Membership in the True Church: an Inseparable "Partner" of Faith
THE DOCTRINE THAT we, Church of Christ members, uphold regarding the need for a person to enter this Church in order to be saved is unwelcome to many. To begin with, people think that this doctrine was only concocted or made up by the ministers of the Church of Christ. They dismiss its relevance to salvation by alleging that it is unbiblical. And preachers of other religions denounce the Church of Christ ministers for purportedly “preaching another savior,” as though we were teaching, or had ever taught, that the Church is the savior.
Those who condemn this fundamental religious doctrine are mostly staunch believers of the faith-alone concept of salvation. They aver that membership in this Church, and other churches for that matter, as well as fulfillment of Church membership requirements, have nothing at all to do with man’s justification and salvation. They cite various Bible passages as their base of justification that salvation is by faith alone. By that, they mean that being justified is never dependent on anything that a person does; that good works, despite its significance, do not justify man; that it is not by works, but by grace, that a person is saved; that a person does not merit God’s grace; that grace is not something merited or earned; that it is bestowed at God’s discretion and initiative, and that therefore good works play no role in the justification process — they are simply irrelevant and unnecessary according to their viewpoint.
Their erroneous concept is allegedly drawn from the writings of Apostle Paul, primary of which are the following two citations:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
(Reference: Eph. 2:8-9, New King James Version)
“Therefore we conclude that it is by faith a man is justified and not by the works of the law.”
(Reference: Rom. 3:28 Lamsa Translation)
THE "ALONE" IS THEIRS ALONE
The Church of Christ is absolutely not against any of the pronouncements contained in the foregoing verses as these are God’s teachings. In no way are we discounting the importance and necessity of faith.
What we oppose and reject are the dangerously erroneous understanding and explanations of these verses by those who oppose and reject the need for membership in the Church of Christ.
Their first error, evidently, is their use of their favorite word “alone” in conjunction with “faith.” We are vehemently opposed to it being connected with the word “faith” because first and foremost, it is not written in the aforecited verses. It is not even implied! As a matter of fact, nowhere in all of Apostle Paul’s letters can the term “faith alone” be found or deduced. Their usage of the word “alone” in explaining the necessity of faith for justification and salvation is obviously their conclusion — alone.
CREATED IN CHRIST FOR GOOD WORKS
Just because Apostle Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9, NKJV) does not mean that there is nothing to do in order to be saved, nor does it mean that once a person is saved he is always saved, no matter what. The Bible is replete with passages about the things that people need to do in order to be saved.
In the very succeeding verse, in Ephesians 2:10, for instance, Paul underscores the relevance of “good works” to God’s very purpose in creating people in Christ Jesus:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
(Reference: Ibid, Emphasis Mine)
Since Christians were created in Christ Jesus for good works, no one can use the grace of God as an excuse to commit sin. Apostle Paul immediately makes clear that his preceding statements do not mean that a person who receives the grace of salvation does not need to do anything at all and still can be saved, for the very grace he receives necessitates him to live holy in good works.
In Romans 3:28, Paul is not teaching the non-necessity of good works, for which people were created in Christ Jesus, and which the Christians are thus required to do. (Some of these good works will be seen later in this article). He is not even referring to these works. Rather, he is referring to the “works of the law” — the law that the Jewish people observed as handed down through Moses. These works refer to the old covenant rituals and ceremonies, such as circumcision mentioned in Romans 4:9. It is the non-necessity in the Christian era of the Mosaic rituals and ceremonies that Apostle Paul is referring to in Romans 3:28.
FAITH-ALONE: A CONDEMNABLE CONCEPT
It is important and interesting to point out that the only time the term “faith alone” is used in the Bible is when another apostle, Apostle James, is condemning such a concept of salvation. Exactly half of his epistle’s second chapter is meant to rebuke the adherents of the faith-alone concept, even mentioning the fact that demons also have faith:
“You have faith and believe that there is one God. Excellent! Even demons have faith like that, and it makes them tremble.”
(Reference: James 2:19 Revised English Bible, Emphasis Mine)
According to James, faith without works is not profitable for salvation, it is not a saving faith:
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?“
(Reference: James 2:14 Revised Standard Version)
Faith without works cannot save precisely because it is in itself dead:
“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
(Reference: James 2:17 Ibid., Emphasis Mine)
FAITH AND WORKS: INSEPARABLE "PARTNERS"
James is not saying that only works are necessary for salvation nor is he intimating that works are more important than faith. What he is saying very emphatically indeed is that both faith and works are necessary, indispensable, and should always go together. You cannot rightly have one without the other. Indeed, James calls faith and works “partners”:
“But someone may well argue, ‘You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but, anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.”
(Reference: James 2:18 Living Bible, Emphasis Mine)
“Think of Abraham, our ancestor. Wasn’t it his action which really justified him in God’s sight when his faith led him to offer his son Isaac on the altar? Can’t you see that his faith and his actions were, so to speak, partners —that his faith was implemented by his deed?“
(Reference: James 2:21 Phillips Modern English Bible, Emphasis Mine)
To stress the necessity and indispensability of works as concomitant to faith in completing the justification process, James says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24, RSV).
And to those who would insist on possessing faith minus works, James has this to say:
“You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?“
(Reference: James 2:20 New International Version, Emphasis Mine)
CHRIST DOESN'T APPROVE OF FAITH ALONE
It is no less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who is being defied by those who say that works are not necessary, but faith alone is, for the attainment of salvation. In Matthew 7:21, Christ declares:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
(Reference: NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
This truth Christ emphasizes again in Matthew 19:16-17:
“Someone came to Jesus with this question: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’… to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments’.”
(Reference: NLT, Emphasis Mine)
According to our Lord Jesus Christ, he who wants to have eternal life must do something; he must keep the commandments.
Another very clear proof that Christ does not approve of the claimed sufficiency of faith alone is shown in John 8:31:
“So Jesus said to those who believed in him, ‘If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples’ …”
(Reference: Today’s English Version, Emphasis Mine)
Here were the Jews who already believed in Christ and had faith in Him, yet He would not count them as His true disciples unless they obey His teachings. And obeying Christ’s teaching is, no doubt, good work. He even reprimanded people who merely professed faith in Him but refused to prove it through obedience:
“And what is the point of calling me, ‘Lord, Lord’, without doing what I tell you to do?“
(Reference: Luke 6:46 PMEB, Emphasis Mine)
ENTERING CHRIST'S CHURCH: A REQUIREMENT FOR SALVATION
The Bible is explicit through the teachings of Christ and the apostles that baptism and repentance are requirements for the remission of sins and to attain salvation (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38 NKJV), but are they the only requirements? Is entering the Church of Christ also a teaching of Christ and a requirement for those who already have faith in order to be saved? Based on Christ’s own teaching, yes, it is. He shows very explicitly the necessity and absolute relevance of entering or coming into His Church in order for one who has faith to be saved:
“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.”
(Reference: John 10:9 REB, Emphasis Mine)
Coming into the fold or flock as commanded by Christ is a requirement for salvation and another clear example of a good work. Indeed, Christ being a door alone obviously suggests the necessity of entrance. For if entrance or coming into the fold through Christ the door were not necessary, then what would His being a door be for? Certainly, entrance into the fold or flock through Him is a must.
The fold or flock being referred to by Christ wherein a person who desires to be saved must come into is introduced by Apostle Paul:
“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.“
(Reference: Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation, Emphasis Mine)
The flock is the Church Of Christ. Clearly, therefore, Christ commands a person who has faith to enter His Church to be saved; it is the church that was redeemed or purchased by the precious blood of Christ.
"WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION"
Church of Christ membership alone, however, is not enough for a person who has faith to be saved. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself points out, “But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13, Douay Version). Perseverance is good work.
This the apostles, too, teach the members of the Church of Christ:
“For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him.”
(Reference: Phil. 1:29 TEV, Emphasis Mine)
Suffering for Christ is another good work.
Apostle Paul, whom many quote for their faith-alone-minus-works concept of salvation, exhorts the Church of Christ members to “work out [their] own salvation” by continuing to obey. He says:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
(Reference: Phil. 2:12 RSV, Emphasis Mine)
The Today’s English Version renders the latter part of the verse, thus:
“Keep on working, with fear and trembling, to complete your salvation.”
(Reference: Phil. 2:12 TEV, Emphasis Mine)
The Lord is against those who fail to “keep on working” in His service, even those who just become inactive, those whose zeal and fervor in serving Him wane:
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. … You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
(Reference: Rev. 2:2-5 NIV, Emphasis Mine)
In further attesting to the necessity of good works for the attainment of eternal life, Paul says God:
“who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; …”
(Reference: Rom. 2:6-9 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Another solid and unequivocal proof that good works are not only necessary for, but are really quite relevant to, the inheritance of eternal life is this instruction from Apostle Paul:
“Tell them that they are to do good, and be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share this is the way they can save up a good capital sum for the future if they want to make sure of the only life that is real.”
(Reference: I Tim. 6:18-19 Jerusalem Bible, Emphasis Mine)
DEVIL'S THINKING
With Apostle James’s mention of the demons who having faith but, unquestionably, do not do good works and will not be saved, we can safely conclude that the concept of the sufficiency of faith alone for justification and salvation is definitely not of God and not of Christ, but of the Devil. The Devil hates good works. This is why He is spreading the belief on a kind of faith that does away with good works. The Devil wants people to disobey God’s teachings. This is why he is spreading the kind of faith that encourages disobedience. The Devil does not want people to be saved.
Advocating and adhering to the faith-alone concept of salvation, therefore, amounts to advancing the cause of the Devil. Considering this, it becomes logical for members of the Church of Christ to think that this concept is just an attempt means to justify disobedience, to make an excuse for sin, which is, in truth and in fact, the thinking of the Devil.
IN CONCLUSION
1
WE KINDLY EXTEND our visitors an invitation to explore the pristine original teachings of Christ and His apostles, just as taught in the first-century Church. Through the link below, you will be introduced to the various misconceptions and false teachings about salvation:
The Truth About Salvation
CHRISTIANITY IS A RELIGION with over 2.4 billion followers worldwide. It is composed of diverse faiths with thousands of denominations, such as Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Adventist—the list goes on. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimates that there are over 45,000 denominations globally, with more than 200 in the United States alone. Each denomination has its own unique set of beliefs and doctrines, especially when it comes to how one can achieve salvation. Do any of these religions truly teach the proper way of salvation?
Reach Out
If you wish to acquire a deeper understanding of our Church Doctrines and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be delighted to direct you to one of our local resident ministers in your vicinity. Kindly include any queries you may have so that we may forward your inquiry in advance. Thank you.
Please note, we only read and respond to messages that do not contain hate speech or insults...
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
(Eph. 4:29, Amplified Bible)
“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5, Amplified Bible)
© ExposingFalseDoctrines.com – All Rights Reserved