Day: April 23, 2024

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

“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” (Hebrews 10:25 KJV).

Does today’s Scripture render church attendance obligatory?

Various schemes and scams have been devised and implemented through the years to coerce people into going to church services. Perhaps it is guilt—as in, “If you really love God, you will come to our assembly!” Maybe it is fear—to wit, “You are blaspheming against the Holy Ghost when you ignore the preacher’s bidding!” It might be entertainment—as in, “If you want to ‘encounter God,’ we invite you to our ‘praise and worship time!’”

While we are convinced there are some sincere souls who are genuinely trying to serve the Lord by founding and maintaining local churches, there are others who know what they are doing is totally wrong. It is this latter group of which we need to be especially vigilant. While we should always be on the lookout for people who have no Bible verses at all to substantiate what they are saying and doing, those individuals with Bible verses are not necessarily above all suspicion either. It just might be a case of people lifting verses out of context—and this happens far more often than we care to think (!). Perhaps it is accidental or blind ignorance. Or, it might be more serious: intentional perversion of the Holy Bible.

Take today’s Scripture, for example. On the basis of this verse, it has been debated that we have to go to church. We are “not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together,” the denominationalists inform us. They point to Hebrews 10:25 as a “proof-text.” It is declared, with apparent authority, “See, God commands us to fellowship with some assembly! We had better be in church somewhere on Sundays and Wednesdays!” Of course, who would dare argue with the Bible verse? Yet, we remind ourselves that Bible verses can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how one applies them and contingent on the heart attitude of the person quoting them.

Let us evaluate Hebrews 10:25 and see if the common interpretation is the proper one….