A Vote of Confidence (No. 9 in Series)

A Vote of Confidence (No. 9 in Series)

   

Before we leave the Hebrews 10 passage (this is the last one, I promise), I would like to point out one more positive note.  In the context, the exhortation to not forsake the assembly is sandwiched between a call to draw near to God relationally with great confidence (vv. 19-23) and a fearful warning against the willful sin of apostasy (vv. 26-31).  My friend, Dave, is the one who has called attention to this bracketing and how it suggests that routine Christian assembling serves to (1) shore up salvific confidence and assurance (vv. 19-23) on one hand, while also   (2) helping to inoculate from apostasy (vv. 26-31) on the other.

In this article, I would like to focus on the connection with the surrounding verses.  How interesting it is to see the link between drawing near to God and drawing near to one another.  God has made us relational creatures.  We thrive when we are together.  Some of us are built in a way that we do well on our own, and some have a hard time with interaction, but I think we all know, deep down, that we need our church community.

Our Christian friends are the ones who can encourage us when we are down, confront us when we are backsliding, comfort us when we are hurting, teach us when we are lacking, and provide us the boost of confidence we need in our salvation.  It is difficult to imagine a person losing his or her salvation when thoroughly involved in the life of the church.  How rare it must be for people to lose their faith when they are gathering each week with the church, praying together, worshipping together, participating in the Lord’s Supper, listening to messages from the Scriptures, and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters.  Surely, it must be nearly impossible!

The key for the Christian life is being involved in the life of the church on a consistent basis.  Now, remember what we said last week: This is not a call to “live at the church building.”  Yet, it is a call to be thoroughly involved.  How involved are you?  Are you fully engaged?  Are you participating in the life of the church on a regular, even weekly basis?

The Threat of Apostasy (No. 8 in Series)

The Threat of Apostasy (No. 8 in Series)

We all know that someone’s behavior is a good indication of the person’s thinking and where his or her heart is.  What someone does or neglects to do says a lot about the person.  When a Christian does not participate in the life of the church, what does it say about that person?  What does it mean for his or her state of mind?  Is there any connection between church attendance and salvation?

When reflecting upon the connection of verses 24-25 with verses 26-28 in Hebrews 10, one author has said bluntly, “Failure to [meet] is associated with apostasy” (Ellingworth, 528).  What is apostasy?  It is when a Christian turns away from the Lord, when a believer no longer believes.

Now, we do not believe that one is saved by good works, including church attendance.  We do not believe that one remains a Christian by righteous behavior.  We believe that we can never do enough to save ourselves or keep us in God’s favor.  Yet, being saved by God’s grace in Christ does not mean that we cannot cooperate with God and obey His Word.

The Lord has instructed us in the way we should live.  Although our bodies may deteriorate due to aging, illness, and the like, we may be continually renewed in our spirits.  We can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We can be encouraged, helped, supported, and more so that we do not give up in the life of faith.  We need each other in order to persevere until the end.  If we try to go at it alone, we may possibly shrink into unbelief.

While attending church gatherings may not save you in the direct sense, it may be a big help in your salvation in an indirect way.  The simple act of going to church will not make you righteous before God, but the church itself, the people, can spur you on to a life of faith and not let you give up trusting Christ.  As my friend Dave would say, routine Christian assembling has a way of shoring up our confidence in salvation as well as helping to inoculate us from apostasy.  Do you want to guard yourself from unbelief?  A great way is by attending and involving yourself in the life of the church!

A Word of Clarification (No. 7 in Series)

A Word of Clarification (No. 7 in Series)

As I was reading a few weeks ago for this series of articles concerning church attendance, I came across a lengthy quote which says clearly what I would like to say about this subject because I want us to be clear on what the passage in Hebrews 10:24-25 is teaching.  George Guthrie has written, “Another caution is in order with regard to the author’s challenge to ‘not give up meeting together.’  This exhortation has been used at times to exhort church members to attend every meeting offered by the church during the week: Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, evening worship, visitation on Monday night, prayer meeting Wednesday night, Bible study Friday noon; all are held up as part of the standard for ‘let us not give up meeting together.’”  I hope you know that I have not intended to guilt you into “living at the church building.”  The point is not to be here every time the doors are open necessarily.  I simply want you to see the value of church membership.  I want you to make a commitment to regular church attendance.

Guthrie continues his comments, “The principle behind this part of the author’s challenge, however, has to do with consistent involvement in the life of the church rather than frenetic activity in all the programs of the church.  We as Christian leaders must not burden people with a guilt trip if they are not at the church five nights a week.  The question is whether they are meaningfully engaged in the life of the body on a weekly basis.  Are they involved in worship?  Are they being educated through preaching and teaching of God’s Word?  Are they ministering, exercising their spiritual gifts?  Are they experiencing Christian fellowship?  We should teach these aspects of healthy Christian living and allow the Holy Spirit to show them how these are to be lived out consistently.”  This is the standard.  This is what pleases God.  This is what makes for a strong, faithful church.  This is what makes for a healthy Christian individual and family.  Let us examine ourselves in this aspect of our Christian lives and recommit to regular, weekly church attendance.

The End is Near (No. 6 in Series)

The End is Near (No. 6 in Series)

Some scholars demonstrate a connection in Heb 10:24-25 between the gathering of God’s people now (the church) and the gathering on the Last Day when Christ returns.  The point may be made based on that connection that, “Those who habitually abandon this assembly when it is gathered for worship risk exclusion from the community of the faithful, and thus forfeiture of the ultimate salvation that Christ provides for his own” (Cockerill, 480).  In simple words, if you are not willing to stand with the church now, will you stand with the church on the Last Day?  If you will not completely identify with the people of God now, will you be identified with the saved in the end?

You see, a church sways toward spiritual defeat under the various pressures of the culture when its members withdraw from one another.  Especially in a time of testing, as we are just now beginning to experience in our own country, we must deepen and strengthen our Christian fellowship and bond.  This same risk of spiritual defeat, of course, also applies to individual Christians.  If we are going to stand strong in the faith as individuals, as families, and as churches, then we are going to need to be equipped, trained, encouraged, and armed for spiritual warfare.  It is the church community that will provide these necessities for the Christian life.  We need one another.  We need to teach one another, hold one another accountable, encourage one another, love one another, support one another, and so much more.  We need to be together.

The goal is to make it to the finish line.  The prize is to receive the fullness of all the promises that we have in Christ, to receive our eternal inheritance.  We must “see” with the “eyes of faith” the quickly-approaching return of Christ.  This age and your life here will not last forever.  Let us hold fast our hope with unswerving loyalty to Jesus Christ as we see His day drawing near.  Considering one another, provoking one another to loving works, not abandoning the church, and exhorting one another will all go a long way toward getting us to the finish line.  Christ is coming, and we want to be ready.