I met lots of preachers of the good news of Salvation who believe the teaching that the only way to obtain the Salvation stated by Christ is by only by having faith in Christ. They said that joining the Church of Christ or any churches is not important because for them, even if you are bad or good as long as you have faith in Christ, you’ll sometimes be saved on judgment day.
This is the really answer why the sheer numbers of Religious groups, denomination, sects or churches increase more rapidly.
Nowadays, on this article, we will let the Bible answer our few questions especially about the church and affiliation with the church.
So, to start with, let us ask the Bible: “What is Church?” The Holy Bible answer it through Apostle Paul writing at Colossians 1:18 which says:
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18, NKJV)
According to Apostle Paul, the church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head of it. If it is a body then therefore, it has members. Who are the members of this body which is the church?
Again, it’s Apostle Paul who answered our question at I Corinthians 12:27 which says:
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. (I Corinthians 12:27, ibid)
In other words, the brethren of Apostle Paul inside the Church of Christ are the members of it. Of course, Apostle Paul was among these members of the body of Christ. In fact, he explained that each members of the church has his own function just like what he said in Romans 12:4:
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, (Romans 12:4, ibid)
Apostle’s Paul function as member of the Church of Christ was being an Apostle. Others are the following: Prophets, Teachers, Workers of Miracles, who who have gifts in healing, Adminstrators, Translators, and others.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:28, ibid)
Therefore, the Church of Christ is an organization whose head is Christ. Remember that the term body means an organization just like our own body is the organization of the body-parts which the body-parts are joined and knit together by joints.
The same is true to the body of Christ which is His Church. Members of it are joined together and knitted by joints as attested by Apostle Paul in which writing Ephesians 4:16 which says:
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16, ibid)
So, the question is: Can we call a group of men and women in which each of them has his or her own belief that is contradictory to one another? Of course no! We should not forget that a body has only one head. So if there is only one head, then there is only one teaching or belief that each member should uphold.
The true Church of Christ has only one head and He is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18). Since there is only head, then the body should only have one spirit. And it was attested by Apostle Paul that the Church of Christ has only one spirit.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4, ibid)
So, is it true that there is no need to join the Church of Christ in attaining the Salvation? Christ’s teaching is clear. Anyone who wants to be saved should enter Christ just like what he said in John 10:9:
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9, ibid)
Entering Christ means joining His body and becoming member of it.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. (Romans 12:4-5, ibid)
It might be your first time to learn that joining the Church of Christ is needed in gaining salvation. And you might ask this: Why is it that a man in order to be saved on judgment day should enter first Christ or should join the Church of Christ? Apostle Paul has this message:
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23, ibid)
According to him, Christ is the savior of his body. It his body or the Church that He will save from God’s wrath. So, if you are inside the Church of Christ, then you can assure Christ’s salvation.
Therefore, those who said that affiliation to the Church of Christ has nothing to do with Salvation do not understand how Christ saves man. It might be true that a man couldn’t attain salvation if he is affiliated with false church or those churches that are not of Christ. But those who are members of the true Church of Christ will surely attain the salvation because Christ will save them.
Kaoshong Ortega is a newbie in internet use and blogging. He blogs at “The Iglesia Ni Cristo and Me” blog ( http://iglesianicristoandme.i.ph/ )
