Synagogue is the primary role of the Church. Wait... what?
Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV)
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members
We believe that
since this holy assembly and congregation
is the gathering of those who are saved
and there is no salvation apart from it,
no one ought to withdraw from it,
content to be by himself,
regardless of his status or condition.
But all people are obliged
to join and unite with it,
keeping the unity of the church
by submitting to its instruction and discipline,
by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ,
and by serving to build up one another,
according to the gifts God has given them
as members of each other
in the same body.
And to preserve this unity more effectively,
it is the duty of all believers,
according to God’s Word,
to separate themselves
from those who do not belong to the church,
in order to join this assembly
wherever God has established it,
even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid
and death and physical punishment result.
And so,
all who withdraw from the church
or do not join it
act contrary to God’s ordinance.
Summary
The first word of our passage today ought to trigger you. You've likely heard this before: 'Whenever you see the word therefore, you need to ask yourself, what's it there for?' Today's therefore is a big one, summarizing some of the Bible's most awesome examples of how it is that Christ's death could atone for our sin. Jesus' twofold work in which He both paid for your sin and satisfied God's covenant requirement for perfect righteousness on our behalf isn't just a trivial fact floating in the midst of billions of other trivial facts, rather it has profound implications on every aspect of your life.
So v19 begins not just with one conjunction, but two: Therefore... since (2x)... followed by three imperatives: let us... The unmistakable conclusion here is that although you did nothing to earn the grace that saved you, the resulting Christian life requires obedience and conformity to the One who saved you.
Dad-joke connoisseurs will immediately recognize this passage as the Bible's lettuce (let us) patch. Christ saved us, therefore since we have confidence AND since we have a great high priest, LET US:
Draw near to God;
Hold unswervingly to the hope we profess;
Spur one another on.
Dig Deeper
You probably didn't notice that all of the references in this passage are plural, not singular. The writer didn't phrase this as 'since I have confidence and since I have a great priest, I will draw near, hold unswervingly and spur others on.' You likely didn't notice the plural aspect because so many key Bible passages utilize it! It's normal and expected for the Bible to address us as God's people, not just His persons.
As we work our way through our Confession's articles on the Church, we'll be reminded often that many people have grown sick and tired of the church and withdraw from it with the intention of remaining faithful to Christ in all other regards. But such a concept is entirely foreign to the Bible. Christians are designed to live in close community with other Christians.
We read that we must "not give up meeting together, as some have the habit of doing." The word used here, synagōgē, of course is immediately recognizable to us because it's what Jewish people call their meeting place, but the very word symbolizes what the Christian Church does:
syn - together / along with. God's people must be together.
agō - to lead, bring, carry. We come together to lead, bring and carry one another closer and closer to Christ. This is why we synagōgē each Lord's Day.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who lives in the Holy Place we confidently enter through Christ;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as part of Christ's Church, you will lead and be led closer to Christ;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Corinthians 10
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