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.

[Petronski]

I doubt you are seeking to change minds and bring people to the Catholic Church because of your tactics.

I'm not here to convert anyone. You are free to continue to wallow in ignorance if you choose.

I'm here to correct anti-Catholic lies.

[driftdiver]

“I’m here to correct anti-Catholic lies. “

So you place your pride above the Great Commission. Interesting.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Lol

[Petronski]

So you place your pride above the Great Commission. Interesting.

It's a question of basic honesty. Lie about the Catholic Church and as long as I'm here I'm going to correct the lie.

I'm not in the business of evangelizing Christians.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

I didn’t make that claim.

[cva66snipe]

I've been following this thread over 1300 post now. Why should Christians who indeed do in fact serve the same Christ be concerned over who's church is The Church? They shouldn't because as such it is a jealousy. Christ settled the issues of different sects among believers early on when His chosen 12 became jealous over a man in another sect not part of theirs doing as they in Christ name. Christ tells all of us That those who serve Him and do His will will not be able to speak evil of Him and do good things for long. It is by their fruits. Now who are we to question what Christ allowed? Christ didn't go to the man they saw and say stop it and join us.

GOD created us indeed as individuals and as individuals He deals with us in different ways just as He did Abraham, Jacob, Daniel, Job, David, and yes even His very ones chosen. He does so to achieve His will and what He wants us to do.

Christ saw their strengths and weakness and dealt with them sometimes as a group sometimes as an individual as He did Peter who was likely the most stubborn and hot tempered amongst them.

Christ did not say to His 12 nor to us Go into all nations and teach others to be Baptist, Catholics, Methodist, etc I've said the list before. He tells says to teach His Gospel to all nations.

I heard a poster addressing individualism. The Testimony of a Converted or saved Christian is the most prevailing evidence a believe can give if they themselves are walking with the Lord. But most persons doing so alos gives GOD the Glory as it should be. Nothing is wrong with individual paths in life or individual understandings. Christ plainly said He would send The Holy Spirit who would lead us to truth. The Holy Spirit teaches you, me, Preacher Smith, and the Pope and Priest.

But perhaps the most prevailing thing I see in this thread is an absence a lacking. An absence of the most basic requirement Christ gave us. No surprise as the chosen 12 had problems there too and with others who followed. Even Paul had a lack of it at times early on. It's not a Protestant/Catholic problem it is a Christian problem and some reading this thread may say good grief is this what Christianity is a family fued? No it is John 3 ;16 and a good follow up is taught by Paul below.

1 CORINTHIANS 13 1If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth£ but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. 3If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;£ but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. 4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 6It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages£ and special knowledge will all disappear. 9Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! 10But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. 11It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.£ All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now. 13There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Hard to do sometimes even for the most devout. The churches as such have never been under one earthly name nor have all believes and followers in Christ been exclusive to any sect.

Christians it is not your place nor your duty to convert those of whom have been saved. Jesus through the Holy Spirit called them. Now if He can call them He too as well can place them without our help and confusing them with theological issues. There are Lost Sheep to worry about not the ones found.

I went through a brief time where someone hounded me endlessly about my salvation because of the words the preacher used in Baptism. I can handle such now easilly as I know better. My wife was tormented by a well meaning Believer who told her that her lack of faith is why she could not walk. I told him to tell Joni Erickson Tada that then if some of you know who she is. GOD put her and put Joni there. For why we may never know although Joni has built a ministry to the disabled no church comes close to.

Let GOD be GOD. Be at peace with one another and as believers love one another as Christ loved you. Do that and the Orange and the Green argument's will melt away and you want be worried by it. I know because I've seen it work. Many families are of mixed churches. We don't use this kind of disagreements or sect boasting on family and we shouldn't amongst our Brothers and Sisters in Christ either. Only one is great and only one is right and true and that is Christ Himself.

We need to spend more time listening to Him we serve and less time attacking ourselves over what is The LORD's business alone. He still does talk to us ya know :>} Maybe He can't get a word in edgewise.

[Petronski]

Then you have nothing to prove.

[driftdiver]

“Lie about the Catholic Church and as long as I’m here I’m going to correct the lie.”

Really, when will you start?

“I’m not in the business of evangelizing Christians.”

So you must think Jesus was joking.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I'm here to correct anti-Catholic lies.

But there aren't any around here to correct.

That must explain why you have so much free time.

[Petronski]

Really, when will you start?

1998.

So you must think Jesus was joking.

No.

[Petronski]

But there aren't any around here to correct.

You post them by the score.

[driftdiver]

I’ve never heard a Christian say they didn’t want to bring others to Christ. Never

Shame

[Dr. Eckleburg]

as long as I'm here I'm going to correct the lie.

But you don't' "correct" anything. Your "corrections" are a pile of "sez you" and "oh, yeah?"

[Petronski]

I’ve never heard a Christian say they didn’t want to bring others to Christ.

You haven't heard it from me either.

Let me repeat:

I’m not in the business of evangelizing Christians.

[Petronski]

But you don't' "correct" anything.

I have done it, and you have ignored it, too many times to count.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Jesus may have chosen 12 individuals but He taught them all the same faith.

It is that faith we are commanded to preach to all men.

"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." -- Titus 1 9-11

The Holy Spirit teaches you, me, Preacher Smith, and the Pope and Priest

I don't believe that the Holy Spirit teaches me to pray to Christ alone and teaches the Roman Catholic to pray to Mary. If these discussions have shown me anything, it is the fact Rome is very far from Zion.

God bless you and your wife.

[driftdiver]

You can try and twist the words but your meaning was clear. You are doing the devils work here.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Now you’re just lying. I will not stand for these lies.

[stfassisi]

“”My question, simple and clear and forcefully answered by Paul, was — “do you trust yourself, and the good and pure testimony of your God-given conscience?””

It means nothing to me how you interpret Saint Paul

I consciously trust the Catholic Church that decided the canon and tells me that Saint Paul's Scripture is inspired by God and written by Saint Paul. Without the witness of the Catholic Church I would not know this since there are no signatures on ANY of the Gospels.Thus, I trust the interpretations of Scripture from the Catholic Church as divinely inspired as well.

Protestantism is about “self” interpretation that causes Christian discord when it differs from Catholic interpretations.It's nothing new either!These types heretical teaching have been seen throughout the ages.

Whenever protestantism is correct in interpreting scripture- it only knows this because it learned it from the Catholic Church first,not by it;s own accord

[stfassisi]

In think the Pope is clearly indicating that Protestantism, in many ways, with its rejection of Tradition, is the precursor for individualism and thus, atheism and secularist relativism. If my own personal interpretation of scripture, apart from the Church Fathers and Creeds, which attest to authentic Apostolic Tradition, is to binding in terms of faith and morals, this “philosophically” is consistent with the views taken by secularists today.

That was a very good analysis,Dear friend.

Thank you