Part of the Body, the Whole

         Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 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 (Heb. 10:23-25, New American Standard Version).

            According the Apostle Paul, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is one body, made up of many members (Rom. 12:5). Because of this relationship, we are interconnected with each other. Unlike the kind of theology that we have been taught over the past fifty to one hundred years, especially here in America, the Bible clearly shares that individualism is not the primary goal of salvation. Though we are saved individually, one will note that the following text from which we typically gain this insight actually reveals a plural emphasis intended in this experience.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is

the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10, New American Standard Version).

            The reality in the Greek from which this text was translated shows that all of the pronouns used in this passage are plural in nature. Not one of them is singular. Even the “you” in the first of the verses (vs. 28) is plural, referring to all of those who have experienced salvation in Christ. This puts a different spin on our understanding of this text, especially, if we have grown up grasping this from a purely individualistic point of view!

            Now, how does all of this apply to our introductory passage? We were not saved by the Lord in His mercy only to go about this life as “Lone Rangers” in the Christian faith. Yet, far too many professing Christians believe they do not need the Church or the local church or “organized religion” in order to continue in the faith. In this, the writer of Hebrews states plainly that they are wrong and are in danger of great judgment when Jesus returns to render His due to all at His final coming (i.e. “the day”). You see, the writer of Hebrews in this passage states that there are things as Jesus followers for which we are responsible to do:

1.     Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.

2.     Stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

One cannot fulfill these requirements if one is staying home watching TV ministries in place of going to church on a regular basis. Obviously, what I just said does not apply to those who are bound to home by sickness or the caregiving of a loved one or having to work from time to time because one’s job necessitates absence from church. The Lord knows that these things crop up and your heart would rather be at church than away from it. The writer of Hebrews, however, is addressing those who purposefully choose to remove themselves from the church fellowship and who give excuses for being absent from the body. These are the ones who believe that they are individually strong enough to exist separate from the body of Christ, have no need for further strengthening or spiritual growth or mutual encouragement from others. Some say that they see no Biblical requirement for church membership; therefore, there is no need to be a part of a local body of believers. What they fail to understand is that the local fellowship is a microcosm of the larger body of Christ. If Jesus calls us into membership of the greater body, we are to purposefully seek to be members of the lesser body (again, Rom. 12:5).

            I encourage us all to review where our hearts are in regards to our attendance to the local fellowship. Are we being faithful to the Lord as shown by being in His house to worship Him regularly? Or have we been one of those to whom the writer of Hebrews is referring? If it is the latter of the two, we can always go to the Lord in repentance and begin anew, committing ourselves once more to rejoining ourselves with His people in service, worship, and in spiritual growth.