Is Church Attendance Essential for Christian Salvation?

Whether or not a Christian must attend church to be saved is a question of utmost importance. There is nothing more important than one’s eternal salvation. Where will one spend eternity? Will it be in a place of happiness and joy where “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4 NKJV) or will it be in the place of torment “where ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” (Mark 9:44 NKJV) and “shall never be quenched.” (Mark 9:43 NKJV)

This is a question that is really very easily answered if one will accept the word of God as being the one and only and final authority on deciding the question. The answer is no; one cannot be saved if he will not attend church by which is meant the church worship services. Hear God’s word on the subject.

(1) “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJV)

This passage clearly commands the Christian to assemble with other Christians. That being the case the next 6 verses should terrify the Christian who will not attend services (verses 26 – 31). The passage is too long to quote in its entirety here so let me just pick out a few phrases. “For if we sin willfully…no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…fearful expectation of judgment…fiery indignation…trampled the Son of God underfoot…counted the blood of the covenant…a common thing…insulted the Spirit of grace…I will repay says the Lord…a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:26-31)

“Sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4 KJV) The law on attendance at church services is found in Heb. 10:25 and there is such a thing as willful sin (Heb. 10:26).

(2) Can one be saved who does not love God? John said, “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) We know from what we have discussed that one such commandment is assembling with the saints.

Jesus, who is God, says “he who does not love me does not keep my words.” (John 14:24 NKJV) Every word found in the New Testament is the word of Jesus either directly or indirectly. Of the Holy Spirit Jesus said, “He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14-15 NKJV) The command to assemble with the saints is a command given by the Holy Spirit but it is just as much a command of Jesus and a command of God the Father. The failure to assemble with the saints is a failure to love God, a failure to love Jesus. Can such a one be saved?

Jesus said, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:29-30 NKJV)

Does one love God who has no desire to go worship him with the other saints and refuses to do so? You may think you have love for God but you have failed the test, not mine – his, if you fail to assemble for that is the thing God has commanded.

(3) God is to be worshipped. Can one be saved who will not worship God? Jesus when tempted by Satan said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.” (Matt. 4:10 NKJV) Again, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him.” (John 4:23 NKJV) God is seeking such people but the man who will not assemble for worship is not answering God’s call, God’s seeking for such worshippers. Paul said of Christians, “we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit.” (Philippians 3:3 NKJV)

But, some may say I can worship at home or alone. That is, to a certain extent, true but only to an extent. We are to teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs while singing in our hearts to the Lord. (Col. 3:16, see also Eph. 5:19) That will be tough to do at home alone. Jesus said he would do his singing in the assembly, “In the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to you.” (Heb. 2:12 NKJV) (Note, I did not say singing at home was wrong but only that the kind of singing commanded in Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:19 that admonishes and teaches one another, that speaks to one another, cannot be done while home alone.)

Then there is the matter of the Lord’s Supper. In the New Testament Christians assembled together to partake of that supper (1 Cor. 11, Acts 20:7). I do not know of a single passage of scripture to be found anywhere that even hints at the Lord’s Supper being taken at home alone. But, the truth is that those who do not attend services are not concerned about the Lord’s Supper anyway.

The Lord’s Supper is to be taken in remembrance of Jesus, of his death (1 Cor. 11:25). It is a memorial of his death. Would we not attend a memorial service for our father or mother, son or daughter? Perhaps the one who will not attend such a service for the Lord is telling more about his life and his affections than he cares to. Yes, a lack of love can kill you spiritually.

(4) The one who will not assemble with his brethren for worship is one who does not love his brethren the way he is commanded to. The Hebrew passage first used in this article talked about assembling in order to stir up one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). We are to “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22 NKJV) Everything else being equal we want to be with those we love. We want to encourage them, build them up, comfort them if they need it, lend our support, we want to see them. Paul says in Rom. 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (NAS) or as the original American Standard put it, “In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another.” When we have that attitude we want to go to where the brethren are and see them.

John said we ought to “lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16 NKJV). That is a pretty high standard of love. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV) The one who does not love his brother enough to meet with him to worship God, meet with him there also to encourage and exhort him to even greater love and spirituality, is not one who loves enough to think about laying down his life for his brother. There is not a lot of chance of him looking in on his brother come illness or other need in his brother’s life.

(5) We are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Matt. 6:33 NKJV) The one who will not assemble for worship is certainly in violation of this commandment given by Jesus. “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23 NKJV)

(6) James said, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17 NKJV) Is it good to go worship God?

(7) We are to go into all the world preaching the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20). The one who will not assemble for worship is not doing this in any form or manner for how can he? His example would overrule all his words. His neighbors know the truth.

(8) Then there is the matter of example, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42 NKJV) There are a lot of people to be concerned about other than just self.

Our example speaks louder than our words. Do we really want our children and grandchildren following our example if we are one who will not assemble with the saints for worship? Sin leads to more sin and often to greater sin. If you are not going to attend worship there is a real good likelihood that your family that comes after you, ones you love dearly, will be even less concerned about God, Christianity, and faithfulness than you are. You will reap what you sow in your family a little farther down the road and you will be partially responsible for what ultimately becomes of them.

There is a lot of religious nonsense on the internet. Some will tell you yes, you can be a Christian (and they mean a saved Christian who will end up in heaven) and not attend church. Yes, and about as soon as my basset hound quits bawling and starts meowing.

But, I have written this out of concern for I see many who feel as though they are Christians and living in a saved state who will never darken a church door. They are generally honest, moral, often kind and gentle people but they do not realize their true standing with God. We see what appears to be a decent man or woman in many respects but I wonder what God sees? Does he see self will, selfishness, lack of true love for God, indifference, unconcern, presumptuousness? What is inside the man that neither you nor I can see? God can go where we cannot and see what we cannot. One need not fear what I cannot see but he needs to be deeply concerned about what God can see.

I would add one other thing to what I have said. We think we fool other people into thinking we are the Christians we ought to be. Who do we think we are kidding? If they know two cents about the Bible they are not fooled. They have eyes, they see. They just keep quiet and do not throw it up to you.

“What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26 NKJV) The answer is, I am sorry to say, freedom to not assemble with the saints, freedom to use the time as I want to use it. That is what is being given in exchange for the soul.