Hebrews 10:24, 25: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Anyone may be excused for being a bit confused about the meaning of the word “church”; we use the word is so many ways. It has taken on the meaning a particular building, a denomination or organized faith and even a Sunday or Wednesday service. However, none of these is a basic New Testament theme. So, what is the “church” and who qualifies to participate…why and how? For the answers, we turn to the Bible for:
- Historical Context: Although some include the Book of Hebrews among the Apostle Paul’s writings, the certain identity of the author remains an enigma. Missing is Paul’s customary salutation so common to his other works and, too, the suggestion that the writer of this epistle relied upon knowledge and information provided by others who were actual eye-witnesses of Christ Jesus (2:3) makes Pauline authorship doubtful. Some attribute Luke as its writer; others suggest Hebrews may have been written by Apollos, Barnabas, Silas, Philip, or Aquila and Priscilla. Regardless of the human hand that held the pen, the Holy Spirit of God is the divine author of all Scripture, therefore, Hebrews speaks with the same canonical authority as the other sixty-five books of the Bible. The early church father Clement quoted from the Book of Hebrews in 95 A.D., however, internal evidence such as the fact that Timothy was alive at the time to the epistle was written and the absence of any evidence showing the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system that occurred with Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 A.D. indicates the book was written around 65 A.D. The Book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrew to other Hebrews telling the Hebrews to stop acting like Hebrews. In truth, many of the early Jewish believers were slipping back into the rites and rituals of Judaism in order to escape the mounting persecution. This letter, then, is an exhortation for these persecuted believers to continue in the grace of Jesus Christ.
- Grammatical Usage: 24: “consider” is “katanoeo” in the Greek and means, “to perceive clearly and intensely; thoughtfully prompting”; “provoke” is “paroxusmos” in the Greek and means “to stimulate”; 25: “assembling” is “episunagoge” in the Greek meaning, “gathering in the present”.
- Literal Application: “And let us intensely prompt one another in order to stimulate love and good works; do not continue to be absent from the gathering as is the habit of some, but, on the contrary always be encouraging with even greater effort as you see the day approaching.
- Contextual Interpretation: V. 24: It is common among modern Christians, especially western Christians, to believe that what others do is none of our business. Thus attitudes which foster backsliding are politely ignored – to the detriment of the individual as well as the gathering. This verse specifically teaches that Christian love will not allow one to note the downfall of another without lending a helping a hand. Every member of the gathering has a personal interest in the spiritual health of another as it affects them, ourselves and the quality of witness outside the gathering. The Greek tense indicates an exhortation to constant attention of each believer to another to motivate, stimulate, provoke and arouse each to a right relationship with God, one another and the world. Since we cannot do this if we do not see each other often, the thought of the next verse, v. 25, follows logically: within the gathering we comfort, exhort and come to the aid of each other. Obviously this work of encouragement can not be accomplished if adherents (members) continue to be absent. Physical presence is a requirement; admittance, however, is another issue (see Scriptural Comparison). The point of these verses is the deduction that a specific gathering exits, attendance is mandatory and the purpose is clear.
- Scriptural Comparison: A definition of “church” or “ekklesia” and its historical use is essential in the consideration of the Biblical legitimacy of “membership.” Critical etymological observations include:
- Linguistically, the Greek word “ekklesia” was originally
a political assembly. By the 5th
Century B.C. it had come to mean an official gathering of the full citizens of
a Greek city-state (polis) called out to make political or judicial
decisions. It was used with an idea of a
local body making appointments or decisions.
It was never used by the Greeks in reference to religious fellowships;
- In Jesus’ time, the Hebrew word “synagoge” was used for a specific place of Sabbath meeting and was a marker of identification of and affiliation with the Hebrew faith;
- While early Christians continued to worship in the synagogue, they soon broke with Jews over fulfillment of the law as well as the person, nature and work of Jesus Christ. It also broke with the Greek usage in adopting “ekklesia” as “a called out religious assembly.”
- Ellkesia appears
only three times in the Gospels (Mt. 16:18; 17:18 [twice]). It is the usage of ekklesia in Acts and the
Epistles that suggests how the early Christians understood the word “church”:
- “Ekklesia” is a corporate identity – God’s people viewed as whole and new community (in fact, persecution began when believers broke from Judaism);
- “Ekklesia” encompasses any number of believers – small groups meeting in homes (Rom. 16:5), all believers in a large city (Acts 11:22; 13:1; 1 Cor. 1:2); a large geographical district, such as Asia or Galatia, would include more than one church (1 Cor. 16:1, 19) but it was marked by a specific affiliation;
- Geographical limitations (e.g., “the church at Jerusalem”) serves to identify a group functioning as a community. Groups varied in size and meeting location. Acts 20 suggests Paul recognized the Ephesus church as large with multiple elders, charged with specific oversight;
- Geographical extension (e.g., “the churches in the province of Asia”) is a broad statement about believers in a major district. Paul cited Macedonian churches for generous giving to fellow believers despite their own poverty (2 Cor. 8:1, 2);
- Unrestricted reference of “Ekklesia” is a corporate designation: Christianity understood by the corporate identity of Christ’s people as a mystical unity in functioning communities. It is specifically not a reference to identity of the individual as one of God’s newborn and therefore cannot be referenced in an apologetic promoting non-affiliation with a community;
- Therefore both the community as well as the individual must recognize Jesus as Lord and corporately submit to Him who is “Head of the Church”. This proves a corrective theme to Western culture’s individualism. Christians must learn to live as a people called out of the world AND called to be together, called to function in and as a community. Whenever the word “church” is used in the New Testament, we are to discern our corporate identity and see how we function as a community, not how an individual functions apart from the community.
- Three images found primarily in Ephesians explain the
corporate entity that is “ekklesia”:
- The church is a body (Ep. 4; Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12). Each passage stresses interdependence, spiritual gifts, allegiance to one another and love. The lack of exercising these elements is detrimental to both the individual and the body – the individual is unfulfilled and the body is denied ministry;
- The church is a family as the New Testament portrays the “ekklesia” as a network of intimate, loving relationships. Ep 3:14 tells us God is the “Father” of our family. The New Testament has a number of family identifications among believers. Again and again believers are identified as brothers and sisters and at times even as mothers and fathers (1 Tim. 5:1, 2). As children of the same God (Gal. 3:26), who is our Father, each believer is to love other believers as brothers and sisters (1 Th 4:9; 1 Pe 1:22; 1 Jn 3:11-15; 4:7-21).
- The church is a temple with Christ as the cornerstone, “a dwelling in which Christ lives by His Spirit” (Eph 2:21, 22). The believing community is to be holy, in this way reflecting the very character of the Lord.
- “Ekklesia” mandates membership:
- The local church of today is the geographically limited church identified in the New Testament: a congregation of believers who come together to function as God’s called-out community;
- Christians are not for forgo meeting together (Heb. 10:24, 25);
- The Scripture has a great deal to say about being in submission to the “higher powers.” Hebrews 13:17 specifically states, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” In fact, Hebrews 13:7, 17 &24 sets up a chain of submission: “Remember, obey and salute your pastors.” Ephesians 4:14 specifically states, “…He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Submission has reference to the establishment principles that God has ordained in our world—governmental as well as church leaders, in whatever capacity that God has placed in authority over us on this earth. Passages that teach this principle are Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14; and Titus 3:1. The principle is that being in obedience to the authority over us, whatever that authority is, will bring a temporal blessing in real time here and now and, for the believer, reward later. The highest authority is God, and He delegates authority to others; so, in order submit to God, we submit to the authority He has placed over us. You will notice that there are no caveats that distinguish between good or bad authority or even just or unjust authority. We are just to humble ourselves and obey as “unto the Lord.” Church membership is the only way to join a community and exercise submission.
Conclusion: If one confesses a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, one is expected to join a local congregation and submit to that spiritual authority as well as actively participate in the life of that community exercising spiritual gifts and accepting the ministry of others.