Do I have to Go to Church to be a Christian?

I was recently asked this question by one of the young people here at Firwood Church. It is by no means the first time that I have been asked it in one form or another, and I am sure it will not be the last. Just how essential is ‘going to Church’ to being a Christian? If someone doesn’t go to church, does that mean that they are in fact not a Christian?

It’s a tricky question, because we know that we are not saved by anything that we do (our good works, in which category we may include ‘going to church’), but by Grace, through faith as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

However, I would question why someone who claimed to follow Jesus would not have a love for something that Jesus loves so much.

Jesus is all about the Church. He:

• obtained it with his own blood (Acts 20:28)
• sits as head over it (Ephesians 1:22)
• loves it (Ephesians 5:25)
• gave himself up for it (Ephesians 5:25)
• is coming back for the Church, to present her perfect and spotless as His bride (Ephesians 5:27)
• cherishes it (Ephesians 5:29)

In the gospels, we see Jesus speaking to Peter and telling him that He (Jesus) is going to build His Church (Matthew 16:18). It’s not just some additional idea that we have thought up. God’s plan has always been for the Church. In fact, in Ephesians 5 Paul says that marriage, which was initiated in the beginning of creation (Genesis 2:24), is a picture of Jesus and the Church (Ephesians 5:29-33).

The Church was God’s plan right from the beginning.

The Bible is clear that we become part of the Church when we become Christians (1 Corinthians 12:13), but what does that mean? Could it be viewed as being on some kind of heavenly membership list, but not necessarily being together in a particular place and time each week?

There is just no room for that in scripture.

Hebrews 10:23-25 calls for Christians to not stop meeting together. The Church is supposed to meet together, with worship, teaching, communion, baptism, and leadership. All this is found in scripture.

Why should we meet together? Well, apart from the fact that the Bible just told us to (which should be enough), the Bible also makes clear why this is the case:

Christians in the church…

• help other Christians stay strong during difficult times (Heb 10:23-25)
• encourage love and good works in other Christians (as above)
• build up each other with the different gifts God has given (1 Corinthians 14:12)
• make up the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:13)
• all have unique and purposeful roles in the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)
• suffer with each other in difficulty, comfort each other, and share joy with each other (1 Corinthians 12:26)
• are built up TOGETHER to be a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus (1 Peter 2:5)
• glorify God (Ephesians 3:10 – this verse is talking about the angels. God shows them His glory through his work in the Church – this is incredible!)

… and so much more.

In summary of this short post, I would like to highlight four key points:

1. Jesus loves the Church. If we claim to be like Jesus, but hate his Church, or even just aren’t bothered with it, there is something wrong (compare this to ‘hating a brother’, which John speaks about in 1 John 2:9).

2. Jesus is coming back for his Church (Revelation 19:6-10). If we do not belong to it, where do we think we stand?

3. We need the Church. It is God’s plan for us, to help us grow and keep us faithful.

4. The Church needs us. It is God’s plan for the Church, that he would uniquely gift us and position us so that we can serve and build up other Christians.

So, can you be a Christian and not go to Church? I’d ask why a Christian would not want to.

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**This blog post accompanies a sermon preached by Phill Marsh at Firwood Church on 24th October 2010. To download or listen to the podcast of this sermon, click here.**