“Are we disobeying the clear command of Hebrews 10?” A member of the church I serve asked me this question in reference to the following passage:
“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works, not stopping to congregateas some have out of habit, but exhorting one another, and much more when we see that the day draws near “, Hebrews 10:24-25.
Are we neglecting to gather together by holding Sunday services online due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Or, as is popularly quoted from the Reina Valera Antigua, are we leaving our congregation? Since March, most churches across the United States (and elsewhere) have not met and will be unable to meet for an unknown number of weeks. Are we sinning?
For some Christians, this is easy to answer; the quick answer is, “No, we’re not meeting, and that’s fine.” But other Christians may have a more sensitive conscience regarding this question. Are we getting carried away by what is most popular? If everyone jumps off a bridge, or in this case, stops holding church services, does that mean it’s okay?
a valid question
The question deserves an answer. First of all, I praise God that Christians ask this question. We should never take the commandments of Scripture lightly, and Hebrews 10:25 is, unfortunately, a commandment that many Christians overlook. The question arises from a heart that takes God’s Word, obedience, and worship seriously.
So are we sinning? Long story short, we are not, and this is mainly for four reasons.
1. Leaving our congregation requires voluntary abandonment
The “leave” of Hebrews 10:25 implies a voluntary abandonment. In Matthew 27:46, Jesus exclaimed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This “abandonment” refers to a mysterious and terrifying desertion from the delicious presence of the Father and, in its place, the full wrath of God for sin. In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul refers to Demas as having “forsaken him, having loved this present world.” Demas had left Paul willingly, for the temporary pleasures of this life.
“Leave” is a strong word in the New Testament. It implies giving up and voluntarily abandoning something or someone, often for something else.
2. Disability is not the same as voluntary abandonment
Believers, what we are doing now is not “leaving the assembly”; we can’t congregate
Taking Hebrews 10:25 to heart, I don’t tend to cancel church services easily. When it’s snowing hard on Sunday mornings, I often jokingly say, “If the drug dealers are out, we’ve got to go out to church” (I serve in a tough part of inner-city Baltimore). We rarely close for snow. I don’t like canceling our meetings. If we do, it is only because it is truly impossible to congregate.
Believers, what we are doing now is not “leaving the assembly”; we can’t congregate. An assembly cannot be abandoned if it does not exist. There is no meeting, therefore, there is no abandonment. Also, church leaders are not sinning when they cancel meetings simply because they can’t make it.
3. We cannot meet because we have been called to glorify God
First and foremost, Christians do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). We get up early to go to church on Sunday mornings to the glory of God. We gather to hear the Word every Sunday for the glory of God. In this time, as strange as it is, we do not meet and, even so, it is still for the glory of God.
How can not gather together glorify God? We are glorifying God by submitting to the authorities that govern us.
Not meeting glorifies God when we seek to comply with Romans 13:1: “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities.” As verse 1 explains, the government’s authority is limited: “There is no authority except from God.” God’s authority is above government structures. Some might respond that the government has no jurisdiction over our freedom to assemble, and should not prohibit us from doing so.
We are loving our neighbor well by engaging in this unusual and unusual strategy of not congregating to slow the spread of the virus.
Is there any occasion for civil disobedience? Of course. If the government challenges God’s authority and requires us to sin, then we must disobey the authorities. Countries where church planting is illegal come to mind. In these cases, we must challenge the government.
Romans 13 explains that government authorities are “to you a minister of God for good” (v. 4). In the midst of the different theories about how to deal with the coronavirus, we are called to trust that the authorities are in place for our good. They are God’s ministers to us. Therefore, since our government authorities have asked us not to meet, we cannot do so, and our obedience honors God.
4. We glorify God by loving our neighbor
We also glorify God by loving our neighbor. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, Jesus commands us (Mark 12:31). If we can prevent the unintentional spread of a deadly disease, that is an act of love. Also, our Christian testimony could be harmed if we congregate. To the non-believing world, it would not seem brave, but rather unloving. We are loving our neighbor well by engaging in this unusual and uncommon strategy to slow the spread of the virus.
In short, Romans 13 and Mark 12 call us to glorify God by honoring our authorities and loving our neighbors. For many of us, coming together at this time would not help us to be faithful in these areas. Therefore, we cannot meet. And since our cancellation is due to a disability, we are not giving up meeting.
Originally posted on . Translated by Manuel Bento Falcón.