Catholics & Protestants agree there's no salvation apart from the Church, but for very different reasons!
Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members
We believe that
since this holy assembly and congregation
is the gathering of those who are saved
and there is no salvation apart from it,
no one ought to withdraw from it,
content to be by himself,
regardless of his status or condition.
But all people are obliged
to join and unite with it,
keeping the unity of the church
by submitting to its instruction and discipline,
by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ,
and by serving to build up one another,
according to the gifts God has given them
as members of each other
in the same body.
And to preserve this unity more effectively,
it is the duty of all believers,
according to God’s Word,
to separate themselves
from those who do not belong to the church,
in order to join this assembly
wherever God has established it,
even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid
and death and physical punishment result.
And so,
all who withdraw from the church
or do not join it
act contrary to God’s ordinance.
Summary
This section is a repost from May 22, 2023
Put yourself in the place of the disciples. Everything you've heard Jesus teach on has been mind blowing and has shattered nearly every preconceived notion that they had prior to meeting Him. So every time Jesus asked a question, they probably sweat bullets hoping that Jesus wouldn't pick them to answer, because chances are they'd get it wrong.
But here Jesus asks a question that's easy to answer: "who do others say that I am?" It's always easy to report what others say, so the disciples are quick to give an answer to this first question.
It's the second question that gets them. "Who do you say that I am?" You can imagine the awkward silence that followed the question. Finally the boldest of the group spoke up, and I don't think it was with a wavering voice. Peter finally gets it: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
Jesus rewards Peter's bravery and correct answer with a new name: Petros - the Rock. What comes next has been the subject of oceans of ink: "on this rock - petra - I will build my church." You can see the slight difference in the Greek words. Does this mean that Simon Peter is the rock that the church is built on, or is 'this rock' that Jesus refers to a different rock - perhaps Himself?
But focusing on the slight variation in wording misses the point of this passage. Don't miss Jesus' huge promise here: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Peter plays an important role for sure in church history, but clearly the foundation, architect, builder and finisher of the Church is our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Dig Deeper
Both the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and Reformed churches agree on the opening words of our Confession here, that there is no salvation apart from the Church. But the two groups take very different paths in arriving at this conclusion.
The RCC interpretation places the impetus in the Church, understanding the God will accept all that the Church has 'bound,' and reject all that she has 'loosed." Here's how their catechism puts it:
The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1445)
Reformed Churches understand God to exercise sovereign dominion. The Church 'binds' those elected to salvation by as it carries out the ordinary means of grace (preaching, sacraments and discipline). In other words, the Church doesn't catch a person and drag him to God for salvation, rather, God draws those He's chosen to Him through the work of the Church. Those who reject the grace proclaimed by the Church are 'loosed.'
If people separate themselves from the RCC, they're considered to have been 'loosed' from the Church and thus from salvation. But too often, Protestant Christians have too small of a view of the Church's authority, since God conceptually could save a person without the aid of the Church.
Don't make that mistake. The Church is the very body of Christ, and it's the primary dispenser of the means of grace. You must submit yourself to it - in a real sense, let yourself be bound - by sitting under its preaching, participating in its sacraments, and submitting to its discipline. Therefore, there's no salvation apart from it.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has established the Church in Christ, saving the elect through her preaching, sacraments and discipline;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your love for Christ's Church will grow and that you'll fully submit yourself to it;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Corinthians 9
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