“SAVED ALREADY OR YET TO BE SAVED?"

Answer:

            About the questions you raised in your letter, allow us to clarify further the Iglesia ni Cristo’s stand concerning the necessity of the Church of Christ with regard to salvation as well as the biblical verses attesting to this fact:

1.     You will notice that in Item C (p. 31) of the article, it was not only Acts 2:47, New King James Version that was quoted from the Scriptures but also Eph. 5:23, Today’s English Version, John 10:9, Revised English Bible, and Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation. Let us quote item C (p. 31) in its entirety:

“c) The Church of Christ is where the Lord adds those who will be saved.

‘Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.’ (Acts 2:47, NKJV)

‘For a husband has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body.’ (Eph. 5:23, TEV)

For this reason, the Savior Himself commands all of those longing for salvation to enter the fold.

‘I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.’ (John 10:9, REB)

This fold or flock is none other than the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation). Would the Lord God add to the Church of Christ those who will be saved and would Christ command people to enter in it if the Church were not important and necessary?”

Hence, to say that “The Church of Christ is where the Lord adds those who will be saved” is not a matter of personal opinion but an established biblical truth.

Bear in mind that to attain salvation has to undergo a process set by the Savior Himself (Mark 16:15-16). That is why Luke stated “the Lord added to the Church daily those who WERE BEING SAVED” (past progressive or continuous action), and not those who “WERE SAVED ALREADY” (simple past or action already completed) as you asserted. Those who “were being saved” were “added to the Church” because Church membership (in the true Church of Christ) is an essential part of the process of attaining salvation.

2.     We used the word “will be saved” because these are the very words of the Savior Himself explicitly recorded in John 10:9, NKJV and is rendered “will be safe” in REB. Consequently, the phrase “those who were being saved” in Acts 2:47 in the NKJV is also rendered “such as should be saved” (Douay-Rheims, King James Version) and “those that were to be saved” (Darby). Hence, the teaching that “The Church of Christ is where the Lord adds those who will be saved” is in harmony with the teaching of Christ and His apostles.

3.     When Luke testified in Acts 2:47, NKJV that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved,” he was witnessing to the fact that it is in the Church (not outside of it) where “those who were being saved” are placed. This is primarily because outside of the true church, there is God’s judgment or condemnation (I Cor. 5:12-13, New International Version). You are correct in saying that sinners need salvation.  But again, remember that attaining salvation is a “process.” In order for sinners to attain salvation, they must undergo the process of attaining salvation set forth by Christ Himself. That is why during the time of the apostles, those who were being saved (should be saved, were to be saved) where those who listened to the preaching of the gospel, believed and were baptized (Acts 2). They were added to the church by baptism for according to Apostle Paul, “we were all baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13, NKJV) or Church (Col. 1:18). Moreover, the Savior Himself stated that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved,” that is, from condemnation of Judgment Day (Mark 16:15-16, NKJV), emphasis ours. It is true that “Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Tim 1:15) as you stated. However, let us not discount the important fact that Christ built or established a Church and it is the Church, His body, that Christ will save (Eph. 5:23, TEV). Thus, in order for sinners to avail themselves of the salvation offered by the Savior, they have to be part of the body or Church of Christ-an essential components in the process of attaining salvation.

4.     Does this necessarily mean they are not yet saved after they had been added to the Church by means of baptism? Apostle Paul state, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”, (NKJV, emphasis ours).

“Delivered” was rendered “saved” in the New International Reader’s Version. Hence, those who were conveyed or transferred into the Kingdom of the Son where redemption is found (i.e. the Church of Christ, Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation) are already “saved” and they are already have the hope of salvation on the day of judgment.

5.     There is nothing wrong with using the terms “are already saved” because they have been saved from the power of darkness and they were transferred into the kingdom of the Son or the Church of Christ-the place where redemption and salvation can be found (as explained above). Those who are in the Christ of Christ are the beneficiaries of God’s promised salvation and as Apostle Paul stated, they are no longer under condemnation:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1, NKJV)

Thus, we say that those who were added to the Church “are already saved.”

On the other hand, those who were added to the Church “will be saved” because the salvation from eternal damnation or from the lake of fire promised by God will be rewarded on the day of judgment. What the members of the Church of Christ have now is the hope of receiving God’s promised salvation, which will be given on the day of the Lord return. Remember that members of the Christ’s Church are still sojourning in this world and are awaiting the great day of salvation. Salvation is a privilege, though not an irrevocable one. This can be gleaned from the words recorded in Hebrews 2:3:

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” (Ibid.)

There is always the danged or losing this privilege. In order to maintain the condition of being “saved”, one must fulfill and complete the requirements set forth by God. One of those requirements set forth by God. One of those requirements was stated by Christ to His disciples who definitely had already believed in Him. He said, “…he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13, Ibid., emphasis ours). It is also for this reason Apostle Paul instructed the early Christians to “work out” their “own salvation” (Phil. 2:12, Ibid.)

6.     Concerning the purpose of Church membership, in John 10:9, Christ explicitly states, “If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” Entering by Jesus is by means of coming into the fold or flock, that is the Church of Christ (John10:9, REB; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation). Since the Church of Christ was purchased or redeemed by Christ with His precious blood, it is in the Church where man can truly serve the living God and proclaim His praises (Heb. 9:14, NKJV; I Pet. 2:9-10, Ibid.) which will redound to his salvation. On the contrary, to refuse to join the Church of Christ is to refuse such wonderful privileges, for that is the same as refusing to do the things that Christ says (Luke 6:46). Such people will only be disappointed when the appointed time comes, for regardless of their efforts to call upon the name of Jesus and to serve Him, Christ would only say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly-disregarding my commands” (Matt. 7:21-23, Amplified Bible). Is this not tragic especially for those who claim to have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior but would not follow His commandment to come into the flock or Church of Christ?

7.     Concerning Christ being the husband and the Church’s being His wife, it should be noted that such analogy used by the Apostle Paul serves only to illustrate the kind of relationship and unity that Christ and His Church share (Eph. 5:32, Ibid.)-that they are inseparable in God’s sight. In another analogy, the same apostle did liken the Church to pure and faultless to her one husband who is Christ (II Cor. 11:2, Revised Standard Version).