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Do I Have to Go to Church?

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It’s a question many people wrestle with: “Do I have to go to church to be saved?”

Senior Pastor David Rose walks through Hebrews 10 to show that while salvation comes through Christ alone, gathering with other believers is an important part of growing in faith.

He unpacks how Jesus gives us direct access to God and why church community matters, and he shows how Scripture draws a clear line between what saves us and what shapes us. The passage also warns against walking the faith journey in isolation. Church isn’t a hoop to jump through. It’s where we’re encouraged, challenged, and changed.

Key Takeaways

  • Jesus saves those who have faith in Him. (Hebrews 10:19-21)
  • Jesus allows believers to come to God. (Hebrews 10:22)
  • Jesus gives hope for the future. (Hebrews 10:23)
  • Jesus uses gathered believers to encourage and challenge. (Hebrews 10:24-27)

Further Study

  1. When Hebrews 10:19–20 speaks of our boldness to enter the sanctuary through Christ’s blood, it echoes His own words in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” How does His role as both sacrifice and mediator shape the way you approach God in prayer? Are there times you still try to earn what’s already been given?
  2. Hebrews 10:22 urges us to draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Paul describes this same confidence in Romans 8:15–16, reminding us that we’ve been adopted as God’s children. What would it look like to live each day with that kind of security?
  3. In verse 23, we’re encouraged to hold on to our confession of hope without wavering. Peter makes a similar point in 1 Peter 3:15, urging believers to be ready to give a reason for that hope. When has your hope been tested? What helps anchor it when life gets unsteady?
  4. Hebrews 10:24 calls us to stir one another up toward love and good works. Paul fleshes this out in passages like Romans 12 and Galatians 6, where believers are told to honor one another and carry each other’s burdens. Who are you encouraging? And who’s encouraging you?
  5. The warning in verse 25 about neglecting to gather takes on added weight when we read it alongside 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul describes the church as a single body made of many parts. Are you functioning as part of the body—or just watching from the sidelines? What would deeper engagement look like for you?
  6. In verses 26–27, there’s a warning about continuing in sin after knowing the truth. Jesus says something similar in John 15 about fruitless branches. Are there areas of your life where you’re clinging to sin while still claiming faith? What does repentance require in those spaces?
  7. From start to finish, Hebrews 10:19–27 moves from invitation to warning—from confidence to caution. Where do you see yourself in that arc? How has your view of church—and your place in it—shifted over time?

The Gospel

If you have questions about what it means to be a Christian, we would love to talk with you about it.

Reach out

Hebrews 10 paints a powerful picture of what Jesus has done. Once, a curtain separated us from God’s presence—not because He was distant, but because our sin kept us from drawing near. We needed more than ritual. We needed rescue.

God provided it. He sent Jesus as the final and perfect sacrifice. When Christ gave His life, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom—God making the first move. Now, we have full access to Him through Christ’s blood.

We’re not saved by church attendance, moral effort, or good intentions. Salvation is a gift—received by trusting in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. When we trust in Him, our hearts are made clean and we’re brought from death to life.

But that gift leads somewhere. It brings us into a new family—a people shaped by grace, drawn together by truth, and growing through life together. Church isn’t the source of our salvation. It’s the place where we learn to live it out.

Jesus is the way to the Father. He calls us to draw near, not in fear, but with confidence in His finished work. This is our hope—not a vague optimism, but the living Christ who changes us through the Word, prayer, and the body of believers He’s placed around us.

If you don’t currently have a church family, we would love for you to visit with us and consider becoming a part of ours.

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Do I have to go to church to be saved? No. You can only be saved through Jesus, but you need to come to church to be sanctified. If you want to become who God has made you to be, you'll never do that by yourself. You'll never find the perfection of your walk with Christ simply walking with Jesus by yourself.