Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? Introduction: A few Bible facts about the church – Jesus built his church (Matt. 16: 18). There is one body or church (Eph. 4: 4, 1: 22, 23). Jesus is the head of his church (Eph. 1: 22, 23). He is the savior of the body (Eph. 5: 23). To be “in Christ” is to be in “one body” (Gal. 3: 27, I Cor. 12: 13). Again, “the body” is “the church” (Eph. 1: 22, 23). Make plain slide one and that one is baptized into Christ.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “I affirm that there are faithful Christians in denominations” (one affirmed for debate).

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “10: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11: For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12: Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13: Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 14: I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius” (I Cor. 1). Some say that “in Christ” is tantamount to being in denominations and that denominationalism makes up the “one body.” Point out the error of such thinking, using I Corinthians 1: 10-14.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then saved without reconciliation. Beginning with slide four, the dialectic consequences of the position that one is saved outside of Jesus’ church are illustrated and shown to be strong enough to cause the position to be abandoned.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5: 20, cp. Eph. 2: 16). Slide five (same with following slides) shows that one cannot be saved without reconciliation. Be sure to stress Ephesians 2: 16.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then saved without forgiveness of sin.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2). “27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3). Baptism places one “in Christ.” Baptism is also, “for the remission of sins.” Hence, if one can be saved outside of Jesus’ spiritual body, then one can be saved without remissions of sins.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ then, saved without being a new creature.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5). “4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6). The state of being a “new creature” occurs in Christ. Therefore, if one is outside of Jesus, one is not a new creature. To affirm the state of being outside of Jesus and still maintain the status of being a new creature, then, is to affirm being a new creature can occur outside of the church.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then saved without the death of Jesus.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “28: 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). “18: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16, see Rom. 6: 3-5). Again, notice the teaching of Paul in Romans 6: 3-5. One contacts the benefits of Jesus’ death by being baptized into Jesus. To thus affirm salvation outside of Jesus is to maintain salvation without Jesus’ death.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then saved without sanctification.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (I Cor. 1). “25: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5)

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then one is saved without being saved.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “10: 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). To be saved without being saved is utterly ridiculous. Such is the nature of the affirmation of salvation outside of Jesus’ church.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? "In Christ" If saved outside of Christ, then one can be saved without redemption.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? “6: To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1) Without redemption (the purchase price for the slave to sin), one remains in bondage to sin.

Can One Be Saved Outside The Church? Conclusion: The truth is one cannot be saved without reconciliation, forgiveness; being a new creature; the death of Jesus; sanctification; being saved; and redemption. “1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8). The affirmation, “I affirm that there are faithful Christians in denominations” is untenable, false, and without defense!