Bible Q&A: Does the Bible tell us to 'go to church'?

April 4, 2003

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Bible Question: "Are the words 'go to church' in Scripture? I know and believe that Christians should go to church and fellowship with other believers. But I still have that question."--CMD
Bible Answer: The literal words "go to church" in that particular order are not in the Bible. However, the Bible has many, many Scriptures that urge all believers to attend church services, and the first reference of the word "church" is by the Lord Jesus.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Peter, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
Some interpret this verse to mean the church is built on Peter, but if you read the verses prior to this verse, it becomes obvious that is not what Christ is saying here.

The 'rock' on which Jesus builds His church

To understand, read Matthew 16:13-17, "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, 'Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?'
"So they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'
"Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'"
The "rock" upon which Christ built the church is not Peter, but Peter's confession, that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Confessing Christ as Lord is what creates Christians

Christians are literally people who have confessed that Jesus is the Christ, or the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That confession is what makes us into Christians.
And once we become Christians, we need the fellowship and worship with other believers to truly become a church. Without that, we're just isolated little islands of Christianity.
The clearest text that commands Christians to "go to church" is Hebrews 10:24-25.
"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."
The purpose of worship services is "to stir up love and good works" and "exhorting one another," and Paul warns against "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together."
Even in Paul's day in the earliest years of the church, some were forsaking the attendance of church, "as the manner of some is," Paul said, so this is nothing new.
"No man is an island," the poet said. And no Christian is an island without the church.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 20 years.)