Custom or Command? Christian Worship & Hebrews 10:25
What does Hebrews 10:25 mean in relationship to our weekly church worship services? Does the New Testament command these weekly gatherings or have we simply assumed something that the biblical writer (and the Holy Spirit) never intended to say? As someone involved in church leadership, even on a denominational level, for many years, I need answers to these questions. Are we talking about something that is a cherished custom or is it more than that: a biblical command? Here’s what the Bible says in various translations:
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. (NIV)
…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (NASB)
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)
…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (ESV)
…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (KJV)
Now there’s nothing wrong with human customs and traditions. Jesus honored the Jewish customs centered around the synagogue, even though this institution emerged sometime during the intertestamental era (the 400 “silent years” between Malachi and Matthew) without any Old Testament support, and therefore technically outside the revealed will of God. Jesus offers no rebuke for their “unbiblical” custom of gathering as a Jewish community every Sabbath; instead He attends the synagogue meetings and takes part in them when invited to do so.
On this cool Saturday evening (barely 70° F or 21° C), I sit here with a nice cup of coffee and contemplate our “worship service” tomorrow. Is it simply a custom? Or are we commanded to do it?
So what difference does it make? Well, for one thing it’s a matter of integrity, because I have used Hebrews 10:25 as a correctional whip to force God’s people to attend Sunday worship services or face church discipline for “forsaking the assembly”; and it’s been used plenty of times on me by well-meaning and sincere Gospel ministers. Perhaps some of the other reasons will surface in our dialogue together, if anyone is brave enough to venture out on this limb with me.
So what is it? Custom or command?
:: RELATED POSTS ::
Could it be that we have turned obedience into legalism? Just last Sunday our pastor gave us the line, “You should be in church whenever the doors are open.” This guilted me into church for many years. I got over it. But hearing it again startled me. I thought, “Do people really still preach that?”
I do believe we must be faithful in our assembling together, certainly. But I also believe that the truly regenerate want to do just that, regardless of the ‘whipping’ of the pastor.
On the subject of customs, as you pointed out, Jesus took part in the Jewish customs. Are our hearts right before God when we meet on Sunday for worship? If so, God is honored and He will honor our feeble attempts to worship Him via our Sunday morning custom. It is when the customs become man-centered (yes, I speak of Rome…and those churches that strive for numbers more than the Gospel) that we lose the heart of Hebrews 10:25.
Just my two cents
I believe the key to this is the glad and sincere heart spoken of in Act 2:45. That group met together everyday out of a desire to be with one another and this is what is sorely missing from our churches. The correction given to us by Hebrew 10:25 points at a deeper spiritual problem than just failure to “come to church on Sunday”. Why don’t we desire to meet even more often than we do? Is because our gatherings “do more harm than good” as Paul tells the Corinthians in reference to their abuse of the Lord’s Supper?
If the law is indeed written upon our hearts and not just on stone, then our new nature should drive us to want meet together for worship on a regular basis. Could it be that Sunday services are such an incredible drag because there is a lack of sincere, regenerate hearts in our congregations? I think this is the case. Custom or Command? I believe that the weekly observation of the Sabbath is sufficient pattern of behavior for God’s people from all ages. Monday, Sunday, Saturday, whatever day does not matter as much as the regular gathering of God’s people into one place to worship corporately. What are the alternatives to weekly meetings? Would meeting once a month somehow enhance our spiritual condition? I group this question into the “do we really HAVE to give 10 percent of our income?” We can argue about whether tithing is part of the law that has been fulfilled, but I I always respond to this question by asking the person if giving 5% instead of 10% brings more Glory to God.
I agree with Lynn in that pastors should not use Hebrews 10:25 as a way to guilt people into the pews. If people are there out of guilt alone, then by all means stay home. I have always taught that the worship service should be focused on believers and not out reach since a non-believer cannot worship a God they do not know. I have always gotten this attitude from people that they are doing ME a favor by coming to church on Sunday. I try to explain that I do not get a dollar a head for Sunday attendance at that ultimately if you are just going to sit there and think about the ballgame, fishing or shopping during the whole time we are gathered, then I really do not want you there. I think every pastor will agree (maybe not every pastor, as Lynn alluded to in the previous comment) that they would have 50 people who really love the Lord than 500 pew warmers. Long story short, we are indeed commanded to meet with each other on specific day and in a specific place, but it should be from our new nature to desire this, not from some preacher’s attempt to guilt people into the pews.
Bill,
You’ve asked some great questions. But, the command in Heb 10:24-25 is not to assemble, but to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Meeting together does not satisfy any commands of God. If we meet with other believers every day of the week, but never interact with one another in order to help one another mature toward Christ-likeness, then we have accomplished nothing. Should we meet together? I think that’s asking the wrong question. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, why would we not want to spend time with one another? Our desire to meet with and interact with one another does not come from obeying a command, but from the new and mutual life that the Spirit is creating within us. As Paul would say, it is not “if” we meet together, but “whenever [we] come together” that we should do everything for the purpose of building one another up. Thanks for this post.
-Alan
Bill,
Completely off topic. I am reading Jeremy Jackson’s “No Other Foundation: The Church Through Twenty Centuries” and I ran across this:
“Have you been congratulating yourself on your orthodoxy over the last few pages? Such congratulations is the THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE of the gospel of works.”
The full quote is on my blog. I just wanted to share your blog title in Jackson’s quote.
Alan, we are definitely singing out of the same hymn book, even though you may have misunderstood my post. Hang with me and I think you’ll agree.
I don’t see anything in Hebrews 10:25 about worship. Alan has it right, I believe. It’s all about stimulating one another to love and good works, as well as encouraging one another. One could argue that certain aspects of what we call “worship” (in our modern context) might be encouraging and stimulating, but that’s not enough to use this text as a whip to fill church pews.
Hebrews assumes that believers will meet together. Not to do so would be cause for concern, but this inspired text of Scripture does not specify when, where, what day, or with what regularity we should meet together. Does it?
This past week my wife and I were blessed to gather with various believers nearly every single day—sometimes multiple times in one day—not because we had to but because we wanted to. Sometimes I met one-on-one with a brother for several hours of discipleship; other times we met as a married couple with several others; and my wife met together with other sisters. Depending on the day and the time, we talked, laughed, ate, loved, prayed, studied, praised, and learned together; and I’m not referring to the sixty minutes on Sunday morning in our local Baptist church.
Did those Monday through Saturday gatherings satisfy the spirit of Hebrews 10:24-25? I believe so. But guess what? If we had not attended the “stated services” of a local church, I know some well-meaning and sincere Christians (maybe some who are reading these comments) who would adamantly maintain that we had sinned against God and that local church.
Do you see my point? How can “our meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25) be defined so narrowly as an official meeting in an official building on Sunday. Unless I’m missing something, there is nothing in this biblical text to support such a construction.
Bill,
I guess my post came across differently that I intended. From reading your blog, I did not think we were on a different page, much less a different hymn book. I apologize if my post suggested otherwise. I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog!
-Alan
Bill,
I too agree with you and Alan that Hebrews 10:25 is a word for us to encourage and stimulate one another. That is hard to do if you are not “together” somewhere at some point. Where I gather “together” each Sunday morning with other believers at our worship center is a longed for and looked forward to experience for me each week. Personally I enjoy that immensely for the time “together” with the worship music, worship in the Word, and worship in prayer. True this is not your traditional gathering of believers either but an intimate time with the Father.
Sunday evenings we meet in homes, more like the “first churches” as your home group there in Wales. This is gathering together as well, not in the big building. I personally gather together with believers all week long in many places that I believe is just as important, thus the “two or three gathered together” concept.
Is our Christian experience not to be a daily walk with God and continuous worship experience? I believe it is and this is what we should be striving for, using Hebrews 10:25 as a springboard to remind us to do just that.
Bubba
I think God told us to meet together regularly because we need each other. He created us for relationship with Him and to need other people. People are not made to excel alone; we require community to flourish.
As pointed out above, it would be hard to stimulate one another to love and good deeds if we are not around each other. As also pointed out above, it is a good question as to if Sunday morning services accomplish this.
Personally, I like Sunday morning service and am a regular attender of a local church. But I think this command in Hebrews could be met in other ways than Sunday morning worship. I think a small group that meets routinely and is deeply committed to studying the word and one another’s growth may very well meet this command.
Thanks for your comments, Tracy! I completely agree, although I’m struggling with the Sunday morning thing (or even a weekly “meeting for meeting’s” sake). When I read Hebrews 10:25, I don’t see anything regarding what we have come to know as “praise and worship” gatherings. Likewise, we really DO need to be meeting periodically with one another to stimulate and encourage to love and good deeds.
Bill,
I totally see what you’re saying. A small group setting meets the scriptural mandate much better.
I think part of the reason that the whole weekly meeting evolved was purely practical – children.
As awesome as they are (and I sure love and am grateful for my 3 sons) it’s hard to focus on anything of depth when they are little. Plus you want something geared to their needs and level. Sunday mornings in the church setting allow that to happen; the parents can be in some kind of bible study setting separate from the kids.
The question is fundamentally flawed because the answer is in fact both. Hebrews 10:25 is often a poorly and (solely) used proof-text for attendance in a local body on Sunday morning. In order to arrive at a clear understanding of how attending Church is a both a commandment and a custom we must take in the entirety of scripture.
Four metaphors are used to describe the church. A body, a temple, a household, and a flock. There are parts of the body. If I cut off my finger it dies and is no longer a part of my body. Each of us is like a stone in the Temple of God. Christ is the cornerstone. A brick sitting on the side of the road is not a part of a temple. Not until it used in the construction of the temple is it recognized as a part of it. Until then it is good for nothing. Everyone that lives in my household shares the same address. We all live together which provides context for our relationship. Finally, fences are used by ranchers everywhere to distinguish one flock of animals from another.
1 John 2:19 assumes that being part of a local body is normative (customary). For whatever reason some of those that were part of the visible church (attendance) were no longer a part of the invisible church (Christians). The implication is that at the very least attendance with John’s church is a visible mark of identification with the church and therefore Christ and at least implies membership in the invisible church.
Matthew 18:15-17 provides a context for church discipline. That would be kind of hard to do in the context of a group of guys getting together in a coffee shop. What are they gonna do, kick someone out of a coffee shop they don’t even own? It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall and listen to the leader explain that one to the cops.
I’d love to hear someone explain Hebrews 13:17 if one is not part of a recognized body. How is the leadership supposed to know who is submitting to them? Do they submit to the televangelist or the guy on the radio? Not likely.
Belonging to a local church body is so heavily implied in scripture it goes without saying. Part of that belonging includes being present. None of the implied verses could be applied without attendence. Saying that scripture does not command us to go to church is like using the regulative principle with regard to breathing. There is no commandment to breathe. Try not doing it and see what happens.
This passage does not talk about regular public worship “services” as there was no such thing when the book was written. Churches met in homes (much as the persecuted Chinese Christians do today) and persecution is just as likely to spur attendance as discourage it. The “assembling together” in view is that Grand Assembly that will happen on the Day of the Lord. We are encouraged to increasing faithfulness, lest we lose our rewards by not persevering.
Garrett,
I have to side with the majority in this conversation. Hebrews 10:25 is not talking about any systematically structured meetings. I agree with your metaphors but disagree with your exegesis.
1 John 2:19 has nothing to do with a ‘local congregation’! It has everything to do with our common faith. As a matter of fact, this verse could very well apply to anyone attending our Sunday morning service – that includes elders and pastors. “They went out from us” could refer to people falling into heresies (no longer clinging to orthodoxy or orthopraxy), or they could have left relationships. In the context of 1 John, I would wager that it could also mean they are not walking in love.
Matthew 18:15-17 does not speak about discipline but about restoration of relationships. The ultimate attempt at reconciliation is not ‘kicking someone out of a coffee shop’ but treating them like ‘Gentiles and tax collectors’. My question to you would be: how did Jesus teach us to treat Gentiles and tax collectors?
Finally, Hebrews 13:17:
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account…”
Obey: peitho¯ – to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe [NOT the commonly used hupakouo¯ - to obey, be obedient to, submit to]
Submit: hupeiko¯ [only instance in NT] – to resist no longer, but to give way, yield (of combatants) [NOT hupotasso¯ - to obey, be subject]
Your leaders: he¯geomai – to lead or to consider, deem, account, think
So Hebrews 13:17 should read:
“Let your selves be persuaded by those who lead you by example of thoughts and deeds and do not resist, but willingly yield to them, for they spend sleepless nights over your soul as one who gives word…”
It is my conviction that most of the so-called leaders of institutional churches are not leaders in God’s Kingdom. Institutional churches lead as the Gentiles do:
“[they] lord it over them; and [they] do so as ‘benefactors’. But it is not so with you, but the one who is greatest among your must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant/bartender (people WITHOUT authority).”
Luke 22:25,26
It’s like a family where there is the person who seems to be in control, telling everyone what to do and how to act. But everyone knows that when the quiet uncle sitting in the background says something, everyone responds because he is the actual leader. The authoritative leaders will get their recognition from people, the true leader is recognized by God himself.
For many years I read the New Testament with the context/filter of ‘institutional church body’ and would have eagerly agreed with you that this is ’so heavily implied in scripture it goes without saying’. I can no longer see this interpretation – ‘it goes without saying’ because it is not said. Everywhere I look throughout the New Testament, I see an organic, simple ekklesia that exists today in another dimension, another realm. Sometimes it exists along side of and entangled with the institutional church of the Sunday meetings but, more often than not, it exists despite this structure. To paraphrase Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this church, if it were …”
My question is about …forsake not the assembly…… I go to church every Sunday and and most Sunday nights. ( because I want to ) But our preacher says we should be there every time the doors are open. We have church on Wednesday nights too but I have been missing some of those. In church this past Sunday he didn’t call out names but he did preach his sermon on missing church and then looked straight at some of us. It made me uncomfortable that he did that to us. I don’t know of any place in the Bible that says you should be there any time the doors are open. I love God and try to do the things he would want me to do but I don’t know that this pressure being put on us is right. If I could get your (second) opinion (his first) maybe you can help me with this matter. There are times on Wednesday that I have other things to do and I hate this guilt trip. HELP!!!!!
Judy,
The Christian pulpit is a powerful place that can tempt even the most loving and humble men to speak from their own insecurities and ego and desire to lord it over other people. We have accepted this traditional model of paying a seminary-trained “expert” to spend time with God and then tell us what God wants us to do. I am thankful that you are questioning this practice!
Hebrews 10:24-25 says nothing about worship services, whether Sundays or Wednesdays, and it does not mention frequency, or sermons, or music, or anything else we typically associate with modern-day church meetings. And there’s no mention of frequency…just that we should not forsake meeting together…or location. What it DOES say is that Christians ought to get together with one another for several important reasons: to encourage one another and to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
I believe that we can completely fulfill the spirit of Hebrews 10:24-25 by meeting with other believers on an informal basis just as well as we can by gathering weekly in a building owned by a 501c3 corporation (we like to call it “a local church”). The Spirit of God is not contained in a building…surely God’s people are not to be defined in the same way.
If you choose to worship on Sunday morning with other Christians in a local church, there is no biblical support for requiring attendance on Sunday nights or any other day of the week. Those expectations may be set forth in a 501c3’s constitution and by-laws and enforced by the pastor from the pulpit, so if you have “joined the club” then you may be required to obey the rules of the club as they are interpreted and applied with the consent of the majority. To do otherwise may bring censure and even excommunication in some of the circles I used to run in.
I trust that you will continue to listen to the voice of the Spirit within you…the One Jesus promised would lead us into all truth.
Bill