.
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. This teaching is in harmony with the teaching of Christ and His apostles.
.
 
Home   Questions List-Salvation

  Interesting Questions-156

“Saved already or yet to be saved?”


Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO,    February 2006, p.4

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS about your article, The Church of Christ: Its meaning and importance to man’s salvation, in Pasugo: God’s Message, February 2004 issue.

You said that the Church of Christ is where the Lord adds those who will be saved and your reference is Acts 2:47, New King James Version which says, “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved” (p. 31, C).

You said that the Lord adds (to the Church of Christ) those who will be saved, while St. Luke says, “… the Lord added the Church daily those who were being saved” (emphasis mine).

In effect, you said that the Lord adds to the Church those who are not yet saved while St. Luke said that the Lord added to the Church daily those who were saved already.

Is it not that the grammatical construction of the phrase “were being saved” is past progressive tense, passive voice? Is it not that Acts 2:47 can be illustrated thus: Day 1, AM 50 were saved, PM 50 were saved; and so on. Those who were being saved were the ones who were added to the Church by the Lord, NOT THOSE WHO NOT YET SAVED (those who hope to be saved).

Is it not that sinners, NOT THE CHURCH, NEED SALVATION from condemnation? Is it not that Christ, the Savior, saves those sinners who believe in Him and condemns those sinners who do not believe in Him (John 3:18)? Is it not, that the sinners who are saved become members of the Church of God/Christ and then are added to them by the Lord?

Suppose you join a church, say Church of Christ, with the hope to be saved. Then you are accepted as member of the local Church of Christ and you “endured unto the end” till death in that local Church of Christ. But in heaven, because you are not yet saved and since the Lord adds only those who are saved to His Church, then you are not accepted there. Is it not tragic?

Is it not the sinners, NOT THE CHURCH, are the ones for whom Christ came to save from condemnation? “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners …” (I Tim. 1:15, NKJV).

Is it not that the members of the Church of God/Church of Christ are the saved ones already, Acts 2:47 NKJV, NOT “THOSE WHO WILL BE SAVED” as you said?

Your 2nd reference in Ephesians 5:23, Today’s English Version which says, “For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the Church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the Church, his body.”

The analogy of “a husband and his wife” (not husband and his wife-to-be) “and Christ, the Savior and the Church, his body,” (not” and Christ, the Savior, and the Church, his body-to-be); is it not that this means that the church is saved already, thus, becoming his body – meaning that Christ and the Church, his body are related already?

Is it not that the purpose of the church membership is not to save sinners, but as saved sinners, to glorify God by winning men (who are not yet members of the church) to Christ, building them up in Christ, and sending them out for Christ?

May guide enlighten and guide us.

 Primo T. Arroz
Bacolod City, Philippines


Editor's reply:

Author Franklin Bunag replies:

Greetings of peace to you and to your loved ones down there in Bacolod.

About the questions you raised in your letter dated March 31, 2005, 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 saved.’ (John 10:9, REB)

This fold or flock is none other than the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).

Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood. (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 to man’s salvation?”

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 one has to undergo a process set by the Savior Himself (Mark 16:15-16).

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16, NKJV)

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 words “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 the REB.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, . . . (John 10:9, NKJV)

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

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord increased daily together such as should be saved. (Douay-Rheims)

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (KJV)

47 praising God, and having favour with all the people; and the Lord added [to the assembly] daily 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 is it 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).

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you." (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) were those who listened to the preaching of the gospel, believed and were baptized (Acts 2). They were added to the Church by means of baptism for according to Apostle Paul, “we were all baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13, NKJV) or Church (Col. 1:18).

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into[c] one Spirit. (I Cor. 12:13, NKJV)

18 And He is the head of the body, the church, . . . (Col. 1:18, NKJV)

Moreover, the Savior Himself stated that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” that is, from condemnation on 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).

‘For a husband has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body.’ (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 component 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 states in Col. 1:13-14:

 “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 already have the hope of salvation on the day of judgment.

 5.    There is nothing wrong with using the terms “are already saved” or “will be saved” referring to the people who were already “added to the church” because they do not run in conflict with one another. Those who were added to the church “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 Church of Christ are 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 the 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’s return. Remember that members of 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 danger of 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 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. 2:21, 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 (John 10:9, 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 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’s 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 a pure bride (or, as you prefer to call it, a “wife-to-be”) who is to be presented pure and faultless to her one husband who is Christ (II Cor. 11:2, Revised Standard Version).

May this reply help you in your quest for the truth and may the Lord guide you toward the right path to salvation.

___________________

Note: Some cited verses are printed in full to facilitate study.

Bible Study Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind. For the latest Worship Service Directory of Iglesia ni Cristo Locales and Congregations outside the Philippines, please visit www.iglesianicristoworshipservice.com or just click link at home page.

  Back to Top
  Study, Examine, and Compare the
Iglesia ni Cristo

www.studyiglesianicristo.com