The Necessity of the Church for Salvation: The answer to the question whether the Church is necessary for salvation depends very much on the proper analysis of language with reference to the concepts "the Church", "Necessity" and "Salvation". This analysis should be based on an adequate understanding of those concepts propounded in the Bible.
The Church: "Ecclesia" is the Greek word used in the New Testament to denote the Church, which is an assembly called together by God Himself. The initiative, therefore, is from God and He calls whom He wills and forms them into a community. The death of Jesus on the cross was for the purpose of gathering together the scattered children of God (See John, 11: 52). It entirely depends on God the Father who would come to Jesus and no one can do it on his or her own (See John, 6: 37, 44). Jesus himself called his disciples whom he will and reminded them that it was he who chose them and not vice-versa. Even in appointing the Apostles, Jesus did not worry about giving wide representation as we see that Peter and Andrew as well as James and John were brothers. There was also representation from those who were called his brothers. Peter, Andrew and Philip were from Bethesda and all the Apostles were from Galilee. Thus, no democratic spirit was apparent in the selection of Apostles as they were directly called by God Himself. The same is true of the first member of the Church, Mother Mary, as well as of all the women disciples of Jesus. Therefore, the first condition of being a member of the church of Jesus Christ is the call extended by God Himself.
External and Internal components: There are both visible and invisible elements constituting the reality of the Church. The call from God, through the action of His Spirit, is the first invisible component of the Church. It takes shape in each human heart as true faith in the living God expressed variously through visible forms of worship, actions, attitudes etc.To nurture that faith and develop it according to the Will of God is the mission of the Church. It follows that, as St. Augustine noted, there are some who think that they are in the Church while they are not really in it and others who think that they are outside the Church while they are really in it. This shows the preponderance and importance of the invisible element in the Church, although it has also to be expressed in visible forms. The Spirit of God needs and uses visible forms, without being restrained and restricted by them. The purpose of the visibility of the church through various sacraments and institutions including the priesthood, is not to create boundaries but to open up to the entire world. In the process of opening up to the world, if the Church were to lose its own identity, it succeeds in fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself for us. The delicate balance between the individuality of a Church and the work of the Holy Spirit has to be maintained for the Church to remain the Body of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the many individual Churches in the One Church would tend to be disparate groups governed by selfish motives instead of becoming vehicles of organic outgrowth in the Body of Christ.
The Spirit: The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles clearly indicate how the Holy Spirit was guiding the Church in its beginnings. Nothing was done without the promptings of the Holy Spirit and even the visible manifestations of those promptings were not allowed to be excessively influenced by the human proclivities of wielding power over others. The best example of such a visible element was the administration of baptism to those who believed in Jesus as the Christ. Baptism was never considered as a means to segregate people but as a symbolic expression of dying and rising with Jesus Christ. It was not the only means to receive the Holy Spirit as we see from the case of Cornelius who, with his family, was baptized by Peter after the outpouring of the Spirit on them (See Acts, 10: 44-48). Peter also tells us that baptism is not a mere ritual to wash away our bodily pollution , but an appeal made to God for a good conscience in virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (See 1 Peter, 3: 21). Let us also remember that Jesus never baptized anyone (See John, 4: 2 that clarifies John, 3: 22) and Paul understood his mission as proclaiming the Gospel and not baptizing anyone (See 1 Corinthians, 1: 17). It only means that baptism and as a result membership in the Church should never be considered as a means for increasing numbers for the purpose of building power-blocks in the name of Jesus Christ. In this context, one can see that any idea of "forcible conversions" even by taking advantage of the vulnerability of the weak is a contradiction in terms.
Sources of misunderstanding: The reason for the importance and necessity of the Church for salvation is its identity with Jesus Christ. Saul, who turned out to be Paul, knew this identification through a direct encounter with Jesus at Damascus. Saul was very zealous in persecuting the believers in Jesus not only at Jerusalem but also in the Synagogues of other places. He was struck down near Damascus, on his way to arrest the believers in Jesus in the Synagogues there, by the power of the Lord Jesus who identified himself with the believers and considered their persecution as his own (See Acts, 9: 1-5). According to the faith of the Church, derived from the Bible, Jesus Christ is the one who is appointed by God Himself as the sole savior of the world. Since the Church is identified with Jesus Christ as his Body, the necessity of the Church for salvation is thought to derive from the necessity of Jesus Christ for salvation. This is, however, a half-truth resulting from the fallacious identification of Jesus Christ with the Church in place of the identification of the Church with Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is much more than the reality of the Church of which he is the head and at the same time the head of all creation. Nothing is excluded from his sovereignty except God the father to whom he himself is subject. Thus the unreserved interchangeability of the identity of the Church and Jesus Christ is one source of misunderstanding of the true necessity of the Church for salvation.
Another source of misunderstanding of the same is due to the exaggerated importance of the visibility of the church at the expense of its invisible nature. Thus the view of Cardinal Bellarmine in the 16th cent. that the Church is as visible and palpable as the Republic of Italy or Germany completely undermined the essential invisible component of the Church and rendered it equivalent to any civil society. It was forgotten that while civil societies have physical and geographical boundaries, the Church of Jesus Christ, representing the Kingdom of God, has no such boundaries. Other consequences with rules, laws, discipline, etc., would accordingly be different in the Church and the civil societies. The former is governed for the welfare of its faithful in the coming world, while the latter is governed for the welfare of its citizens in this world. However, there should not be any dichotomy between the two since men and women cannot lead a divided life between the two kinds of societies. The problem of this division would be solved the moment one sees that life in the Church is nothing but a life in the Spirit whereby all our activities are suffused with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
There is still another source of misunderstanding about the nature of the Church whereby the Kingdom of God and the Church are identified. The most one can say about this identification is the one we have pointed out about the similar identification of the Church and Jesus Christ. While the Church may be identified with the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God is not to be identified with the Church in its visible manifestation. This is all the more so since Jesus Christ himself is the concrete expression of the Kingdom of God manifested to us through his Paschal Mystery. (To be Contd).
The Church: "Ecclesia" is the Greek word used in the New Testament to denote the Church, which is an assembly called together by God Himself. The initiative, therefore, is from God and He calls whom He wills and forms them into a community. The death of Jesus on the cross was for the purpose of gathering together the scattered children of God (See John, 11: 52). It entirely depends on God the Father who would come to Jesus and no one can do it on his or her own (See John, 6: 37, 44). Jesus himself called his disciples whom he will and reminded them that it was he who chose them and not vice-versa. Even in appointing the Apostles, Jesus did not worry about giving wide representation as we see that Peter and Andrew as well as James and John were brothers. There was also representation from those who were called his brothers. Peter, Andrew and Philip were from Bethesda and all the Apostles were from Galilee. Thus, no democratic spirit was apparent in the selection of Apostles as they were directly called by God Himself. The same is true of the first member of the Church, Mother Mary, as well as of all the women disciples of Jesus. Therefore, the first condition of being a member of the church of Jesus Christ is the call extended by God Himself.
External and Internal components: There are both visible and invisible elements constituting the reality of the Church. The call from God, through the action of His Spirit, is the first invisible component of the Church. It takes shape in each human heart as true faith in the living God expressed variously through visible forms of worship, actions, attitudes etc.To nurture that faith and develop it according to the Will of God is the mission of the Church. It follows that, as St. Augustine noted, there are some who think that they are in the Church while they are not really in it and others who think that they are outside the Church while they are really in it. This shows the preponderance and importance of the invisible element in the Church, although it has also to be expressed in visible forms. The Spirit of God needs and uses visible forms, without being restrained and restricted by them. The purpose of the visibility of the church through various sacraments and institutions including the priesthood, is not to create boundaries but to open up to the entire world. In the process of opening up to the world, if the Church were to lose its own identity, it succeeds in fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself for us. The delicate balance between the individuality of a Church and the work of the Holy Spirit has to be maintained for the Church to remain the Body of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the many individual Churches in the One Church would tend to be disparate groups governed by selfish motives instead of becoming vehicles of organic outgrowth in the Body of Christ.
The Spirit: The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles clearly indicate how the Holy Spirit was guiding the Church in its beginnings. Nothing was done without the promptings of the Holy Spirit and even the visible manifestations of those promptings were not allowed to be excessively influenced by the human proclivities of wielding power over others. The best example of such a visible element was the administration of baptism to those who believed in Jesus as the Christ. Baptism was never considered as a means to segregate people but as a symbolic expression of dying and rising with Jesus Christ. It was not the only means to receive the Holy Spirit as we see from the case of Cornelius who, with his family, was baptized by Peter after the outpouring of the Spirit on them (See Acts, 10: 44-48). Peter also tells us that baptism is not a mere ritual to wash away our bodily pollution , but an appeal made to God for a good conscience in virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (See 1 Peter, 3: 21). Let us also remember that Jesus never baptized anyone (See John, 4: 2 that clarifies John, 3: 22) and Paul understood his mission as proclaiming the Gospel and not baptizing anyone (See 1 Corinthians, 1: 17). It only means that baptism and as a result membership in the Church should never be considered as a means for increasing numbers for the purpose of building power-blocks in the name of Jesus Christ. In this context, one can see that any idea of "forcible conversions" even by taking advantage of the vulnerability of the weak is a contradiction in terms.
Sources of misunderstanding: The reason for the importance and necessity of the Church for salvation is its identity with Jesus Christ. Saul, who turned out to be Paul, knew this identification through a direct encounter with Jesus at Damascus. Saul was very zealous in persecuting the believers in Jesus not only at Jerusalem but also in the Synagogues of other places. He was struck down near Damascus, on his way to arrest the believers in Jesus in the Synagogues there, by the power of the Lord Jesus who identified himself with the believers and considered their persecution as his own (See Acts, 9: 1-5). According to the faith of the Church, derived from the Bible, Jesus Christ is the one who is appointed by God Himself as the sole savior of the world. Since the Church is identified with Jesus Christ as his Body, the necessity of the Church for salvation is thought to derive from the necessity of Jesus Christ for salvation. This is, however, a half-truth resulting from the fallacious identification of Jesus Christ with the Church in place of the identification of the Church with Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is much more than the reality of the Church of which he is the head and at the same time the head of all creation. Nothing is excluded from his sovereignty except God the father to whom he himself is subject. Thus the unreserved interchangeability of the identity of the Church and Jesus Christ is one source of misunderstanding of the true necessity of the Church for salvation.
Another source of misunderstanding of the same is due to the exaggerated importance of the visibility of the church at the expense of its invisible nature. Thus the view of Cardinal Bellarmine in the 16th cent. that the Church is as visible and palpable as the Republic of Italy or Germany completely undermined the essential invisible component of the Church and rendered it equivalent to any civil society. It was forgotten that while civil societies have physical and geographical boundaries, the Church of Jesus Christ, representing the Kingdom of God, has no such boundaries. Other consequences with rules, laws, discipline, etc., would accordingly be different in the Church and the civil societies. The former is governed for the welfare of its faithful in the coming world, while the latter is governed for the welfare of its citizens in this world. However, there should not be any dichotomy between the two since men and women cannot lead a divided life between the two kinds of societies. The problem of this division would be solved the moment one sees that life in the Church is nothing but a life in the Spirit whereby all our activities are suffused with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
There is still another source of misunderstanding about the nature of the Church whereby the Kingdom of God and the Church are identified. The most one can say about this identification is the one we have pointed out about the similar identification of the Church and Jesus Christ. While the Church may be identified with the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God is not to be identified with the Church in its visible manifestation. This is all the more so since Jesus Christ himself is the concrete expression of the Kingdom of God manifested to us through his Paschal Mystery. (To be Contd).
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