Why do all the mickeymouse stuff?
Cut directly to the chase!!
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With all due respect --- and seeing, I think, your good intent in saying this --- I would caution you against setting up a false dichotomy.
The Church is identified in Scripture as Christ's Body, and (to use another image) His Bride. You simply cannot be converted to Christ but refuse to be vitally joined to the other members of His Body: and I mean vitally joined, joined on the basis of real need ("The eye cannot say to the ear, I don't need you") and real efficacy. Nor can you be joined to Christ and remain aloof from His Bride: for you are His Bride together with His Bridal Church,
The Church we "see" does not always look Bridal, because we are so marred by sin; but still, of all the objects of Faith mentioned in the Creed (One God the Father Almighty; the Forgiveness of Sins; the Resurrection of the Body) the Church is the one thing you can see.
I was thinking of that just today, while waiting n a long live for Confession. "Right now," I thought, "before my eyes right now, this is the Church: repenting, confessing our sins, turning toward Him and being thankful to God 'for His mercy endures forever.'" St.John said (1 John 4:20):
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.You think the Church is an invisible thing, it can't be this sinful visible thing? Yes, the Church is perfect; yes, She is indefectible. And yet --- you fool! The Church you can see, like the brother you can see, is right in front of your eyes in the Confession line: sinners all! Like the joke (kinda) says, "Ain't nobody here but us sinners."
And yet...
"O Lord Jesus Christ...regard not my sins but the faith of Your Church."
No church ever has, does not now, nor ever will, save a soul. The blood of Christ is the ONLY thing that washes one clean. We are washed in the blood of Christ when we receive him, saved to the uttermost forever.
The added requirement for salvation of joining some church is false doctrine that is twice cursed in Galatians 1:8-9.
Why do all the mickeymouse stuff?
Cut directly to the chase!!