Is there a BIBLICAL argument for attending church services?

[FA_Q2]

Catholics go to Mass to receive the Body of Christ. Sure, you can watch Mass on EWTN but it isn't the same. If someone who attended Mass again and again doesn't know the Biblical reason for the Sacraments, he evidently choose to be bored rather than listen and learn.

And yet you do not post a biblical argument to go to church.

So far no one has posted one. Irish Ram is the closest as he did post a few relevant verses but no actual rationalization as to why they are relevant or how they support going to an institution with a preacher who tells you what the bible says rather than just gathering at your friends house to give glory to God.

That the Catholics do it is not a biblical argument. Most of what they do is not even in the bible but rather spelled out in the Cathecism. Much of the Catholic dogma is traditional rather than biblical.

At the Last Supper Jesus said do this in memory or me, he also said where two or more are gathered I am there. You can find that in the Bible. Meanwhile the OP who attended Mass ought to have some awareness that Catholic Church uses scripture and tradition...

I am sure he does and the statements referred to do not necessarily lead one to church over, as I stated earlier, just going to the neighbors house and venerating God. The question was rather specific - is there a biblical argument for church not is there a tradition of going to church. The latter is obvious, the former less so. It rather surprises me that there is not something more direct in the bible about church.

Maybe this will help.

Not really. That is more about tradition than it is about biblical arguments. The opening statement is from the Catechism which rather reinforces my original statement. That the Catholics do it is not an argument that there is a biblical argument for church as most of what they do is not biblical at all.

"Church" is difficult to define, but I think the New Testament is somewhat direct about it. Generally, it's the temple of God within the kingdom of God (the new living temple that the apostles and primitive Christians had begun to recognize and embrace). It's the bride of Christ (wed with Christ (one with Christ)), the new Jerusalem (although the idea of a city or country may refer more to the kingdom than the church).

In the decades after Christ, the apostles and primitive Christians began recognizing a manifestation of the church in local assemblies. However, the New Testament says nothing about these assemblies gathering on a Sabbath or in a "house of worship." The law changed. The priesthood changed. No more Sabbath; no more temple made with hands.
s
You're right, I think. The "church" has become very traditional; not that anything is wrong with tradition, per se, until it, and not the Scriptures, becomes the oracle of God.

Sure, certainly nothing wrong with tradition and, IMHO, certainly nothing wrong with church. If it seems I have made that allusion it was in error. Truthfully, and though I disagree with Picaro first point, his sentiment that a believer should want to attend church I do agree with. I just think it is interesting that there seems to be a lack of a biblical argument that directs it. The bible has a LOT of things that it directs Christians to do so I just assumed that it would have more concerning church attendance. An activity that is rather central in the modern practice of faith. I do see a lot about gathering, just not about church in the structured sense even if the formal structured church would certainly like everyone to define gather in that way.

 

[Meriweather]

most of what they do is not biblical at all.

Nonsense

....

Your own link goes over that simple fact.

They are steeped in tradition that is simply not spelled out in the actual text.

Such as?

Virtually everything the church does. Most of it is out of tradition considering that pretty much no one has even bothered to put fourth a biblical argument for church attendance within a formal church infrastructure thus far let alone the thousand rituals that Chatillon churches go through. That the Catholic faith is steeped in tradition is repeated in almost every single paragraph in the provided like. A few highlights from the link:

The opening statement:
The Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living" (Catechism of The Catholic Church, No. 108).

and later
"The notion that Scripture should be interpreted in an isolated fashion apart from Tradition was foreign to the apostolic Church, as St. Paul attests: "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thess. 2:15). It was not until Martin Luther and the Reformation in the sixteenth century that sola scriptura became entrenched in parts of Christendom. Thomas Bokenkotter wrote that for "Luther, 'Scripture alone' was the supreme authority in religion-and henceforth this phrase became the rallying cry of all Protestants" (A Concise History of the Catholic Church, 208). "

The Catholic Church has dozens of ritualistic practices that are very specific in how they are performed and why they are done. Virtually none of them are outlined in the bible even if there is a line or two that they use to justify why they perform them. For instance, the priesthood is supposed to remain celibate, the existence of the Pope and how the Pope is selected. The entire structure of the priesthood. Infant baptism, something that I have thus far not been able to locate in the bible but is considered an obligation under Catholic doctrine. Praying to (or as a Catholic might say petitioning) the saints which certainly is not in the bible and an argument can be made that it is antithetical to the bible. The very existence of the Catechism itself. It only exists to outline those things that are traditional or interpretive rather than directly spelled out in the text.

Can you be specific. Name one thing you do not believe is Biblically based.

 

[FA_Q2]

most of what they do is not biblical at all.

Nonsense

....

Your own link goes over that simple fact.

They are steeped in tradition that is simply not spelled out in the actual text.

Such as?

Virtually everything the church does. Most of it is out of tradition considering that pretty much no one has even bothered to put fourth a biblical argument for church attendance within a formal church infrastructure thus far let alone the thousand rituals that Chatillon churches go through. That the Catholic faith is steeped in tradition is repeated in almost every single paragraph in the provided like. A few highlights from the link:

The opening statement:
The Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living" (Catechism of The Catholic Church, No. 108).

and later
"The notion that Scripture should be interpreted in an isolated fashion apart from Tradition was foreign to the apostolic Church, as St. Paul attests: "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thess. 2:15). It was not until Martin Luther and the Reformation in the sixteenth century that sola scriptura became entrenched in parts of Christendom. Thomas Bokenkotter wrote that for "Luther, 'Scripture alone' was the supreme authority in religion-and henceforth this phrase became the rallying cry of all Protestants" (A Concise History of the Catholic Church, 208). "

The Catholic Church has dozens of ritualistic practices that are very specific in how they are performed and why they are done. Virtually none of them are outlined in the bible even if there is a line or two that they use to justify why they perform them. For instance, the priesthood is supposed to remain celibate, the existence of the Pope and how the Pope is selected. The entire structure of the priesthood. Infant baptism, something that I have thus far not been able to locate in the bible but is considered an obligation under Catholic doctrine. Praying to (or as a Catholic might say petitioning) the saints which certainly is not in the bible and an argument can be made that it is antithetical to the bible. The very existence of the Catechism itself. It only exists to outline those things that are traditional or interpretive rather than directly spelled out in the text.

Can you be specific. Name one thing you do not believe is Biblically based.

Did you even read the last paragraph....

 

[Indeependent]

Thanks in advance.

There is at least 1 Epistle that forbids public expression of worship.
The Romans didn't care about the actual NT.

 

[norwegen]

Catholics go to Mass to receive the Body of Christ. Sure, you can watch Mass on EWTN but it isn't the same. If someone who attended Mass again and again doesn't know the Biblical reason for the Sacraments, he evidently choose to be bored rather than listen and learn.

And yet you do not post a biblical argument to go to church.

So far no one has posted one. Irish Ram is the closest as he did post a few relevant verses but no actual rationalization as to why they are relevant or how they support going to an institution with a preacher who tells you what the bible says rather than just gathering at your friends house to give glory to God.

That the Catholics do it is not a biblical argument. Most of what they do is not even in the bible but rather spelled out in the Cathecism. Much of the Catholic dogma is traditional rather than biblical.

At the Last Supper Jesus said do this in memory or me, he also said where two or more are gathered I am there. You can find that in the Bible. Meanwhile the OP who attended Mass ought to have some awareness that Catholic Church uses scripture and tradition...

I am sure he does and the statements referred to do not necessarily lead one to church over, as I stated earlier, just going to the neighbors house and venerating God. The question was rather specific - is there a biblical argument for church not is there a tradition of going to church. The latter is obvious, the former less so. It rather surprises me that there is not something more direct in the bible about church.

Maybe this will help.

Not really. That is more about tradition than it is about biblical arguments. The opening statement is from the Catechism which rather reinforces my original statement. That the Catholics do it is not an argument that there is a biblical argument for church as most of what they do is not biblical at all.

"Church" is difficult to define, but I think the New Testament is somewhat direct about it. Generally, it's the temple of God within the kingdom of God (the new living temple that the apostles and primitive Christians had begun to recognize and embrace). It's the bride of Christ (wed with Christ (one with Christ)), the new Jerusalem (although the idea of a city or country may refer more to the kingdom than the church).

In the decades after Christ, the apostles and primitive Christians began recognizing a manifestation of the church in local assemblies. However, the New Testament says nothing about these assemblies gathering on a Sabbath or in a "house of worship." The law changed. The priesthood changed. No more Sabbath; no more temple made with hands.
s
You're right, I think. The "church" has become very traditional; not that anything is wrong with tradition, per se, until it, and not the Scriptures, becomes the oracle of God.

Sure, certainly nothing wrong with tradition and, IMHO, certainly nothing wrong with church. If it seems I have made that allusion it was in error. Truthfully, and though I disagree with Picaro first point, his sentiment that a believer should want to attend church I do agree with. I just think it is interesting that there seems to be a lack of a biblical argument that directs it. The bible has a LOT of things that it directs Christians to do so I just assumed that it would have more concerning church attendance. An activity that is rather central in the modern practice of faith. I do see a lot about gathering, just not about church in the structured sense even if the formal structured church would certainly like everyone to define gather in that way.

Yes, that's what I'm saying, too. The New Testament says plenty about Christians gathering. It says nothing about them gathering on Sunday mornings (or any other time). Certainly not in the gospels, anyway. Assemblies had formally organized in the first century after the Cross, as the epistles make clear, but not necessarily on a Sabbath.

The church is peculiar in that it has no codebooks (and by extension, the kingdom has no codebooks). It has no rules to speak of. Praetorian guards don't police it. Written edicts don't regulate it. No hierarchy subjugates Christians; no taxing authority oppresses them; no regulatory body directs them; no central authority oversees them at all. They seek no single unifying leader to call teacher or father. Christians do not face any particular city five times a day when they pray. They do not make pilgrimages to any temple or tabernacle. They keep no law books or record of wrongs. They just worship the Lord as they please, day and night (Rv 7:15).

That Christians eventually organized and started traditions seems a natural course. Now the church is highly institutionalized and frankly, in my opinion, not quite biblical.

 

[james bond]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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

"A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Psalm 122:1

and more. Take your pick -- What Does the Bible Say About Attending Church?

 

[justinacolmena]

Trump blew away Obama’s vote totals and Biden never beat them both . I guess having tens of millions of fake votes , sure helps

However, the New Testament says nothing about these assemblies gathering on a Sabbath or in a "house of worship." The law changed. The priesthood changed. No more Sabbath; no more temple made with hands.

If the preachers weren't such staunch Democrats to enforce vows of poverty and take private property for communal use.

 

[Aletheia4u]

Thanks in advance.

If a person love someone or thing, that they will seek it out. Like for some, they loves grandma's home cooking. And so they'll seek for the recipes. Even KFC have to locked up their secret recipe from the public, to keep them from stealing it.
And gold prospectors seeks for years for the things they love. They've put their heart into it.
And one of the main expectation that God is wanting from us? It is to love Him. But as it says, "They honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me."
But God knows if someone loves Him.




Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.




Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.



Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.


Psalm 53:2
God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.



Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.



Acts 13:22
After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’




Hebrews 5:12
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!



John 1:10
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.



John 14:9
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?



Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.



Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”



Genesis 15:17
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.



Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.



Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.



Matthew 12:7
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

 

[Aletheia4u]

Hebrews 12:16
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

 

[Meriweather]

The Catholic Church has dozens of ritualistic practices that are very specific in how they are performed and why they are done. Virtually none of them are outlined in the bible even if there is a line or two that they use to justify why they perform them. For instance, the priesthood is supposed to remain celibate, the existence of the Pope and how the Pope is selected. The entire structure of the priesthood. Infant baptism, something that I have thus far not been able to locate in the bible but is considered an obligation under Catholic doctrine. Praying to (or as a Catholic might say petitioning) the saints which certainly is not in the bible and an argument can be made that it is antithetical to the bible. The very existence of the Catechism itself. It only exists to outline those things that are traditional or interpretive rather than directly spelled out in the text.

Busy week, got distracted. You say that there is no Biblical reason for this.

Jesus was celibate. He noted, Some are born eunuchs; some are made eunuchs; and some become eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Those are the Biblical reasons for a celibate priesthood. In addition, there was a practical reason of what belongs to Church, what belongs to family.

Biblical: Jesus noted that Peter and Peter's faith was the rock on which the Church was to be built. In early Christianity, the Bishop of Rome was known as "Papa" which over the years changed to Pope. Papa is the head of a family. Jesus and the Apostles spoke of spiritual fathers.

Infant baptism: Entire families were baptized. And that tradition continued as a baby is not outside the family, but included with everything inside the family. The same is true with the Body of Christ. "Let the little children come to me."

Both the living and those who have passed on are the Body of Christ. (As Jesus said, God is God of the living.) And, where two or more are gathered in his name, so is he. Asking a saint who has passed on to join in prayer is no different from asking a friend or family member praying beside to pray with/for us.

Have you ever looked at the multitude of footnotes in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Biblical references.

So there you have it. You also have Paul saying, Those who can take it should, but those who cannot should marry. Therefore, I have no quarrel with non-Catholic ministers who marry. That is Biblical as well.

Again, the Catholic Church is quite Biblical, even more so than many non-Catholic denominations. However, it is not the point of the Bible to sent up a contest on who can do more. As you can see from what I pointed out, the Bible often covers different options.

So once again, what is non-Biblical about Catholic practices? The question is rhetorical. Catholics are quite Biblical, even more than non-Catholic denominations who give little attention to the Old Testament.

 

[HaShev]

Thanks in advance.

If an outdoor tent was good enough for David, then it should be good enough for today's primadonnas.
Which also means in a context of a pandemic life being the basis and forefront of good religious ideology requires life to be the context of how to procede in these trying times. Which means virtual Temple is our modern day tent that maintains safe healthy happy life in context of our temporary situation, just as the Tent was David's temporary solution.

 

[BreezeWood]

The Catholic Church has dozens of ritualistic practices that are very specific in how they are performed and why they are done. Virtually none of them are outlined in the bible even if there is a line or two that they use to justify why they perform them. For instance, the priesthood is supposed to remain celibate, the existence of the Pope and how the Pope is selected. The entire structure of the priesthood. Infant baptism, something that I have thus far not been able to locate in the bible but is considered an obligation under Catholic doctrine. Praying to (or as a Catholic might say petitioning) the saints which certainly is not in the bible and an argument can be made that it is antithetical to the bible. The very existence of the Catechism itself. It only exists to outline those things that are traditional or interpretive rather than directly spelled out in the text.

Busy week, got distracted. You say that there is no Biblical reason for this.

Jesus was celibate. He noted, Some are born eunuchs; some are made eunuchs; and some become eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Those are the Biblical reasons for a celibate priesthood. In addition, there was a practical reason of what belongs to Church, what belongs to family.

Biblical: Jesus noted that Peter and Peter's faith was the rock on which the Church was to be built. In early Christianity, the Bishop of Rome was known as "Papa" which over the years changed to Pope. Papa is the head of a family. Jesus and the Apostles spoke of spiritual fathers.

Infant baptism: Entire families were baptized. And that tradition continued as a baby is not outside the family, but included with everything inside the family. The same is true with the Body of Christ. "Let the little children come to me."

Both the living and those who have passed on are the Body of Christ. (As Jesus said, God is God of the living.) And, where two or more are gathered in his name, so is he. Asking a saint who has passed on to join in prayer is no different from asking a friend or family member praying beside to pray with/for us.

Have you ever looked at the multitude of footnotes in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Biblical references.

So there you have it. You also have Paul saying, Those who can take it should, but those who cannot should marry. Therefore, I have no quarrel with non-Catholic ministers who marry. That is Biblical as well.

Again, the Catholic Church is quite Biblical, even more so than many non-Catholic denominations. However, it is not the point of the Bible to sent up a contest on who can do more. As you can see from what I pointed out, the Bible often covers different options.

So once again, what is non-Biblical about Catholic practices? The question is rhetorical. Catholics are quite Biblical, even more than non-Catholic denominations who give little attention to the Old Testament.

.

Jesus was celibate.

.
is that in your bible ...

just ask mary magdalene and the many others in the life and times of the religious itinerant of the 1st century. hard copy found in many local barns and nobles. and the many others for centuries afterwards. that were not - predators. christians.