Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

This is an important question. We have many good friends who are not members of the Lord’s church. We love them and are concerned about their salvation.

Let me define what I mean by the question. A person may have heard someone say, “Good people can be saved anywhere.” While it is true that a person is not saved based on geography, that a person can be saved without reference to whether or not he obeys Christ is not true. What the world defines as a “good person” is not necessarily the one Christ so describes. What this statement affirms is that a person can be saved inside or outside the church. Who said so? How does one know that this is true? The only authoritative source for an answer to this question is the Bible.

Someone else may say, “The church does not save anyone. Therefore, it does not matter which church one joins.” Of course, Christ is the only one to save any person. However, where is the evidence that he will save anyone outside his church?

When we ask, “Can good people be saved out of the church?” we are not asking, “Can a person be saved without joining a denomination?” Most denominations admit that a person can be saved without being a member of their particular denomination. That being true, I would not recommend that anyone ever become a member of any denomination. However, the Lord’s church is not a denomination and a person cannot be saved without becoming a member of it.

What Is The Church?

When a person understands what the church is, he can better tell whether or not he must be a member of it in order to be saved. Here is what the church is:

1. The kingdom of God. The church is identified with the Lord’s kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19). Jesus is the King over this kingdom. There are only two spiritual kingdoms  the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of Christ. Every man is a member of one or the other of these kingdoms. Paul wrote, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:12-13). Can a person be saved while a part of the kingdom of Satan? If not, he must become a citizen of the Jesus’ kingdom in order to be saved. But the kingdom is the church. Therefore, a person must be a member of the church to be saved. A person becomes a part of the kingdom of God by being born again (John 3:3,5).

2. The house of God. The church is the house of God. Paul wrote, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). There are only two spiritual houses. A person is either a child of God or a child of the Devil (Jn. 8:42-44). Can a person be saved with the Devil as his spiritual father? If not, he must be a son of God, a member of the house of God. But the house of God is the church of God. Therefore, a person must be a member of the church to be saved.

3. The called out. The word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, a noun which is derived from the preposition ek (out of) and the verb kaleo (to call). The ekklesia is composed of those who have been called out of spiritual darkness, out of the world. Jesus appointed Paul an apostle for the purpose of calling men out of spiritual darkness and into his spiritual light. Paul wrote, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou halt seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:16-18). Can a person be saved while in spiritual darkness? Can a person be saved while in the world of sin? If not, he must be called out of sin. The church is simply those who have been called out of sin. Therefore, a person must be a member of the church to be saved.

The Church Is Not the Savior

Lest anyone misunderstand me, let me assure you that the church is not the Savior. The church is composed of those who are saved. The Savior is Christ Jesus our Lord. Those whom he has saved are the church. A person is not saved because of his union with others who have been saved. He is saved by the precious blood of Christ. How-ever, Christ has ordained that those whom he has saved be in the one body, his church (Eph. 2:10).

Conclusion

How does one become a part of the church? Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). When a person hears the gospel, believes it, repents of his sins, and is baptized in water, the Lord adds him to his church (Acts 2:47). If you have never done these things, you are lost. Like Cornelius, a man may be morally upright, but still he needs to hear words whereby he and his house can be saved (Acts 10:1-2; 11:14). Why not become a Christian today and the Lord will add you to his church?

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: No 21, p. 2
November 4, 1993

By E.J. Ebong

Greetings. It has been in my mind many years back to express my profound gratitude to all churches and individuals who through the love of God have helped Nigeria to share in this great blessing in the kingdom of Christ. Like the Apostle Paul put it, “We are bound to give thanks always to the Father who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12-13). I thank God for all of you for the good and faithful men that you supported and sent to us, who with all patience and hard work preached the gospel of Christ and planted churches in different parts of our nation. The Lord has made Nigeria a fertile ground for the gospel of Christ and many who will remain faithful to this call shall be saved eternally. These are your fruits, your joy and crown (Phil. 4:1; 1 ‘Mess. 2:19-20).

Freely we did receive, and freely we must give (Matt. 10:8). Many faithful preachers are doing all they can to teach Nigerian churches as well as individuals to grow and become matured so as to do the same to others who are still in darkness. The Lord will stand with us. Thanks also for the materials, things that you supply to us to make this work a success. Good and honest men are using these things wisely for the purpose they were meant for. Our God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labor of love, which ye have shown toward his name (Heb. 6:10). We are doing all we can in teaching as many to grow to perfection, please pray for us. Remember also our nation as it is facing a difficult time so that God may let peace prevail. May the God of all grace be with you all and continue to bless you and your efforts toward his great name.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: No 21, p. 4
November 4, 1993

By Tim Mize

Gathered as we are today to remember die Lords death, let us think for a moment about this truth and its significance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ~ Cor. 15:3).

This stress on scriptural backing goes back to the earliest preaching of the gospel, when the apostles first proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ. Those early audiences would have been skeptical. This Jesus was a nobody, a peasant man from a peasant town. He had wandered about for a time as a popular preacher, teacher, and healer, and even raised the hopes of some, but he had died a failure, executed by the authorities on a cross.

We might wonder how those preachers managed to persuade anyone to believe it. Yet they did, and with great success. They affirmed that humiliated, dying messiah was actually Gods plan, and they pointed to two things to prove it the fact that God had raised this Jesus from the dead, and the fact that the scriptures themselves testify that the messiah must suffer.

Their audiences already accepted the authority of scripture. They already believed, too, in its promise of a blessed future for Israel. More surprising would have been the suggestion that according to the scriptures these hopes were to be fulfilled through as humble a Christ as this. The apostles encouraged them to search the scriptures to see that these things are so (Acts 17:21, 10f).

What scriptures did they point to in support of such claims? First, there were those that describe the suffering of the righteous in general (such as Pss. 22 and 69). If these things are true of the righteous, how much more of the Christ, the Righteous One? Secondly, there were those that foreshadow particular events surrounding Jesus death (for example, Zech. 11:12-13; 12:10; Ps. 69:21; Isa. 53:9). Thirdly, there was Isaiah chapter 53, which speaks explicitly of the suffering and dying servant of God. Lastly, there were those that tell of the resurrection of Gods Holy One (Pss. 16:10).

So then, when we say that Christ died “according to the scriptures,” we mean that God has a plan, a plan that involves a blessed destiny for his people, which he has always had, has always been working out, and even now pursues. We mean that from time to time humanity has received manifestations of this plan at work, which affirm its reality and its goodness. Most of all, we mean that the death of Jesus stands as one such manifestation of this plan. Indeed, it stands as the supreme and climactic demonstration of the on-going, redemptive work of God (Acts2:23; 4:28; Gal. 4:40.

In a world of whirlwind change and unrelenting trouble, we need to hear this gospel. We need to hear that God has a plan that overarches all, and overrules alland that even now this same irresistible power that was demonstrated in the cross drives all things toward the happy end of the righteous.

 The death of our Savior, then, was no accident, no mistake, and no afterthought. It was planned and worked out by God to demonstrate his love and work for our redemption. We can only wonder at what further demonstrations lie ahead.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 20, p. 7
October 21, 1993

By Steven D. Baxley

In Isaiah 6, we have recorded the vision in which the prophet received the divine commission to go and warn the people of Israel of impending judgment upon them. In verse 8, God asks the question “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah answers with the words, “Here am I; send me,” thus expressing his own willingness to carry the Word of God to those who needed to hear it. Isaiah faithfully preached that message. Today, God calls us to take his message to a lost and dying people; a people with only one hope for eternal salvation: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Will our answer to that call be like Isaiah’s?

Notice please Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus is just about to ascend into heaven, but he has some final words for the disciples who will now carry on the work that he had begun. Jesus states: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus issues a direct command, based upon his divine authority (v. 18) for the disciples to take his gospel into every nation of the earth. Now, notice what he says immediately after that: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Jesus thus tells the disciples that they are to teach people to observe his commandments. This necessarily includes the most recent command that Jesus had delivered: the command to “teach all nations” contained in the preceding verse. Thus, we see that Jesus’ order to teach is applicable to all Christians, it is a universal order to which we are all subject!

First of all, we as Christians need to realize that we all have an obligation as individuals to teach our friends, neighbors, and family members. We should be like Aquila and Priscilla, who took Apollos aside and instructed him “more perfectly” in the Way of the Lord (Acts 18:26). Was Aquila a preacher? If he was, the Bible does not specifically say so. Was Priscilla his wife a preacher? Such is impossible based upon the New Testament’s teaching concerning the role of women in the church. Aquila and Priscilla were Christians who obeyed the command to teach others the gospel of Christ. The Christians in Jerusalem, when scattered by persecution, “went every-where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Recently, a study was conducted which produced the conclusion that 80% of the people converted to a denomination are converted not by the preacher in the pulpit, but by friends, relatives, and co-workers! I would venture to guess that such is true in the church as well. How many souls are blindly marching off to an eternal hell prepared for the Devil and his angels, with Christian friends and relatives making no effort to stop them!?

Secondly, we as Christians need to understand that we have an obligation to supply the gospel with “faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Churches should be actively teaching teachers to teach. Christians should be raising up children who are indoctrinated in the faith, who love their fellow men enough that they will work at saving them from eternal condemnation for their sins by teaching the gospel which “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). The gospel will only reach lost souls when the church supplies teachers and preachers who will take it to them. How sad it is that some congregations have to beg for people to teach the Bible classes! How sad it is that some congregations have to beg people to become active in personal work programs! How sad it is that faithful congregations of God’s people have no regular evangelist to work with them because there are not enough preachers to fill all the empty pulpits in this land and in others!

Third, we as Christians need to understand that we have an obligation to do everything we can to support those men who are working in the Gospel. Paul, in speaking of his right to be supported in spreading the Gospel states: “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). The Church in Philippi was praised by Paul for their actions in helping him: “For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity” (Phil. 4:16). These Christians recognized the need to assure their neighbors an opportunity to hear the soul-saving gospel of Christ. Unfortunately, all too many congregations today do not have the attitude of the Philippians.

Finally, what we must recognize is that no single one of these means of fulfilling Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 is self-sufficient. Congregations should be involved in all three aspects of spreading the gospel. Congregations should be composed of Christians who, as individuals, are committed to personally teaching the gospel to others. Furthermore, congregations should be training their members to teach the gospel to others. And then, congregations must recognize the need to supply evangelists with the funds necessary for them to do the appointed work. We should not lament and complain by saying that we are incapable of doing these things, and then leaving them to be done by others. What if Isaiah had said to God: “Here is this other fellow; send him”? Would he have been pleasing to God? Absolutely not! Rather, we must be like Isaiah… we must answer God’s call with a resounding, “Here am I; send me.” This takes time, energy, and sacrifice. We must be willing to take the time to teach others, to expend the energy necessary to teach others, and yes, when it is required, we must be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to fulfill the ordinance of God to teach. When we do so, the church will grow, and be “like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Lk. 13:20-21), spreading throughout this world.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 20, p. 14
October 21, 1993