DOES THE BIBLE COMMAND CHURCH ATTENDANCE?
By Wayne Harmon
In response to the previous article, “The Absurdity of Church”, “Shy1” left the following comment:
The amazing thing to me is how long it took me to get to this same place and the amount of abuse I took and the cognitive dissonance I lived with until I did. Church is, indeed, bogus.
What are your thoughts on the passage in Hebrews upon which all church attendance hangs:
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
“but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Thanks.
So the question is, does the Bible command church attendance?
In light of what we have seen regarding the invalidity of “church”, the answer must be “No.” The Bible does not command us to attend a church.
But those who place themselves in power like to say that the Bible commands church attendance. Their verse of choice is Hebrews 10:25:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so the more , as ye see the day approaching.” (KJV), [properly read in an angry stentorian voice while waving the Bible and pounding the pulpit. If a really powerful proclamation is made, the preacher will wipe the spittle from his lips with his handkerchief in a movement that implies, “The Bible has spoken! There is no room for discussion!”]
So, what is Hebrews 10:25 talking about?
Well, there are three questions I ask of any Bible passage:
Who wrote it?
To whom was it written?
Why was it written?
No Bible passage can be properly understood without the answers to these questions.
So, let’s ask these three questions about the letter to the Hebrews.
Who wrote it?
The author of Hebrews isn’t named in the letter. There are those who insist it was written by the Apostle Paul. Others theorize that it may have been written by Barnabas. Some have even suggested that it may have been written by Priscilla with her husband Aquila. If we truly believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, then the human agent through which the letter was written is moot.
To whom was it written?
It was written to the Hebrew believers who were being pressured by their friends and families to return to Judaism.
Why was it written?
The Hebrew believers were being pressured to return to Judaism with all its rules and rituals. The writer of Hebrews told them that the Jewish law was fulfilled by Jesus. We need nothing else. Jesus is far superior to the Law!
With these three questions answered, there is no way that Hebrews 10:25 is commanding us to “go to church”. Some Hebrew believers were reluctant to assemble with other believers because of the persecution they faced from their Judaic friends and family members. They were encouraged to gather with other believers.
In English the whole passage reads:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10 23-25 (NIV)
Assembling with other believers is important. We are part of the Body of Christ. All body parts must be connected to the body to survive. The Hebrew believers were reminded of the importance of community and fellowship. According to Jesus in Matthew 18:20, a gathering, assembly, congregation needs only two or three participants.
Sadly, Churchianity has hijacked the Bible. Religious leaders act as though they own the Bible. In their minds the Bible came from God to them, and then they give it to us. … (jerks) …
Religion is full of hand-plucked verses claiming God’s approval of men’s opinions. But when we find ourselves free from their controlling and corrupting influences, we realize that the Bible is a wonderful message from a loving God to His children. It truly is One Book, written by One Author, telling One Story, the story of Jesus.
I illustrate this in my post titled The Shoebox.
Copyright 2016: Wayne Harmon