SALVATION AND CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

INTRODUCTION

God does the saving. Salvation is the pardon or forgiveness of sin by God. The Church, then, does not do the saving. The question is, “Can anyone enjoy the salvation that God has provided without being in the Church of God?”

The Essentiality and Importance of The Church is Seen in Christ’s Own Attitude Toward It

• “Purchased with His own precious blood” (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 1:18,19)
• “Gave Himself up for the Church” (Eph. 5:25)
• Thus Christ evidenced His attitude towards the essentiality of the Church by the price He paid for its existence.
• “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5)

One Cannot Be “In Christ” Without Being “In The Church”

• Christ is the Head, the Church is His Body, Christians are members (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:21-23; 1 Cor. 12:27). One cannot be joined to the head without being a member of the body which is the Church.
• Christ is the King, the Church is His Kingdom (1Tim. 6:15; Col. 1:13). One cannot be a subject to the King without being a citizen of the Kingdom.
• Christ is the Bridegroom, the Church is His Bride (Eph. 5:23-32). The two are one. One cannot be related to Christ, therefore, without being equally related to the Church.
• To be in Chris is to be in His Body, which is the Church (Eph. 2:13; 16)

All Spiritual Blessings Are In Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3)

• The Church is the “fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23).

To Be a Member of The Church of Christ Means To Have Your Name Enrolled in Heaven (Heb. 12:22,23)

• To not have your name enrolled in Heaven means to be eternally lost at the judgement (Rev. 20:15)

The Same Process and Conditions That Save From Sin, Makes One A Christian and Adds One To The Church:

• Faith, Baptism, Salvation (Mk. 16:15,16)
• Faith, Baptism, puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26,27)
• Faith, Baptism, adds one to the Church (Acts 2:41; 1Cor. 12:13).

CONCLUSION

There is therefore, no such thing taught as being saved by one process and then joining the Church of your choice by another.