Interesting Questions-26
"No condemnation for those who
are in Christ"
Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, November 2008, p.4
THE BIBLE IS CRYSTAL CLEAR about salvation
as a free gift from God. In Genesis 1:27-31, the Bible says that it
was God Himself who created man in His own image. But because man
had sinned (Gen. 3:8), his fellowship or
relationship with God was destroyed (Isa. 59:1,
2). The apostle Paul says that the "wages of sin is
death" (Rom. 6:23) and that "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23), in other
words, because of sin we were separated from
God and deserve to die or be punished eternally in the
lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).
But there is hope. God loved us so much that "he
gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Thus, Jesus
bore our curse (Gal. 3:13)
and experienced death for us (Heb. 2:8-9)—He was
the one who took the penalty of our sins (II Cor. 5:21). When we
receive Jesus as a personal savior we are no longer condemned as
written in Romans 8:1 which says "there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus . . . . . " Therefore, because of
the grace of God we are saved and not by being member of any church
(Eph. 2:8), let alone your church.
Willy Austria
Maryland, USA
Editor's reply:
We couldn't agree more with what you
pointed out from the Bible that if it were not for God's love
that was manifested through His
sending of His Son Jesus Christ, we would all be doomed to suffer
eternal punishment in the lake of fire for the sins each of us
committed. Salvation is certainly an act of God's
grace, but this doesn't mean that we
should just dismiss membership in the Church
of Christ or regard it as irrelevant or unnecessary.
While we do need to believe Jesus Christ and
acknowledge Him as Savior to receive God's grace of salvation (Eph.
2:8; John 3:16), we should also make sure that we are among those
whom Christ considers as His sheep. Christ said:
"But you do not believe, because you are not of
My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me. (John
10:26-27, New King James Version)
There is a big difference between the true
believers of Christ and those who merely profess belief or
faith in Him. Christ's true believers are those counted by Him
as His sheep who hear His voice. Thus, to become a true believer of
Christ, one ought to heed His call to enter Him, inasmuch
as He is the "door of the sheepfold" and He invites anyone who wants
to be saved to come into the fold through Him (John 10:9, Revised
English Bible). This fold or flock, which is what He redeemed with
His blood, is the Church of Christ (Acts 20-.2S, LamsaTransIation).
In fact, those referred
to in Romans 8:1—the people "who
are in Christ", and as such, are
no longer condemned—are also the
members of the Church of Christ. Apostle Paul|
for explicates that to be "in Christ" is to be "members in one body"
(Rom. 12:4-5), that "one body" being Christ body or "the Church"
headed by Him (Col. 1:18) which is called by the apostles as the
Church of Christ (Acts 20:.28, Lamsa Translation).
It is therefore the curse of the Church of
Christ members which Jesus
bore (Gal. 3:13), and it is for them that He experienced death
(Heb. 2:8-9). It is for them that He was made sin (II Cor.
5:21), which means that He took the penalty for their sins, not for
the sins of those who just claim to have faith in Christ without
entering His flock or Church.
So, there are things that need to be
done for one to partake of God's grace of salvation through Christ;
and, becoming a member of the true Church of Christ (not
just any church) is one of them. We
can never discount the significance of membership
in the Church of Christ to man's salvation because it
is for the Church that God's "master plan" of salvation through
Jesus Christ is intended (Eph. 3:21, Living Bible)
There is a lot more to having faith in Christ than
just proclaiming to accept Him as Savior. To publicly confess
acceptance of Him, while at the same time discounting the relevance
of being part of His body or member of His Church, is not only a
gross oversimplification of the truth concerning God's grace of
salvation but also an affront to Christ who "loved the church and
gave his life for it" (Eph, 5:25, Today's English Version)
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