“I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”  Perhaps you’ve heard that line, or even uttered it yourself.  Or maybe you’ve heard it with different phrasing.  Something like, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian.”  That statement is incorrect!  In fact, I’ve never heard an active church member make that statement.  It usually comes from someone trying to justify their neglect of church.

If you are still reading, allow me to make a distinction and explain what I mean.  

There is a difference in becoming a Christian and being a Christian.  One the one hand, we become Jesus followers by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  No human action on our part creates new spiritual life.  That is how we become a Christian.  

But the Christian life is meant to be a progressive journey in which we are made more and more like Jesus each day.  I can become a Christian without church, but the Bible teaches that being a Christian involves community with other believers.  Being a Christian means living it out each day with the encouragement and accountability of other believers.

Becoming

I want to make perfectly clear that going to church no more makes you a Christian than going to the gym makes you healthy. Having a gym membership does automatically make me a healthy person.  I can be a gym member and still be out of shape.

In the same manner, “joining the church” does not make one become a Christian.  I become a Christian when I realize my sinfulness and hopelessness.  In response to that need, I believe the truth about Jesus and what He did for me on the cross.  I surrender myself to Him and His Kingdom and by His Spirit He gives me new life.  That can happen either inside or outside of a church building.

No, going to church does not make me a Christian.  And I can become a Christian with our without a church. But…

Being

Once I become a genuine follower of Jesus, He begins to initiate some changes in my life. This is the product of the Holy Spirit not at work in my life.  I have become, but now the being begins.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

The work of the Holy Spirit is to progressively restore my heart from selfishness to Christlikeness.  And that process necessitates the involvement of other believers.  God designed church for His people to gather for mutual support, encouragement, and accountability.  The word “church” is used 115 times in the New Testament, and 95 of those refer local gatherings of believers.  It is clear when reading the New Testament letters to various churches that they knew who their members were. Being a believer means we believe that what God prescribes is best. He has called us to meet together. Being a believer is following God’s teaching, including the teaching about church. So no, I cannot be a Christian and not go to church. If I am not going to church I am not being a Christian.

A church identifies a set of doctrines to guide us into truth and keep us from error.  Other believers hold us accountable and spur us on to love and good work.  Participation in and through the local church provides the Biblical means for us to serve through our spiritual gifts.  Attendance in public worship inspires us as we collectively recognize the glory of God.  Yes, church attendance and participation are intrinsically interwoven into our being a Christian.

²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Are You a Christian Being?

I hope you see this important distinction.  If you are a Jesus follower, please do not neglect the local church.  Submit yourself to it and actively participate in its mission.  Jesus intends for us to make a difference in our community and the world.  The mission is a group effort not a Lone Ranger mission.

A log will soon lose its warmth when separated from the other burning logs.  So also, a believer will experience diminished spiritual fire when it separates from other believers.

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If you want to know what it really means to become a Christian, click here a check this out.

If you are looking for a place to grow with other believers, to practice being a Christian, we would love to have you at The VUE.  Click here for more.