Menu
Menu
Only by joining the true Church can Christ save people without violating God's law concerning sinners, so faith alone is not enough for salvation.
WHEN ASKED WHO the Savior Whom God sent into the world is, people who truly believe the Bible will readily answer: “Certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ!” When pressed whether they deem it important to join the Church built by our Lord Jesus Christ—the Church Of Christ—to be saved, a lot will counter, “What for? What’s important is that we believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, irrespective of church affiliation!”
Sadly though, what they fail to understand is that our Lord Jesus Christ will save people through His Church—the Church that He built (Matt. 16:18). What is the proof of this?
What does the Bible teach so that man may be saved even though he has sinned (Rom. 5:12)? In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Apostle Paul wrote:
“God made Christ [the one] who had no sin [or never sinned; did not know sin] to become sin for us, so that in Christ [him] we could become right with [the righteousness of] God.” (II Cor. 5:21 Expanded Bible)
For sinners to be saved, Paul, the learned apostle, taught: “God made Christ … who had no sin … to become sin for us.” Why? “So that in Christ … we could become… [the righteousness of] God.” So there is a righteousness of God concerning those who sinned that needs to be fulfilled.
What is God’s righteousness or justice concerning sinners? In Deuteronomy 24:16, God decreed thus:
“Parents [Fathers] must not be put to death if their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death if their parents [fathers] do wrong. Each person must die for his own sin.” (exb)
Divine justice demands that everyone must pay for his own sin since the wages or payment of sins is death (Rom. 6:23).
And because all people sinned except Christ (I Pet. 2:21–22)—all are condemned to die. One ought to understand though that the death being referred to as the wages of sin is not just the cessation of one’s breath, but also the second death—death in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8).
Faced with such a grim prospect, how can a person be saved? How can he not die the second death in the lake of fire? God’s righteousness is such that He made Christ to become sin for those whom He will save. Christ answered or assumed responsibility for the sins of the people whom He will save.
“But wouldn’t this be against God’s righteousness concerning one who sinned?” people may ask. The answer is “No.” Why?
Whose will is it that Christ answers or assumes responsibility for the sins of the people whom He will save? It is the will of God. The same learned apostle taught thus:
“God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head. … God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things. The church is Christ’s body, the completion of him who himself completes all things everywhere.” (Eph. 1:9–10, 22–23 Good News Bible)
According to God’s purpose and plan, He will bring all creation together, with Christ as head. To fulfill that, all are put under Christ’s feet for He was made Lord to the Church, His body.
In the sight of God, Christ, as head, and the Church, as His body, stand as one new man as taught by Apostle Paul, thus:
“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” (Eph. 2:15 New King James Version)
And by virtue of this relationship, Christ, the head, will save the Church, His body, as Apostle Paul further explained, thus:
“For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 nkjv)
Christ will save the body that is His Church. As its head, Christ will answer or assume responsibility for His body or Church. Hence, this does not violate the righteousness of God concerning those who sinned because Christ is not unrelated to or not separate from the Church that is His body. It is only right for Christ to answer for the sins of those who are in His Church without violating divine justice for they (those in His Church) stand in union with Him and, thus, will enjoy “God’s free gift of eternal life” (Rom. 6:23 gnb).
The Church that is the body of Christ is the Church Of Christ as Apostle Paul pointed out, thus:
“For just as the human body is one and yet has many parts, and all its parts, many as they are, constitute but one body, so it is with the Church of Christ.” (I Cor. 12:12 Weymouth New Testament)
Thus, for a person to be saved, he needs to become a part of the body of Christ or a member of the Church Of Christ—the righteousness of God for salvation. Joining it is the only way by which people can be saved by Christ without violating God’s law concerning sinners. So, mere belief or faith in Christ is not enough for a person to be saved. He needs also to become a member of the Church Of Christ, not because it is the Church that will save but because it is the one that Christ will save.
God’s master plan is for the Church Of Christ, thus: “Now glory be to God … May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:20–21 Living Bible).
The Bible’s teaching is clear: God’s master plan for man’s salvation is through membership in the Church Of Christ. If a person has faith in Christ as the Savior, he must also have faith in the teaching of the Bible that the Savior will save His Church.
It is not difficult to understand why the Church Of Christ is the one that will be saved by Christ. He gave His life for it. He purchased or redeemed the Church with His blood, thus:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20: 28 Lamsa Translation)
Apostle Paul demonstrated the significance of the shed blood of Christ in his letter to the Christians in Rome:
“But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.” (Rom. 5:8–9 Amplified Bible)
Through the shedding of Christ’s blood or because of His death, one who is in Christ’s body is justified or acquitted of his sins. Because of this redemption, one is made righteous and brought into right relationship with God. Thus, as Apostle Paul wrote, God made Christ to become sin for those whom He will save—Christ answered or assumed responsibility for their sins through His death such that they were put right with God.
But regarding those who are not members of the Church Of Christ, the Bible declares:
“For I have no obligation to judge those who are outside the church of Christ. God is the one who will judge those who are outside the church. …” (I Cor. 5:12, 13 Unlocked Dynamic Bible)
Those who are outside the Church Of Christ will be judged or condemned to suffer death in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). Lest anyone think that God discriminates when it comes to saving people, our Lord Jesus Christ comes to the fore, saying, “I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe” (John 10:9 Revised English Bible).
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, God affords equal chances for all men to be saved. Christ said, “Anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.” As the door, He commands all those who want to be saved to go in or enter the fold or the flock through Him. The flock is the Church Of Christ (Acts 20:28 Lamsa).
Thus, it is the Savior Himself Who commands people to enter the Church Of Christ to be saved. Anyone who wants to be saved on Judgment Day should not delay or postpone obedience to this command.
