2 Cents

I'm a Youth Minster doing much of my work with teenagers so as you can imagine, I get this question a lot.

Today I want to address... what does the Bible have to say about a Christian's responsibility to attend church?

Now, before we dive right in there are some things we need to mention.

First, it is possible to be a Christian while not attending church services if you are unable to attend them.  We have a few elderly men and women in our church who physically cannot make it out of their home.  They can still follow Christ and glorify God in their situation.  Their salvation is most certainly not in jeopardy.

Second, there are also those in foreign countries who cannot attend church because there are no churches where they live.  Perhaps their country has made Christianity illegal and therefore no churches have been started or maintained anywhere close to them.  Nevertheless, that person can still follow Christ by reading God's word personally, praying, seeking to affect those around him for Christ, etc.

So there are extreme situations where yes, it is possible to be a Christian and not attend church services.

But every time I'm asked this question, it comes from someone in a situation where they simply don't want to attend church services.  They have every opportunity but church is boring to them or they don't want to wake up on a Sunday morning or get out of the house on a Wednesday night.

So here's what the Bible says.

First, it is very clear we are given a command to meet together as Christians.

Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  - Hebrews 10:24-25

It's also very clear that the Christians in the New Testament made church gatherings a priority in their lives.  And we are to follow their example.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  - Acts 2:42

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.  - Acts 20:7

The Bible is also very clear that you can't be a Christian alone, which is often the heart behind some of these type of questions.  You need others to help you.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  - James 5:16

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  - 1 Peter 4:10

They eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  - 1 Corinthians 12:21, 27

Another reason is how the authors in the New Testament just assume church is an integral part of the lives of the people they are writing to.

First, many of the letters of the New Testament are addressed to local churches (i.e. - Philippians, Colossians, Galatians, Corinthians, Romans, etc.)

Second, the language in these books assumes the readers are involved in a local church.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight.  - 1 Peter 5:1-2

Remember your leaders, those who spike to you the word of God.  Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  - Hebrews 13:7

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor.  - 1 Timothy 5:17

Finally, here's a pretty good reason to go to church regularly... Jesus did.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.  And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.  - Luke 4:16

So in conclusion the Bible is very clear.  If we're able to regularly be a part of a local church God expects us to.   

I've posted this video before, but if you haven't seen it, it's well worth the time - certainly more beneficial to your life than watching another hour-long NBC drama.

I came back to this video this week because I just registered for a conference in April of next year where this guy will be speaking!  Yes, I'm very excited.

This is some absolutely fascinating stuff that he's presenting here - not to mention the fact that he's a very engaging speaker.  The amount of evidence keeps growing in support of the gospels actually being eye-witness accounts, and not here-say taken down centuries after the life of Christ.

In Jude v. 5 we read this:

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (ESV)

Notice anything strange about that verse?

It's the word "Jesus".  Typically seeing "Jesus" in a Bible verse is something we would completely expect.

But not when we're talking about Jesus delivering the Israelites out of the hands of Pharaoh via Moses and the 10 Plagues in the exodus.  That's what Jude is referring to here.

Now it's important to note there are some disagreements as to whether the verse should read "Jesus, who saved," or "the Lord, who saved."

The newest addition of the standard Greek New Testament (Nestle-Aland), the NA28, has the Greek word for "Jesus" here instead of the Greek word for "Lord."  However, the previous edition, the NA27 actually had "Lord."  Bill Mounce, renowned NT Greek scholar, chronicled the change here.

Suffice it to say there is very good reason to translate this verse "Jesus" as is evident by the extremely reliable and accurate ESV committee translating it that way.  (For more support for this translation read this short article)

Some argue that the latter would make more sense because why would Jude speak of Jesus doing things in the book of Exodus?

But consider this.  It's not unprecedented for the NT authors to mention Jesus as being active in the OT.  For instance, 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, speaking of the Israelites shortly after the exodus from Egypt, says...

all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

So it's most certainly not a stretch to say that Paul (the author of 1 Corinthians) and Jude were both on the same page here (which by the way is a strong argument for these men being inspired by God when they wrote!).  If Jesus was helping out the Israelites after the exodus, certainly we would expect him to be helping them during it!

Finally, let's allow the Apostle John to clear this all up for us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

If you follow the passage in John 1 you'll see clearly that this "Word" John's talking about is Jesus.

So in other words, Jesus has always existed with God.  Even the creation of the universe was done through Jesus Christ.  So of course Jesus was working all throughout the Old Testament, including the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt as mentioned in Jude 5.

Jesus is all over the Bible.  In fact, the entire book is about him.  

In Luke's account of the birth of Jesus we read in chapter 2, verse 1:

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

In other words it was a giant census.

Now at this point Mary had already conceived and was pregnant with the promised Messiah and future Savior of the world, Jesus.  And because of the way census' were done in that day Joseph was required to return to his home town with his fiancé Mary to be registered.  So they made the journey, which was likely very hard on Mary seeing that she was pregnant and likely had to ride a horse.

The interesting thing about this event is that in the OT it was prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (See Micah 5:1-2).  Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth.  But Joseph's home town was Bethlehem.

You see, when Caesar Augustus issued his decree that a census would be taken he was probably thinking something like we need the revenue from the taxes this census will provide or I need to show the rest of the world how large and powerful my empire of Rome actually is.

But in all actuality God was directing the mind and the hand of Caesar to produce a hurricane for the sole purpose of moving a pebble.

This census of the entire Roman Empire at the time required over 50 million people to migrate to their home towns to be counted.  This was roughly one-fifth of the world's population at that time.  It was a massive undertaking with far-reaching affects.

And yet the Bible reveals to us that God's purpose in the entire undertaking was simply to temporarily move Mary to Bethlehem to ensure the OT prophecy of the Messiah's birthplace would be fulfilled and thus accurate.

We serve a great God with great and mysterious purposes, and sometimes that God may do something that seems extraordinarily large for the sole purpose of changing something extraordinarily small - except it's really not small at all, is it?

none of the language in the book is meant to be taken literally.

One of the more interesting ways John uses symbols is the way in which he employs numbers to communicate various truths.

In the book of Revelation you will see abundant uses of the numbers 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12.  You will also see multiples of these used as well (i.e. the 144,000 in ch. 7).

With extensive help from commentators Christopher Davis and G.K. Beale, here is an explanation of the typical meanings behind John's symbolic numbers.

TWO - The number of valid witnesses required to establish a matter.  Its roots can be found in Deut. 19:15.  

THREE - The number of God, who is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This also has OT roots in Isaiah 6:3 where God is worshiped as "Holy(1), holy(2), holy(3)," a phrase that is repeated in Rev. 4:8. 

FOUR - The number for the world or God's creation.  Common biblical references include the "four corners of the earth" (Ezek. 7:2; Rev. 7:1), and the "four winds" (Jer. 49:36; Ezek. 7:9; Dan. 7:2).  We also see the four directions north, south, east, west used to refer to the entirety of God's creation (Gen. 28:14; Luke 13:29).  

SIX - One less than seven (see below).  Used of something that does not measure up or is incomplete in power or effectiveness.  It is often used of evil powers in Revelation (666), which communicates their weakness compared to God and his people.  

SEVEN - The number of fullness, completion, and perfection.  Sometimes it can be used to describe evil, in which case it would mean complete or full evil.  Most of the time it is used to describe good.  Origins for the symbolic meaning of seven can be traced to the seven days of creation making a full week in Gen. 1-2. 

EIGHT - Symbolizes Jesus Christ. 

TEN - Can be used to represent completeness.  Often it represents the idea that God has set limits to whatever 10 is describing.  Conversely 1000 (10x10) refers to limitlessness.   

TWELVE - Represents the people of God - those who love him and serve him faithfully and do not give  up their faith in the face of suffering and persecution.  It's roots can be traced back to the 12 tribes of Israel in Genesis as well as the 12 Apostles.  

Last week my allergies were KILLING me.  Man I can't wait for heaven and a body with no allergy
problems.

So I started taking some Zyrtec, which has worked very well for me in the past.

This time, not so much.

The main problem with Zyrtec, for me, is it makes me very sleepy.  I've got a pretty sedentary job where I sit at a desk and do mind-work most of the day so you can imagine why this is such a big deal.

This kind of "fake sleepiness" also makes my mind very foggy.  It's hard to think when I'm like that.  Sometimes an entire day can feel wasted because I just can't make decisions and I most certainly can't read my Bible or another book or pray like I want to.

In short, Zyrtec dulls my receptive senses.

The same is true of sin.

When there is persistent sin in my life my spiritual senses don't work like they should.  I don't feel the pleasure of God in his Word.  Bible reading becomes much like reading a physics textbook.

I don't feel the joy of being in the presence of God during corporate worship.  I sing the words but I don't connect with the one I'm singing to.

But oh, the difference when I know I've done a better job resisting sin and staying holy.

My spiritual senses come back slowly.  I once again feel the pleasure in reading the Bible.  I see things in the text that I didn't see before.  I apply it to my life.  I let it pierce my soul and the piercing feels good.

I once again feel alive and full of worship as I sing songs at church.  I feel a deep personal connection to the one I'm worshipping.  The same songs that were just noise the week before can bring me to tears when sin is out of my life.

The point is this...

When we let sin into our lives over and over again, it fogs up our soul just like Zyrtec fogs up my head.  It dulls our spiritual receptive senses to where we can't experience God like we're supposed to.

So one more reason to say "NO" the next time Satan comes at you with a temptation to sin is that it will lower your ability to experience joy in God later.

Well... after a little over a week off from blogging and a very stressful and exciting and rewarding VBS at our church, I'm slowly getting back to "normal" work weeks.  This means more consistent blogging.

Today I'd like to talk a little about interpreting the Bible with integrity.

There are many ways you can interpret the Bible that lack integrity.  For instance you can take verses out of context to make them mean what they were never intended to mean.  Or you can twist a verse to serve your predetermined agenda instead of allowing God to speak for himself and responding to it.

One of the most common ways of interpreting the Bible that lacks integrity is when we refuse to take into account everything the Bible has to say on a certain topic.

If you've ever heard the term "systematic theology" that is the process of harmonizing everything the Bible has to say on a certain topic and then coming up with a summation or system of what God wants us to believe.

However way too often we take one Bible verse and claim that it alone communicate's God's teaching on that topic.  This is certainly easier and lazier than doing the work of systematic theology, which is one reason it lacks integrity.  Another reason is because people will use this method to say the Bible teaches something it actually does not.  Or to say the Bible doesn't teach something it actually does.

Here's a prime example.

It's very important for us to know what the Bible requires us to do if we wish to be saved.  It's very common to hear "faith alone" as the answer (even though the Bible only contains that phrase once, in James 2:24, a verse that ironically says "faith alone" is insufficient).

And you could see how if you took verses like John 3:16 by themselves, believing in Jesus could very well be seen as the only thing required to be saved.

But there are other verses that speak of salvation that need to be taken into account.

When Jesus is preaching in Mark 1:15 he says...

Repent and believe the gospel.

Clearly repentance is required if we are to be saved - a turning away from sin and turning toward God - a change of mind where we decide to no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus.

So we have (1) faith and (2) repentance, both of which are required for salvation.  And you would be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with that.

But there are still yet more verses we need to take into account on this subject.

For instance, Romans 10:9...

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

This seems to add the fact that a confession is necessary - specifically confessing that Jesus is Lord or master or ruler over your life and over the universe.

But notice how in Romans 10:9 there is no mention of repentance.  Almost every Christian would agree that repentance is necessary if one wants to be saved.  But if you just take Romans 10:9 as your only verse to show what the Bible teaches regarding salvation, that would make it seem like repentance doesn't matter.

Finally, though, we must take into account still more verses on the subject.  Specifically Acts 2:38.

After Peter has preached his famous Pentecost sermon and his hearers are cut to the heart, they cry out asking what they need to do to be saved.  Peter replies...

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now this is where many people will disagree with me.  This verse very clearly lays out baptism as a condition for salvation.  The people ask Peter what they should do and he says they need to (1) repent and (2) be baptized.  What happens when they do those things?  Their sins are forgiven and they receive the Holy Spirit.

You have to do some extraordinary interpretive gymnastics to argue that the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit there do not refer to baptism but only repentance.

Often people will quote Romans 10:9 to me as proof that you don't have to be baptized to be saved.  But that's lazy Bible interpretation.  That verse doesn't include repentance either!

So if we take all of the verses mentioned above, it would seem the Bible lays on us 4 things we must do to be saved - or 4 conditions for salvation.  (1) Faith (2) Repentance (3) Confession and (4) Baptism.


For more on the view that baptism is a condition for salvation go here, here, here, and/or here.


If you're reading this and would like to talk more about why I believe the Bible clearly teaches that baptism is required for salvation I would love to speak with you and answer your questions and/or objections.  You may e-mail me anytime at jtd3421@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.