May 29, 2021

Have We Forsaken The Assembling of Ourselves Together? A Second Glance at an Overused Proof Text

Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Pandora podcast player badge
Google Podcasts podcast player badge
iHeartRadio podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Overcast podcast player badge
Podchaser podcast player badge
Stitcher podcast player badge
PlayerFM podcast player badge
TuneIn podcast player badge
Podcast Addict podcast player badge
YouTube Channel podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge

Let's talk about Hebrews 10:25. I don't know about you but in my experience, this verse has been used over and over again as a proof text to convince me that leaving institutional religion was more than just a bad idea. Leaving institutional religion, so the argument goes, is forbidden in the Bible and Hebrews 10:25 is proof of that. This verse clearly tells us, so the argument goes, that leaving institutional religion amounts to "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" and is clearly forbidden and unhealthy.

But is it? Is that what Hebrews 10:25 means? When viewed in context the answer is a resounding "No!" Far from being a warning to not leave institutional religion, Hebrews 10:25 is a warning to not go back into institutional religion. Let's talk about it.