Every so often, I hear
someone say something to the effect of this: “Why should I go to church? You don’t have to go to church to be a
Christian.”
Now, in one sense they’re right. We aren’t saved because we go to church. It isn’t a work by which we gain the mercy of
God. We’re saved only by the grace of
God. And this grace is received only through faith in Jesus. However, that being said, someone who truly
believes in Jesus will want to go to church.
We see several reasons for this in Scripture.
We see a couple of reasons in Hebrews 10:24-25, which
says: “And let us
consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.”
We see, first of all, that we’re called to gather
together. We’re told that we’re not to
neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some. And we’re told that we’re to do so all the
more as we see the day, the day of Christ’s return, approaching. If God desires that we should meet together,
why would we refuse him? As people of
faith, we naturally desire to live life according to his will.
Yet there’s more to it than this. We find that there are blessings God intends
for us to receive through the church. We
see in this passage, for example, that we’re to go to church that we might
encourage one another.
The Christian life is not designed to be lived alone. It’s designed to be lived in community. And by gathering together, we’re able to stir
up one another to love and good works, and to encourage one another in the
faith.
We see another reason for going to church in 1
Corinthians 12. In verses 4-7, we read: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the
same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there
are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in
everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” And in verse 12, we’re
told: “For just as the body is one and
has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body,
so it is with Christ.”
We see in these verses that the Spirit of God gives gifts
to his people. And he gives them not for
our own good, but for the common good. In other words, the gifts that he gives
to us are given for the benefit of the church as a whole. For this reason, when we gather with our
fellow believers, we’re able to bless them with the gifts God has given
us. And, in the same way, we’re able to
be blessed by the gifts he’s given to others.
In this chapter, Paul uses the human body to illustrate
his point. The body is made up of many
parts with many functions. Yet each of
these parts, along with their functions, serve the good of the body. And the same is true of the church. We each have a function, we each have a role
to play, for the good of the church.
We see another vital reason to attend church in Romans
10:17, where Paul says: “So faith comes
from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We are drawn to
faith through the hearing of the Word.
And, although we can read the Word at home, although we can listen to
preachers on the internet, TV, and radio, we are exposed to the Word of God
primarily in the church. We primarily
hear the Word of God in church.
This is far from an exhaustive list of the reasons we
should go to church. But it’s a good
starting point. If you haven’t been
attending church, or if you’ve been very irregular in your attendance,
prayerfully consider the Scripture passages mentioned here. And I hope and pray that you will joyfully
attend church each week.
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