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July 6, 2026 |
| Forsaking Our Meetings | ||
One of the most commonly quoted verses goes something like "Don't forsake meeting together." This verse has come to mean, "Everyone should go to church on Sunday," but was that really the intent of the author of Hebrews?
There are important differences between our time and the time of the early church, when the Book of Hebrews was written.
Our churches have buildings that have mortgages that must be paid. They also usually have staff who need to be paid. Whether they admit it or not, this shifts the motivation of the church leaders from "For your own benefit" to "Put money in the offering."
There are major doctrinal differences between our churches and the early churches. The Bible doesn't deal with handling that problem anywhere. At some point, the instruction to "be with other believers" must come to an end. That may be an individual decision based on the level of understanding of the individual.
Would the author encourage us to meet with people who are, practically, a different religion?
The verse in question is actually part of a segue from one large passage to another. The previous passage has been talking about how Jesus has become the perfect High Priest for us. It ends this way.
Therefore brethren, we have boldness in the entrance of the holy place by the blood of Yeshua. 20 and the way of the Life who made us new is now within the veil which is his flesh. 21 And we have the High Priest over the house of God. (Hebrews 10:19-21)
The seque refers back to the previous passage with "therefore," and goes like this.
22 Let us approach therefore with a true heart and the confidence of faith, while our hearts are sprinkled and purified from a wicked conscience and having bathed our bodies in pure water; 23 And let us grasp firmly the confession of our hope and not waver, for he who has promised us is faithful. 24 And let us pay attention to one another in the encouragement of love and of good works. 25 And we should not be forsaking our meetings, as is the custom for each person, but plead with one another all the more, as long as you see that day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:22-25)
The segue leads into the next large passage with a "for," which takes us to a discussion on the seriousness and consequences of willful, intentional sins.
26 For if a man shall sin by his will after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice to be offered afterward for sins,27 But that terrible judgment is ready and the zeal of fire which consumes the enemies. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
So far, the reason for having a segue connecting these seemingly unrelated passages isn't clear. Right now, we just need to understand that the seque connects the idea of Jesus as High Priest to the idea of intentional sin.
Now we'll focus on the seque, where our key verse is waiting.
22 Let us approach therefore with a true heart and the confidence of faith, while our hearts are sprinkled and purified from a wicked conscience and having bathed our bodies in pure water; 23 And let us grasp firmly the confession of our hope and not waver, for he who has promised us is faithful. 24 And let us pay attention to one another in the encouragement of love and of good works. 25 And we should not be forsaking our meetings, as is the custom for each person, but plead with one another all the more, as long as you see that day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:22-25)
These verses begin with words that I'll paraphrase as "Because we have Jesus as a High Priest." Then the author lists four consequences of that for the Christian.
The translation of the key verse is very difficult. The word "forsaking" could also be "leaving," the phrase "for each person" could be "for one person," and "plead with" could be "look for." We get the general idea though; being with other believers is good for keeping a person on the right track and therefore from sinning by his will.
Modern Christianity sees the key verse as a warning against doing what they see happening in their own churches - people lose interest and attend less and less often until they are never seen again.
That is different from the situation in the early churches. Paul doesn't say anything about these people falling away and leaving because of that. He only says "some are in the habit of doing" this, and so he presents this "leaving" as believers choosing not to attend. We ask, "Why else would they leave the church?"
The people of the early church thought differently about many things, so much so that modern Christians don't understand them or this. The people of the early churches understood these things:
This left a big question: what need is there to meet with other Christians? There were some who thought they were self-sufficient. They weren't leaving the church because they were falling away, but because they saw no value in it to their Christian lives.
They were wrong, which takes us to Paul's points, one of which is that Christians need to meet together. Then he brings up intentional sin because that is the likely destiny of a person who does not follow his points. Eventually Satan will deceive you and drag you off the path. Very few people are able to survive without a Christian community for support.
The person who leaves is not the only focus though. Just as meeting with other Christians would have given him the strength he needed, his presence there would have strengthened others. Just as the proverb says: there is strength in numbers.
For this strengthening to occur, obviously, the meeting must actually build up people, which is a problem in modern churches.
Modern Christianity understands our key verse very differently. They believe the modern church is exactly the way Jesus wanted it to be … except for those other churches. Therefore they try to understand it as a message to
This verse warns against the habit of neglecting communal gatherings for worship and fellowship. The context explains that some early Christians had developed a pattern of isolation, potentially due to fear of persecution or societal pressure, but the text urges them to reverse this trend to encourage one another and remain steadfast as the Day of Christ's return approaches. (Some AI)
The author whom the AI is quoting sees the purpose of Christian meetings as "worship and fellowship." The truth is that worship occurs in your own temple. Also most Christian fellowship involves discussing worldly matters. Not on his list is instruction, which was the biggest part of the early church meetings.
The author also sees the possible causes for forsaking meetings as "fear of persecution or societal pressure." I expect that he has also noticed that the author of Hebrews doesn't say these people have left the faith, and he is trying to find another explanation. His explanation makes sense in the modern church, but the context of Hebrews doesn't support the idea. He can't imagine the correct explanation, as I mentioned above.
The author of this quote, like most others in Christianity, believes that the Hebrew church was under severe persecution, which they see described later in verses 32 through 34 in the chapter we've been studying.
Remember therefore the first days in which you received baptism and endured a great contest of suffering with reproach and affliction. 33 And you became a spectacle, and you were also made associates with people who endured these things. 34 And you were grieved concerning those who were imprisoned and you endured with joy the robbery of your possessions, because you know you have a possession in Heaven which is greater and does not pass away. (Hebrews 10:32-34)
But people who think these verses describe severe persecution fail to notice that it calls for the reader to remember his conversion, not his current life. The author of Hebrews is discussing the ostracism that was the consequence of their conversion. They were no longer considered Jews, and they lost everything that came with that.
The ostracism was a one-time event; after that, there was not much more that could be done to them except verbal abuse. The persecution was not severe enough that a person would use that as a reason to skip their meetings. In fact, once ostracized, people might as well attend those meetings, as those people would be their closest friends.
The Book of Hebrews contains another verse that shows us that the ongoing persecution was not that severe.
For you have not yet come as far as to blood in the struggle against sin. 5 And [yet] you have strayed from the teaching which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, turn not away from the course of the Lord Yahweh, neither neglect your soul when you are rebuked by him.” (Hebrews 12:4)
The author of Hebrews is saying that none of them have been beaten for being Christians. Even so, they have strayed from the teachings, a sin.
Some of the people in the Hebrew church felt there was little or no value in attending their meetings. They felt that, in this covenant, God had given them everything they needed to be self-sufficient.
The advice against "forsaking our meetings" is part of a larger picture, where we recognize Jesus as our perfect Great High Priest, and the meetings are one thing we are wise to do as a consequence of that understanding. We do those things because they keep us from committing intentional sin, which tramples on our Great High Priest.
As modern Christians we have trouble understanding how these words would have been understood by the intended audience. Even ordinary priests were highly respected people, deserving of deference, and chosen by God to be his servants. The idea of disrespecting them, let alone trampling on the High Priest, would have been shocking.
Just as the Hebrew church had strayed from its teachings in a short time and for little reason, so has the modern church, though after a long time. It is now valid to ask if there is sufficient value in their meetings, but the author of Hebrews says there is a danger that comes from not having the support of other Christians, and in not supporting them.