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NASB | Hebrews 10:25 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ's return] approaching. |
Bible Question: Why do we have to go to church is the body is our temple and we pray at home? |
Bible Answer: Hi, You ask why you have to go to church? The answer is clear as has previously been stated, and it is 'yes' because you are not just a saved individual, but are part of a saved church, and part of Christ's own crucified and risen body (1 Corinthians 10.15-17). It is a little like my arm saying 'why should I go out along with the remainder of your body. I want to stay at home.' Result one mutilated body and one soon dead arm. Paul said, 'By (or 'in') one Spirit we have all been inundated into one body --- and were all made to drink of one Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12.13) and then he goes on to describe the oneness of the members of the body and the need each has for all the others. But this is in fact strictly parallel to 1 Corinthians 10.1-5. 'Our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were inundated into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food, and drank the same supernatural drink, for they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Christ' (1 Corinthians 10.1-4). Do you see how parallel they are? And the point behind the second is that they were all in it together. The whole of Israel had been 'inundated into Moses'. They had become one with him in readiness for them all being joinerd as one in the covenant. From then on he was their great mediator. They were all one together. Individuality was out. They were committed together for God's purpose for the future. Assuming that you have been baptised (and if you have not you ought to be) then your baptism was not an individual event. It was part of one huge baptism ceremony through the ages whereby all true believers have been inundated into Jesus Christ (just as Israel were all inundated into Moses). Assuming that you are a true believer, when you believed you were inundated into the body of Christ. And as part of the body of Christ you are to go on drinking of the Spirit together. You are bound into the new covenant with all your brothers and sisters in Christ. You should therefore feel at home in Christ in all churches were Christ is truly taught, and should recognise that you are already one with them and with your local church which is one arm of the whole body. Not to go and worship with them would put you at odds with all that Christ died for. It would mean that you are closing your eyes to all that has happened to you and that you are mutilating His body and that the arm is without a finger. You will lose and so will they. And so will Christ. For you are in Him as part of His body and He wants all of His body to be one. By not worshipping with fellow-believers you would be spiritually. mutilating Christ. You have not become a Christian so that you might go to Heaven (although that is a blessed side product), you have become a Christian so that you might serve the Lord in oneness with Him in His body. Not therefore to work together as part of His body would throw doubt on whether you were a Christian. You would be denying the very thing that has happened to you. In Him Rabban |