The Church and
Salvation
By
Shelby G. Floyd
We commonly hear religious people say that it doesn’t make any difference whether you are a member of the church or not, that you can be a Christian outside the church, and therefore you can be saved without the church. They will say that you do not need to be a member of any church to be saved. Can one be saved outside the church? Our question must be answered by the Bible.
Can One Be Saved Outside Of The
Church?
God has always circumscribed his blessings within a certain sphere. Those who are without that sphere are without the blessings that God has placed within that particular place. For instance, God placed salvation from the flood within the ark. Those who failed to hear the preaching of Noah and enter the ark were lost. Those who by faith did believe Noah, entered into the ark of safety, and were saved from the flood. Peter made mention of this fact, and used it by way of illustration when he said,
“When once the longsuffering of God waited
in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight
souls were saved by water, The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now
save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:20-21.)
The Noah Family Was Saved In the
God was longsuffering while the ark was
being prepared, but very few entered into the ark, only eight souls were saved
in the ark and by the water. That was a figure of how people are to be saved
today. God not only tells us by whom we are saved, but he tells us by what we
are saved, and where we are saved. The Bible teaches us that we are saved by
Christ, which is the “who.” For instance, Paul says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our
Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 9.) The apostle further says, “Therefore I endure all things for the
elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10.)
Salvation Is In Christ Jesus
Paul was willing to endure, suffer and
sacrifice all things for the elect’s sakes. Those are the ones that are saved that
they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus. Where is salvation? It
is in Christ Jesus. Moreover, there is no salvation in any other, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the
corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts
All Spiritual Blessings Are In
Christ
In the Ephesians letter we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ,” (Ephesians 1: 3.) God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings, but where are they? They are in heavenly places, but they are in
Christ. Therefore, to obtain the spiritual blessings which are in heaven, we
must find them in Christ. What are some of these spiritual blessings in Christ?
Redemption is in Christ: “Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24.) Forgiveness is in Christ, “In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians
1:7.) To be a new creature, one must be in
Christ: “Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5: 17.) Many other
things could be mentioned, but these are sufficient to illustrate that all
spiritual blessings are in Christ Jesus. What does it mean to be in Christ? It
means that we must be in his spiritual body, the church.
Christ is The Savior of the Body—the
Church
To the Ephesians, the apostle Paul says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” (Ephesians 5: 22-23.) That passage affirms that Christ is the head of the church, and also the savior of the body. If Christ is the savior of the body, can anyone be saved outside of that body? What is that body of which Christ is said to be the savior? In the same letter, Paul states that God “hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23.) Christ is the head over all things to the church. What is the church? It is his body. Christ is the savior of the body; therefore, he is the savior of the church.
All of the Saved Are In the
Church
Can anyone be saved outside of the
church? He can’t unless the Lord will save someone outside of the body. Nowhere,
does the Bible teach, either by precept or example that Christ saves anyone
outside the body. He is the savior of the body, the body is the church, the
church is his body; therefore, we must be in the body, the church, to be saved.
In the book of Acts we find that the Lord saved people in the church which is
his body. Luke says that the people were continually “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added
to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts
This brings us
back to the question then; can a person be saved outside the church? Not unless
the Lord has stopped adding the saved to the church. Since the Lord added those
who were saved to his church, then if you are saved, you are in the church, and
if you are in the church the Lord will save the body; therefore, you can’t be
saved outside the church. Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved