Hebrews 10:25 - The Most Abused Passage by the Institutional Church

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” 

We know “assembling” means to come together or gather together or meeting together.  This verse, to put guilt on those who left traditional church, is used to mean that a person is not supposed to forsake going to Sunday Church services because all have an obligation to be present.   That is NOT the message.

Important things to note:

• It does NOT say “assembly.”
• A “specific meeting” is not identified
• The “place” is not specified nor the “time,” “frequency” or “length” of the meetings.

A vast majority of Christians might say that salvation is in Jesus alone, but they don’t really believe this, for they will go so far as to say "you are disobeying the Scriptures" (yet not stated which ones) if you do not make your physical appearance in worship services and give your allegiance to a corporate church organization. So salvation is not in Jesus alone, but one must also be bound to a religious organization and man-made traditions for salvation to be complete.

The passage in Hebrews is not talking about “church attendance” on a certain day of the week with a large group of people in a church building with added activities and entertainment.

Assembling together may consist of only 2 or 3 people and be anywhere.

These people were coming under persecution and had need of encouragement. The instruction in verses 24 and 25 is to "stir up love and good works" in one another.  There was a danger of a person giving up under times of persecution. This had nothing to do with their feelings being hurt by name calling or false accusations, but actually facing death for their faith.  We have yet to see the time of the great tribulation where we will need one another as well. 

Hebrews 10:25 is not about a record of "church attendance" that supposedly proves one's faithfulness to God and one another.  Anyone can go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays (and everyday), but this does not prove their love for God and for one another.  A lot of people go just out of religious obligation. The true test of faithfulness to God and one another is when we are confronted with the testing of our faith in times of persecution.