 clearly states: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” If we still love the world and have not left it, then we are betraying God. Our hearts should be directed only to God and His Kingdom. If not, we are betraying Jesus Christ.