Salvation and Church

OSV.com ^ | 03-14-18 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Salvation and Church The teaching of ‘no salvation outside the Church’ is important and one that must rightly be understood

Msgr. Charles Pope

3/14/2018

Question: I hear the Catholic Church teaches there is no salvation outside the Church. This would seem to condemn most to hell. Or am I missing something? — Name, location withheld

Answer: It is in fact a doctrine of the Church often repeated by the Fathers of the Church and taught formally. However, it must be understood properly.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say by way of explanation:

“‘Outside the Church there is no Salvation.’ ... Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church ... is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence, they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it. This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church” (CCC, Nos. 846-847).

This much is sure: Whoever is in heaven was saved by Jesus Christ in and through his Body the Church. But, as we know, there are many barriers to people fully understanding that the Church is the sole and necessary means for salvation, and thus, simply being outside the Church usually does not alone bring condemnation.

God can and, it would seem, does draw others unto himself in ways not always known to us. All of this can console us and bring an understanding that the teaching “outside the Church there is no salvation” is not understood absolutely.

But this consolation must not be the source of letting our missionary zeal wane. While it is possible to be saved beyond the Church, sacraments and explicit faith in Christ, it is much more difficult. Consider the following teaching from the Second Vatican Council:

“Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. ... But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator (cf. Rom 1:21, 25). Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, ‘Preach the Gospel to every creature’ (Mk 16:16), the Church fosters the missions with care and attention” (Lumen Gentium, No. 16).

And therefore, we see that people often are deceived or let themselves be deceived. So, the fact that people can be saved apart from the Church is not a blank check or presumption that they likely will be saved. It must always be our earnest work to evangelize, for many “prefer the darkness” (see Jn 3:19).

[ealgeone]

There is a good movie out about Paul the Apostle.

Yes! I want to see that one.

I've seen the God's Not Dead movies....though I was a bit disappointed in the last one. It was good...just not up to the first two.

[infool7]

Both agree, what's to square?

Is this seriously something you and your six five friends get stumped over? I am sure they may think you are the cats pajamas but I am not impressed by your private cults doctrine of "How we will not be Catholic."

We probably agree on far far more than what we disagree on maybe we can focus on that instead.

[ealgeone]

I've yet to see you offer anything of substance to the conversation other than your potty mouth posts.

If all this upsets you so much perhaps Free Republic isn't for you. You might want to head over the catholicanswers....you'll be safe there.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Placemarker

[ealgeone]

Both agree, what's to square?

Nope. Is this seriously something you and your six five friends get stumped over? I am sure they may think you are the cats pajamas but I am not impressed by your private cults doctrine of "How we will not be Catholic."

Private cults?? LOL. Roman Catholicism is the biggest cult in the world.

We probably agree on far far more than what we disagree on maybe we can focus on that instead.

Doubt it. You label non-Catholics, aka Christians, as being in "private cults".

We're not the ones with idols of Mary we kneel before or pray to, or wear a piece of cloth to avoid the hell-fire, or wear a miraculous medal, or attribute to Mary abilities and titles of Christ and the Spirit, believe you can lose your salvation but then see the priest, go to Mass and get it back again and continue to repeat that cycle. We don't believe Jesus is sacrificed over and over and over again.

I can go on, but you get the idea.

So no...I don't think we have much in common.

[ealgeone]

In Internet slang, a troll (/troʊl, trɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional ...

I see you have a rather limited understanding of what a free and open exchange of ideas involves.

There was a Roman Catholic self identified priest on these threads a while back. He was banned.

He posted one time that Protestants ate their babies or something along those lines. That's a troll.

Perhaps you should learn the difference.

[ADSUM]

You are good at quoting one liners, but miss the meaning and understanding of the Bible. Let’s look at the whole picture.
A comparison of the old bloody sacrifice and the sacrifice of Jesus.

Sacrifice of Jesus. 11* But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,* passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,h 12he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.i 13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes* can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed,j 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit* offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.k

15* For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.l 16* Now where there is a will, the death of the testator must be established. 17For a will takes effect only at death; it has no force while the testator is alive. 18Thus not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19* When every commandment had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves [and goats], together with water and crimson wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,m 20saying, “This is ‘the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined upon you.’”n 21In the same way, he sprinkled also the tabernacle* and all the vessels of worship with blood.o 22* According to the law almost everything is purified by blood,p and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23* Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified by these rites, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these.q 24For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.r 25Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; 26if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages* to take away sin by his sacrifice.s 27Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment,t 28so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,* will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.u

* [9:1–10] The regulations for worship under the old covenant permitted all the priests to enter the Holy Place (Heb 2:6), but only the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies and then only once a year (Heb 9:3–5, 7). The description of the sanctuary and its furnishings is taken essentially from Ex 25–26. This exclusion of the people from the Holy of Holies signified that they were not allowed to stand in God’s presence (Heb 9:8) because their offerings and sacrifices, which were merely symbols of their need of spiritual renewal (Heb 9:10), could not obtain forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:9).

* [9:2] The outer one: the author speaks of the outer tabernacle (Heb 9:6) and the inner one (Heb 9:7) rather than of one Mosaic tabernacle divided into two parts or sections.

* [9:3] The second veil: what is meant is the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. It is here called the second, because there was another veil at the entrance to the Holy Place, or “outer tabernacle” (Ex 26:36).

Since you are an inactive Catholic, perhaps you should get a better understanding of the Mass before assuming you know the correct teaching.

Here is an article that may help:

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-the-mass-a-true-sacrifice

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/mass-as-sacrifice

[infool7]

Come home, my brother(sister) in Christ Jesus, He is waiting for you, reposed in a familiar Tabernacle very near to you.

If you stop in on your way, no one will know but you and Him. He loves and misses you.

[ealgeone]

27Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment,t 28so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many,* will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Did this part just zoom right past you?

He is not brought back down from Heaven over and over and over again.

Nothing in the NT supports the Roman Catholic claim on this.

[ealgeone]

Come home, my brother(sister) in Christ Jesus, He is waiting for you, reposed in a familiar Tabernacle very near to you.

Say what???

[infool7]

You get so much wrong it’s really fascinating but you seem to see reality thru such a fractured lens that is difficult to comprehend let alone contemplate a repair.

How are you with the Nicene creed?

[ealgeone]

You get so much wrong it’s really fascinating but you seem to see reality thru such a fractured lens that is difficult to comprehend let alone contemplate a repair.

All I do is repeat Roman Catholic sources.

You're the one talking about a Tabernacle....you Jewish?

How are you with the Nicene creed?

Which one?

[ealgeone]

You get so much wrong it’s really fascinating but you seem to see reality thru such a fractured lens that is difficult to comprehend let alone contemplate a repair.

I take Jesus at His word in John 5:24.

24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Do you?

[ealgeone]

so you can google, copy and paste. Impressive

Which is more than you can do....which to say isn't impressive.