No Salvation Outside the Church

Catholic Answers ^ | 12/05 | Fr. Ray Ryland

[bdeaner]

Why does the Catholic Church teach that there is "no salvation outside the Church"? Doesn’t this contradict Scripture? God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Peter proclaimed to the Sanhedrin, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Since God intends (plans, wills) that every human being should go to heaven, doesn’t the Church’s teaching greatly restrict the scope of God’s redemption? Does the Church mean—as Protestants and (I suspect) many Catholics believe—that only members of the Catholic Church can be saved?

That is what a priest in Boston, Fr. Leonard Feeney, S.J., began teaching in the 1940s. His bishop and the Vatican tried to convince him that his interpretation of the Church’s teaching was wrong. He so persisted in his error that he was finally excommunicated, but by God’s mercy, he was reconciled to the Church before he died in 1978.

In correcting Fr. Feeney in 1949, the Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) issued a document entitled Suprema Haec Sacra, which stated that "extra ecclesiam, nulla salus" (outside the Church, no salvation) is "an infallible statement." But, it added, "this dogma must be understood in that sense in which the Church itself understands it."

Note that word dogma. This teaching has been proclaimed by, among others, Pope Pelagius in 585, the Fourth Lateran Council in 1214, Pope Innocent III in 1214, Pope Boniface VIII in 1302, Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Dominus Iesus.

Our point is this: When the Church infallibly teaches extra ecclesiam, nulla salus, it does not say that non-Catholics cannot be saved. In fact, it affirms the contrary. The purpose of the teaching is to tell us how Jesus Christ makes salvation available to all human beings.

Work Out Your Salvation

There are two distinct dimensions of Jesus Christ’s redemption. Objective redemption is what Jesus Christ has accomplished once for all in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension: the redemption of the whole universe. Yet the benefits of that redemption have to be applied unceasingly to Christ’s members throughout their lives. This is subjective redemption. If the benefits of Christ’s redemption are not applied to individuals, they have no share in his objective redemption. Redemption in an individual is an ongoing process. "Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling; for God is at work in you" (Phil. 2:12–13).

How does Jesus Christ work out his redemption in individuals? Through his mystical body. When I was a Protestant, I (like Protestants in general) believed that the phrase "mystical body of Christ" was essentially a metaphor. For Catholics, the phrase is literal truth.

Here’s why: To fulfill his Messianic mission, Jesus Christ took on a human body from his Mother. He lived a natural life in that body. He redeemed the world through that body and no other means. Since his Ascension and until the end of history, Jesus lives on earth in his supernatural body, the body of his members, his mystical body. Having used his physical body to redeem the world, Christ now uses his mystical body to dispense "the divine fruits of the Redemption" (Mystici Corporis 31).

The Church: His Body

What is this mystical body? The true Church of Jesus Christ, not some invisible reality composed of true believers, as the Reformers insisted. In the first public proclamation of the gospel by Peter at Pentecost, he did not invite his listeners to simply align themselves spiritually with other true believers. He summoned them into a society, the Church, which Christ had established. Only by answering that call could they be rescued from the "crooked generation" (Acts 2:40) to which they belonged and be saved.

Paul, at the time of his conversion, had never seen Jesus. Yet recall how Jesus identified himself with his Church when he spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus: "Why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4, emphasis added) and "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5). Years later, writing to Timothy, Paul ruefully admitted that he had persecuted Jesus by persecuting his Church. He expressed gratitude for Christ appointing him an apostle, "though I formerly b.asphemed and persecuted and insulted him" (1 Tim. 1:13).

The Second Vatican Council says that the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church and the mystical body of Christ "form one complex reality that comes together from a human and a divine element" (Lumen Gentium 8). The Church is "the fullness of him [Christ] who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:23). Now that Jesus has accomplished objective redemption, the "plan of mystery hidden for ages in God" is "that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Eph. 3:9–10).

According to John Paul II, in order to properly understand the Church’s teaching about its role in Christ’s scheme of salvation, two truths must be held together: "the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all humanity" and "the necessity of the Church for salvation" (Redemptoris Missio 18). John Paul taught us that the Church is "the seed, sign, and instrument" of God’s kingdom and referred several times to Vatican II’s designation of the Catholic Church as the "universal sacrament of salvation":

"The Church is the sacrament of salvation for all humankind, and her activity is not limited only to those who accept her message" (RM 20).

"Christ won the Church for himself at the price of his own blood and made the Church his co-worker in the salvation of the world. . . . He carries out his mission through her" (RM 9).

In an address to the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (January 28, 2000), John Paul stated, "The Lord Jesus . . . established his Church as a saving reality: as his body, through which he himself accomplishes salvation in history." He then quoted Vatican II’s teaching that the Church is necessary for salvation.

In 2000 the CDF issued Dominus Iesus, a response to widespread attempts to dilute the Church’s teaching about our Lord and about itself. The English subtitle is itself significant: "On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church." It simply means that Jesus Christ and his Church are indivisible. He is universal Savior who always works through his Church:

The only Savior . . . constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: He himself is in the Church and the Church is in him. . . . Therefore, the fullness of Christ’s salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united to her Lord (DI 18).

Indeed, Christ and the Church "constitute a single ‘whole Christ’" (DI 16). In Christ, God has made known his will that "the Church founded by him be the instrument for the salvation of all humanity" (DI 22). The Catholic Church, therefore, "has, in God’s plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being" (DI 20).

The key elements of revelation that together undergird extra ecclesiam, nulla salus are these: (1) Jesus Christ is the universal Savior. (2) He has constituted his Church as his mystical body on earth through which he dispenses salvation to the world. (3) He always works through it—though in countless instances outside its visible boundaries. Recall John Paul’s words about the Church quoted above: "Her activity is not limited only to those who accept its message."

Not of this Fold

Extra ecclesiam, nulla salus does not mean that only faithful Roman Catholics can be saved. The Church has never taught that. So where does that leave non-Catholics and non-Christians?

Jesus told his followers, "I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:16). After his Resurrection, Jesus gave the threefold command to Peter: "Feed my lambs. . . . Tend my sheep. . . . Feed my sheep" (John 21:15–17). The word translated as "tend" (poimaine) means "to direct" or "to superintend"—in other words, "to govern." So although there are sheep that are not of Christ’s fold, it is through the Church that they are able to receive his salvation.

People who have never had an opportunity to hear of Christ and his Church—and those Christians whose minds have been closed to the truth of the Church by their conditioning—are not necessarily cut off from God’s mercy. Vatican II phrases the doctrine in these terms: Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their consciences—those too may achieve eternal salvation (LG 16).

Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery (Gaudium et Spes 22).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Every man who is ignorant of the gospel of Christ and of his Church but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity (CCC 1260).

Obviously, it is not their ignorance that enables them to be saved. Ignorance excuses only lack of knowledge. That which opens the salvation of Christ to them is their conscious effort, under grace, to serve God as well as they can on the basis of the best information they have about him.

The Church speaks of "implicit desire" or "longing" that can exist in the hearts of those who seek God but are ignorant of the means of his grace. If a person longs for salvation but does not know the divinely established means of salvation, he is said to have an implicit desire for membership in the Church. Non-Catholic Christians know Christ, but they do not know his Church. In their desire to serve him, they implicitly desire to be members of his Church. Non-Christians can be saved, said John Paul, if they seek God with "a sincere heart." In that seeking they are "related" to Christ and to his body the Church (address to the CDF).

On the other hand, the Church has long made it clear that if a person rejects the Church with full knowledge and consent, he puts his soul in danger:

They cannot be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or remain in it (cf. LG 14).

The Catholic Church is "the single and exclusive channel by which the truth and grace of Christ enter our world of space and time" (Karl Adam, The Spirit of Catholicism, 179). Those who do not know the Church, even those who fight against it, can receive these gifts if they honestly seek God and his truth. But, Adam says, "though it be not the Catholic Church itself that hands them the bread of truth and grace, yet it is Catholic bread that they eat." And when they eat of it, "without knowing it or willing it" they are "incorporated in the supernatural substance of the Church."

Extra ecclesiam, nulla salus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Fr. Ray Ryland, a convert and former Episcopal priest, holds a Ph.D. in theology from Marquette University and is a contributing editor to This Rock. He writes from Steubenville, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, Ruth.

[Semper Mark]

Who is the sin debt owed to?

What is it that forgives sins?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Yes I read it. I’m familiar with Rome’s double speak.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Music.

[Petronski]

Aww, you’re playing a game!

How cute.

[driftdiver]

Context is everything. Those were the disciples who were given the Holy Spirit by Jesus. (Holy Trinity anyone)

Is your priest a disciple appointed by Jesus?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

The big lie of the RCC is "apostolic succession." The apostles were given abilities and gifts in order to more effectively spread the Gospel. But there is zero in Scripture about these supernatural gifts and abilities being propagated down through history.

The reason for that is because God has chosen to reveal Himself now directly to the believer through the holy Scriptures by the free gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

[Mr Rogers]

Actually, the references explain WHY Protestants have CONCLUDED Scripture is sufficient.

[MarkBsnr]

***Nope, you’re a Roman Catholic. In the common vernacular, a Roman Catholic is a Catholic who follows the Pope, rather than a Eastern Catholic who follows the Patriarch. ***

“The Patriarch”?

[papertyger]

Then according to you the Catholic Church is a cult with authority. Ok! I get it!

What part of cops are not guilty of kidnapping didn't you understand?

[MarkBsnr]

***The Vatican is located within Rome; that is the physical location. Protestations notwithstanding! ***

It’s across the Tiber.

***But back to a question posed earlier that you have refused to answer: what is the Biblical basis for the papacy?***

Matthew 16:
13
8 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 9 he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, 10 others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16
11 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood 12 has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
18
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, 13 and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
19
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. 14 Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

###The Pope is the steward of Jesus. That is the significance of the keys.

[MarkBsnr]

***For the Biblical reference, see 2 Thessalonians 2:15:

With all these things in mind, dear brothers, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the truth that we taught you in our letters and during the time we were with you.

- From the Catholic Living Bible
So St. Augustine and St. Paul both call on the Divine and ultimate truth of the Bible. Sola Scriptura.***

False. St. Paul did not know that his letters would be named Scripture. He wanted the people under his authority as bishop to follow his theological commands, as all bishops do.

***Where is the word Trinity in the Bible?

The word is not. The concept is. Can you say the same about the Pope or ex cathedra writs from the Pope?***

It has as much direct and indirect evidence.

[MarkBsnr]

***The big lie of the RCC is “apostolic succession.” ***

Interesting. The only bigger lie of the outcome of the Reformation than what came from John Calvin is what came from Joseph Smith.

***But there is zero in Scripture about these supernatural gifts and abilities being propagated down through history.***

So Matthias means nothing? Or have you redacted that, too, from your Bible?

***The reason for that is because God has chosen to reveal Himself now directly to the believer through the holy Scriptures by the free gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.***

Given the bizarre interpretations of Scripture, and the editing of substantial Gospel passages, I’d say that the Reformed do not bear more than passing resemblance to Christian, and certainly nothing influenced by the Holy Spirit. The Reformation refutation of the Nicene Creed is very convincing evidence.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

When you find the Scripture that tells us the Apostles have been succeeded by 2,000 years of more apostles be sure to let us know.

The church is not made up of celibate wizards but lively stones, a priesthood of all believers.

[Diego1618]

False. St. Paul did not know that his letters would be named Scripture.

[2 Peter 3:16] Douay-Rheims: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

It appears Peter neglected to tell him!

[wintertime]

The “major take home point” of this article is the same cloistered folly Rome has been dishing for centuries — there is no salvation outside the Roman Catholic church.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly! Cults make the claim that there is no salvation except through the cult.

[MarkBsnr]

***False. St. Paul did not know that his letters would be named Scripture.

[2 Peter 3:16] Douay-Rheims: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

It appears Peter neglected to tell him!***

There is no evidence that the letters of Paul, written before most of the rest of the NT, were written by him with the understanding that they would be considered Scripture. When was 2 Peter written? Well after most of Paul’s epistles were written, that’s for sure.

It may not have been written by Peter; scholars have placed it anywhere from 60 to 160 AD.

[MarkBsnr]

***When you find the Scripture that tells us the Apostles have been succeeded by 2,000 years of more apostles be sure to let us know.***

When you find the Scripture that tells us that the Apostles have been succeeded by bizarre and power mad warpers of the Gospel, be sure to let us know.

***The church is not made up of celibate wizards but lively stones, a priesthood of all believers.***

How would the Reformed know? You have repeatedly shown me that you do not believe in the Christian Triune God. At any rate, Paul thought that celibacy for the Catholic priesthood was a good thing. But I keep forgetting: you guys don’t believe in Paul’s words; you only keep a few out of context verses and warp them into a mockery of Christian beliefs.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

I’m sorry, I should have said the Patriarchs, the title usually used for the spiritual leaders of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

It’s across the Tiber.

And it's within the boundaries of Rome. The Via Cipro runs to the West of Vatican City, and that is within the city of Rome. Not to mention it wasn't it's own "country" until 1929.

Rome surrounds the Vatican; you cannot enter the Vatican without passing through Rome.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

There is no evidence that the letters of Paul, written before most of the rest of the NT, were written by him with the understanding that they would be considered Scripture.

Yes, Paul would not assume his words would carry the impact of those of the rest of Scripture; oh that the office of the Pope - with his ex cathedra claims - were so humble.