Often it is said that "the church is not essential; you don't have to be a member of the church to be saved."
I call your attention to Eph. 2:11-22. The apostle reminds the Gentiles, that in times past they were aliens and strangers from the promise and the commonwealth of Israel. Once the nation of Israel was the commonwealth. It was different from all others in that only God was their king. Now, the church of Christ is their new commonwealth. Paul says that outside the church they were "aliens." An alien is not a citizen. They "were without Christ...having no hope, and without God in the world"(v.12). Note what he said: Out of the church , an alien, a stranger, no hope, without Christ. But, "ye are made nigh" (v.13). How? They were "reconciled...in one body" (v.16). What is the body? "And gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body" (Eph. 1:22-23). The body is the church. If one can be saved outside the church, then he can be saved without being reconciled "unto God," because reconciliation is in the church. It is said: "That means the Jew and Gentile are reconciled to each other." No, it says they are both "reconciled...unto God in one body." The thing that reconciles one unto God puts him into the one body, the church.
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (v.19). Why are they no longer strangers and foreigners? Because they are fellowcitizens in the one body. When one is outside the church, he is an alien, a stranger, and not reconciled unto God. In the church, he is reconciled and a citizen. If one is saved outside the church, he is saved without being a citizen, saved as an alien, as a stranger and without reconciliation unto God. He is saved without the promises, without God, without Christ, and without hope.
"But fellowcitizens with the saints" (V.19), disallows the teaching that a person must be dead to be canonized as a saint. The New Testament idea of a saint is simply one who has obeyed the gospel and has remission of sins, having been set apart by the obedience to the gospel. The meaning of the word "saint" or "sanctified" is set apart unto the service of God. They were fellowcitizens with the saints. Saints are in the church, those out of the church are not saints.
They were "of the household of God" (v.19). God's household is God's family. The church is the household (I Tim. 3:15). One who is out of the house of God isn't in the family. If it is necessary to be a child of God to be saved, then it is necessary to be in the house of God, which is the church, God's family.
Some say, "I just don't believe in church salvation." We are not talking about church salvation. The church doesn't save, Christ saves. "...He is the savior of the body" [the church] (Eph. 5:23). The church doesn't save, but the church is the saved. Because the church is the saved does not mean the church is the savior.
Every saved person on earth is in the church. "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47).
"If any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God" (I Pet. 4:11).
Don H. Noblin
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