Is not going to church a sin?

Moore's Corner Church

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Is it a sin to not go to church? I've always been hesitant to give a blanket yes or no, but because of some things that have happened recently,

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I'm just gonna give a blanket statement and then I'll explain myself afterwards. Is it a sin to not go to church?

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Yes, yes it is. Of course it is. James 4 17 says, therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

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And of course Hebrews 10 25 tells believers to not forsake the assembly.

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So Hebrews 10 25 gives a clear command to not forsake or neglect the assembly, which is the church.

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So to forsake or to neglect the church, to not go to church, is to defy a command in the

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New Testament. Again Hebrews 10 25. So to say that Christians are supposed to go to church is probably the most basic statement

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I could ever make. Now on the other hand, and why I've been reluctant to just come right out and say yes it's a sin not to go to church, is because obviously there are some exceptions.

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People get sick. Someone might be away on vacation, which if you go away on vacation you should probably, if you're able, find a church to attend while you're away.

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Sunday is the Lord's Day. It's not my day. It's not your day. It is the

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Lord's Day. That means it belongs to him. So if your boss asks you to work on Sunday, you say, well

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I'm sorry that's Jesus already settled this. This is his day. You say, well

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I might get fired. I might get in trouble. Don't we have faith in God that he will provide? Also someone might not be able to attend church because they're providentially hindered.

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There could be a blizzard. Your car could break down. There could be an emergency. If you're walking out the door to go to church and one of the pipes in your house breaks and there's water leaking it.

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I mean obviously we understand there could be a variety of situations but when able -bodied people make a willful choice to not go to church that is obviously and clearly a sin.

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The day and age we live in people talk about, well all you need is a personal relationship with the

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Lord and people have heard that repeated a million times over the past generation or two and people have the concept in their mind that well all

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I need is just I can just stay home and worship God you know one -on -one on the couch or something like that.

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No. The concept of a day set apart unto God is so basic.

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This is part of the Ten Commandments after all. Jesus, what is it, the fourth commandment to keep the

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Sabbath day holy. Jesus went into the synagogue on the

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Sabbath. In the New Testament for 2 ,000 years Christians have assembled on the first day of the week.

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Whether you call it the Christian Sabbath or the Lord's Day it's still been the pattern of Christians for 2 ,000 years.

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What provoked this, I talked to a recently who hasn't been in church in years and she said that she made this comment to me that she was brought up Catholic and when she was young in the

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Catholic Church they preached that it is a sin to not go to church but then she said well

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Protestants don't teach that you know we as evangelicals or we Protestants you know we don't believe that and I've never heard that preached in a

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Protestant Church and yeah well the

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Catholics were right the Catholics were right and that is preached in Protestant and evangelical churches although maybe you've never heard it but again pastors are reluctant to come right out and say it is a sin not to go to church because again people can be sick they can be away on vacation they could be providentially hindered there's reasons why a person might not be able to be there on Sunday morning there's elderly people who are bedridden who are not able to go we understand all that but again when an able -bodied person is willfully choosing not to go to church that is most clearly a sin again

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James 4 17 says therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it to him it is sin and every believer who has the