Must I be a member of Christ’s church to be saved? Why can’t I be a Christian without being a member of His church? These are important questions requiring Bible answers.
It is not the church, but the Lord who saves. Only the Lord has the right to establish conditions upon which He will pardon sin. So, the real question is: “Where does the Lord save and on what conditions does He pardon?” Does He save good people outside the church? Or, must one be a member of Christ’s church to be saved?
It is not a question of desire. God wants all to come to repentance and be saved from their sins (2 Pet. 3:9). But, God has always required that certain conditions be met before the blessing of salvation is received. Otherwise, universal salvation would result, rendering null and void both the message and character of God. In the days of Noah, salvation was offered to all. But only those who accepted the offer and entered the ark were saved from the raging waters of the Flood (2 Pet. 3:19-20). Salvation was in the ark and all who remained outside perished. No other refuge provided safety. Eight souls were saved because they were in the ark. Everyone else died because they failed to meet God’s condition for salvation. Who was to blame for their destruction? Was it God? No. He provided the means of deliverance. Those who perished in the Flood had only themselves to blame because they did not take advantage of God’s means of deliverance. Salvation in the days of Noah was found in the ark.
Where has God placed salvation from sin today? The Bible plainly teaches that salvation is in Christ (2 Tim. 2:10). There is salvation in no one else for He is the only way to the Father (Acts 4:11-12; Jn. 14:6). With this, most heartily agree. But, what many fail to realize is that to be in Christ is to be in His church. The church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). He is the Savior of His body (Eph. 5:23). Since the church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the Savior of the body, how can one be saved without being a member of His church? The church is made up of only those who have been saved. The church does not save anyone. It is the Lord who saves. Sinners are saved and added to the church in the same process (Acts 2:47). They are not first saved and then added; nor added and then saved. They are saved in being added and added in being saved. There are no saved people outside the church because God adds all the saved to His church.
God saves in Christ. Baptism brings us into Christ (Rm. 6:23; Gal. 3:27). It is also the means by which we enter into the church (1 Cor. 12:13). Those who are in Christ are in His church. The church is that body of believers who have been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). One is either in Christ or out of Christ. If in Christ, then also a member of His body, the church.
–Glen Elliott–