If you don't go to church do you go to hell?

Answer 1

Biblically, salvation is dependent on being reborn through Jesus Christ, not on church attendence. Answer: If you have to go to church to go to heaven there will be a lot of people who would not be in heaven just because they were born in a place and time that have no churches around. On the contrary there are people go to church every Sunday who may not go to heaven.

Answer 2

No, but I think some religions believe that

Addition to above

I am a protestant Christian, but I am NOT a pastor, but from what I understand from The Bible, is that the believers are the Church not a physical place of worship. There are some verses at the end of this that I believe adds to proof that the church are the believers. One thing that I have connected with in the past regarding the church is that since Jesus was a Jew if He would have been referring to a place of worship as the church He would have called it a Temple or synagogue, not the church. Plus the disciples didn't have a place or worship, they traveled from place to place in the name of Jesus, but they are obviously saved.

Just as there will be many people that attend a physical church who will not be saved because they never truly surrendered their lives to Jesus, there will also be many people who do not attend a physical church who will go to heaven because they did surrender their lives to Jesus, stayed in the word of God, and lived for Him daily. The reason for this is because it has been found that the criteria is not church attendance, but the following is criteria. 1) The realization that we are a sinners and that we cannot get to heaven on our own works. 2) The belief that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for sin. 3) Be willing to completely surrender our lives to Him so that He can change us from the inside out. 4) Praying in repentance to God and personally accepting Jesus as our Savior. 5) Confess that He is Lord of our lives.

I do want to add this though. Although church attendance is not a requirement, it is an act of obedience to Christ. The reason I say this is because Jesus spoke about fellowship of the believers and Church is where that fellowship is done. If someone does not or cannot attend church then they should still maintain obedience in other areas where possible. For instance, a believer should take time to continue to pray, stay in fellowship with God, and read the word of God regularly. Also in order to be obedient a believer is supposed to give 10 percent of their income to God, but someone can still give 10 percent to God without attending a place of worship. There are many missionaries and charities who need support in order to continue their work for God. Since I believe that supporting Israel is also God's work, I personally also give to some organizations who focus on building bridges between Christians and Israel.

Some verses that I believe may show some proof to the church being the body of believers are as follows:

Acts 2:46 pSo continuing daily with one accord qin the temple, and rbreaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And sthe Lord added 8to the church daily those who were being saved. - notice how the first sentence said temple and the last said church.

1 Corinthians 14:23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, pwill they not say that you are 6out of your mind?

Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been abuilt bon the foundation of the capostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being dthe chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into ea holy temple in the Lord, 22 fin whom you also are being built together for a gdwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Matthew 16:15 He said to them, "But who do jyou say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, k"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, lfor flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but mMy Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that nyou are Peter, and oon this rock I will build My church, and pthe gates of Hades shall not 7prevail against it. 19 qAnd I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth 8will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." - To really understand about this we must look at where they are located was Caesarea Philippi also known as Banais in which was a Roman pagan city with pagan altars. The place would have been seen as filthy and forbidden by Jews. With that in mind I think it is safe to say that Jesus did not really want to build His church on a pagan altar. Jesus asked them who He was and then Peter confessed that He is the Son of God. I believe that the best interpretation about this is that Jesus was trying to tell them that He wanted them to take His message to the most wretched places in the world. What seems to prove this is the that in later versus Jesus draws the people of the pagan city around and begins to preach to them. There are multiple interpretations of these verses based on different denominations.

Answer 3

No. To be a Christian, all you have to do is believe Jesus died for you and that you've sinned. And that Jesus is the only way to God.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian.

From a scriptural perspective:

Hebrews 10:24, 25 - And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. [NKJV]

Sincere Christians are happy to do what God's word tells them to do, which includes "the assembling of ourselves together." A lax attitude toward assembly is just a symptom of the true malady...a lax attitude toward obedience.