Lester Kamp
This question is an important one. There continue to be many who claim that the church is non-essential to salvation. They say that as long as one has a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” one can be saved without being in any church. It should be noted that, according to the New Testament, the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). It is, therefore, absurd to think that one can be in Christ (saved) without being in His body, the church.
As we proceed to answer this question that has been raised, it is important to emphasize that “the church” in the question refers to the church built by Christ (Mat. 16:18), the church purchased by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28), the church into which people were added in the New Testament (Acts 2:47; Col. 1:13). We are not referring to any or all man-made churches that did not even exist in New Testament times. We can say without hesitation that salvation is possible without any of these churches. Therefore, in other words, is it possible for anyone to be saved without being in the church (i.e., being a member of the church)? Let us see what the Scriptures teach. What is the Biblical answer?
First, if one can be saved without the church, then one can be saved without a savior. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). Since Christ Jesus is the savior of the body and the body is the church (Eph. 1:22-23), if a person needs a savior (and we all do according to Rom. 3:23), then that person needs to be in the body where Christ is savior. Since Christ is only “the savior of the body,” He is not the savior of any outside the body.
Second, if one can be saved outside the church, then one can be saved without the benefits of the death of Christ. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). Christ “gave Himself” (laid down His life, died) for the church. If the church is not essential to man’s salvation, why would He do such a thing? If a person desires the benefits of Christ’s death on the cross, that person must be in the church.
Third, if one can be saved without being in the church, then one can be saved without the benefits of the blood of Christ. Suppose a person had $100 with which he purchased a jacket. To enjoy the benefits of the $100, a person would need to wear (i.e., be in) that jacket. Consider: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, emph. added, lk). Therefore, to receive the benefits of the blood of Christ, the purchase price of the church, one must be in the church.
Fourth, if one can be saved without being in the church, then one can be saved without being reconciled to God. Sin causes man to be lost because sin separates man from God (Isa. 59:1-2). Until man is reconciled (i.e., brought back) to God, he remains lost. “And that he might reconcile both (i.e., Jew and Gentile, lk) unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Eph. 2:16, emph. added, lk). Remember the “one body” refers to the church (Eph. 1:22-23). Where is a person reconciled to God? The answer: in the one body, the church. If a person wants to be reconciled to God, he must be in the church. Outside the church, there is no reconciliation to God!
Fifth, if one can be saved outside the church, then one can be saved without being in Christ. “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 Tim. 2:10). Clearly, salvation is in Christ. How does a person get into Christ? According to Romans 6:3-4, baptism is that act of obedience that brings him into Christ. The same act (baptism) brings a person into the body of Christ, the church (1 Cor. 12:13). The same act that causes one to enter Christ causes one to enter the church. Therefore, how is it possible to be in Christ without being in the church? It is not possible!
After looking at these Scriptures, we can answer the question that has been raised. Without reservation, we can conclude that no one can be saved without being in the church.
