Not Forsaking the Assembly

(Hebrews 10:25)

Richard Hollerman

One of the verses that has been prominent in my memory for many years, perhaps since I was about 15 or 16 has been Hebrews 10:25. Notice these verses, verses 24-25 (NASB):

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

We know that there is much in these verses that deserves to be noticed. In context, the author (and we don’t really know who that person might have been) says that we are to stimulate  each other to have more love and good deeds. The term, “stimulate,” refers to a “stimulation” according to Vine.

Are we really increasing or growing in love and deeds that are good? Or are we staying the same or not moving? As we continue looking at this text, we discover that these readers had apparently turned away from Christ or where considering doing so. This poses a problem for the Calvinist, we would imagine, for this seems to indicate that it is possible to “forsake” our assembling with other believers.

In fact, we learn that some, apparently, had made this a “habit” or an ongoing practice that should be stopped and changed. Instead of forsaking the assembly, the believers at this place (and we really don’t know where in the Middle East or even Europe this may be) were to “encourage” other Christians. One preacher I knew thought that the “day” referred to in the text referred to the day of meeting or the Lord’s day. Most might think that this would refer to Christ’s return, the day of His appearing, although we might add that we really don’t know precisely when He will come back again.

We can see that there are many items in these verses (vv. 24-25) that need to be understood and we may not be able to do so, exactly. In short we learn that we are to think through how we are to “stimulate” other believers (probably in the assembly or body of Christ), how to love more and to engage in increased deeds that are good. We are not to depart from meeting with them as others were doing, but (instead) we are to encourage them as we wait for Christ’s return.

As we read or study this section (whoever may have been the writer, and we do know that this is inspired and authoritative, although it was slow to be received into the canon), certain questions do come to mind:

1. Who does the “us” refer to? We really don’t know, although it must have been other believers.
2. What about the “stimulate” in vv. 24-25? As believers we are to encourage other Christians to continue in this sort of godly living.
3. And the “love” and “good deeds” would be self-evident. We are to encourage other believers to grow in this godly character—whether it be “love” (about which there are dozens of NT verses, particularly see 1 John 3-4) or “good deeds” (and we might notice the entire book of Titus for this).
4. And the “forsaking” may indicate that certain brothers and sisters were turning away from following the Lord and gathering with other believers. The term is, “abandoning.” Were these believers (?) turning away from the gatherings of the saints?
5. And what about “our assembling”? Instead of a particular meeting, we think that this may refer to the Lord’s day meeting (Acts 20:7) although it may refer to every time the believers meet (cf. Hebrews 3:12-13; Acts 2:42). By “meetings”, we have, “episunagogen,” meaning “meetings.”
6. As for “habit” we receive the distinct impression that this was not merely a passing activity but it may have been an ongoing practice. Instead of failing to gather each day or each week, perhaps these individuals were missing these meetings or had given up completely.
7. Why were they gathering or why should have they been gathering regularly? The reason was to “encourage” each other.
8. The next word is “encouraging” (which, in the KJV, would be “exhort” or “exhortation”). The word is, “parakalountes,” meaning, “encouraging.” Do we do this when we meet?

Are these encouraging words directed to Christians? Apparently so. What was the problem that the writer deals with here? These ones apparently were either considering or had already ceased to meet with others for the purpose of edification.

We know and you do too that these words at Hebrews 10:25 are used by Catholic faithful to encourage them to continue to go to the regular Mass. This would be used by Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and so forth to encourage their members to continue meeting and not abandon these. Of course, we know that Baptists use this verse to encourage their Baptist members to remain faithful to this denomination and continue to meeting in Baptist circles.

We recall when a woman sought to encourage me to meet regularly with other Christians (she was a Baptist) and then my problems would be solved. This was when I was without housing at all and needed to find a place to stay. She reasoned that I just needed to heed the encouragement of Hebrews 10:25!

As far as the Restoration Churches, we know that there are three that have their origins from the early nineteenth century. Among the non-instrumental churches there are perhaps five main ones with as many as 15 smaller groups. We know that they all use Hebrews 10:25 to stimulate their members to attend the “services” regularly. After all, didn’t the writer (and some are confident that Paul the apostle was the author) plainly admonish his readers to not forsake the meetings?

What can we say about all of this? If I were a part of a local assembly that gathered regularly, and if this group edified each other regularly, and if this assembly of believers were to turn away from the wrong and embrace the right, and if this group were to believe the truth of the good news of Christ and disbelieve the false teachings of the world around us, and if these people were to abstain from the worldliness around them and live in holiness and truth, then I would whole-heartedly believe, practice, and teach Hebrews 10:24-25.

Yet I think that many (perhaps not every one) of our readers will see the impossibility of following these instructions and applying them to many of the religious groups today. Some of these even claim to be part of the body of Christ, yet we all know (at least I think we do) that many of these groups do not qualify as Hebrews 10:24-25 believers. (Of course, I’m not using this term in a denominational sense.)

Sadly, we know that we simply cannot lift these verses from the context of Hebrews 10 and apply them to denominational groups or questionable assemblies today. This is not at all what the writer had in mind, thus we must never be guilty of “eisegesis” (reading into the text something that is not there) rather than “exegesis” (taking from the text what the writer put into it). Although we may like Hebrews 10:25 and think that this will fit into our situation, we hopefully won’t think that this directly fits into the “problem” and “situation” that we find today.

We need to observe that Peter speaks of certain ones who would twist the scriptures. We read of the “untaught” and “unstable” who “distort” the Bible (2 Peter. 3:16). In fact, they pervert the scriptures “to their own destruction” (NASB). Or, as one translation has it, “ill informed and unbalanced people distort.” Another rendering has it that “untaught and weak people distort” the Scriptures.  The point is that we must guard against using the scriptures in a way unintended by the author or authors.

Let us read and heed Hebrews 10:24-25 and the entire book, but realize that not every word is to be applied as we wish we could today. Yes, it may; but perhaps it doesn’t. We know that God, through the Holy Spirit, inspired the unknown writer to pen the words of verses 24-25 that we have been examining. And we definitely are required to obey these words in our own situation. On the other hand, let us be careful that we don’t rip these inspired words from their context and seek to apply them in a way that God doesn’t.  May God bless us and lead us to this end!