Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James 5:16
Perhaps the least popular but most necessary benefit of church participation is accountability. We don’t naturally seek accountability and we often resist it. But we desperately need it.
Some claim they can be good Christians without the church, living out their faith independently. But this contradicts Scripture’s clear command: “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, and so much the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
If someone willingly and persistently disobeys this biblical instruction while claiming to grow closer to God, there’s a fundamental contradiction at play. How can we claim to follow Christ while deliberately rejecting His design for our spiritual formation?
The “Lone Ranger Christian” is not a biblical concept. History shows us repeatedly that those who drift away from church community eventually drift away from faith altogether. We’re seeing this pattern play out across our culture—people who once claimed Christ but, having abandoned the accountability and community of the church, have now abandoned the faith entirely.
There’s wisdom in knowing we must face our brothers and sisters in Christ. That awareness helps us pause before speaking words we shouldn’t say or taking actions we’d later regret. We’re ultimately accountable to God, but earthly accountability through the church serves as a guardrail, keeping us on the path.
Tony French
