Are all churches the same for salvation?

Reply to a reader

Elías, aged 21, writes to us from Mexico with concerns about this important subject. Here is the reply we sent him, which we believe may be of profit to all who question themselves about this matter.

Dear Elías,

Now that God grants me the time and circumstances permit it, I gladly and at some length answer your question, which is indeed most interesting:

“What do you think as to whether religion saves or not? Do you think that one ought to be Catholic in order to be saved, or that salvation can be given to me by Christ through living a holy life (‘without holiness no one shall see the Lord’) even within my denomination?”

It might seem a somewhat obvious question; nevertheless, it gives occasion to treat a matter of the utmost importance. You do not tell me to which denomination you belong, but I suppose that you are a Christian, that is, that you accept the doctrine of the Trinity (one God in three Persons) and that you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God made man, the sole mediator between God and men.

Salvation is a gift that God gives to whom he wills, but it is also a commitment.

Salvation is a free gift that we receive from God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit: see Acts 4:12, 2 Thess 2:13, 2 Tim 2:10, among many other passages. Salvation is not a reward for our good works, but a gift of the merciful God.

Now, for our part, we must without doubt receive that salvation, be disposed and wholly open to it, seek it, strive for it, and be watchful against the snares of the devil who, “as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8); we must not believe — as, most regrettably, some Christian brethren do believe — that it is something which, once received, can no longer be lost, whatever we may do, contrary to what all of Sacred Scripture teaches, for example in the following texts:

Phil 2:12 “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, as you have always obeyed (…) with fear and trembling work out your salvation” (if salvation could not be lost through our negligence, the commandment to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” would be superfluous, would it not?).

1 Cor 9:27 “But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway” (Saint Paul himself saw that it was possible for him to “become a castaway”! Or can it be thought that he was joking?).

Gal 3:3 “Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now end in the flesh?” (those who have begun in the Spirit must strive with all their strength not to come to end in the flesh, for the salvation they received can abandon them if they do not work for their salvation with fear and trembling).

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore, brethren, labour the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and election; for doing these things, you shall never stumble” (that is, by not doing them — he is referring to self-mastery, perseverance, love of neighbour, etc., according to the context — we shall stumble).

1 Cor 10:12 “Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.”

With regard to these last words of the Apostle, let me tell you that, most regrettably, there are many who think that they are so firm in the faith and in salvation that it is not possible for them to fall into condemnation; this is contrary to the Sacred Scriptures and is certainly of satanic prudence (James 3:11), because of the consequences it brings. Those who think in this way are wont to base themselves on that saying of the Apostle in Rom 8:1 “There is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus”: of course there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but … so long as they are in Christ Jesus! All the warnings I have cited above — addressed to believers, not to pagans — are precisely so that we may remain in Christ Jesus, for the possibility of being condemned is real: Heb 3:14 states it in an unsurpassable manner: “For we are made partakers of Christ: yet so, if we hold the beginning of his substance firm unto the end.”

Note that in all these texts the “conditionality” of salvation is clearly expressed: “For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen, is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he hope for?” (Rom 8:24). I assure you that texts of this kind, which warn us of the possibility of losing salvation, are very many.

Whoever, after this, still believes that he or she is saved with no possibility whatever of being condemned — that is, regardless of what he does or does not do with his faith — let him know full well that he is in grave error through not knowing the Scriptures.

It seems to me that someone may still say to me: “those who are condemned are condemned for their lack of faith, but he who has faith can no longer be condemned.” “It is well — I answer him with Saint Paul — by their unbelief they were broken off (he is speaking of the Israelites who did not accept Christ). But thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God hath not spared the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.” (Rom 11:20-21)

We have thus established, on the one hand, the gratuitousness of salvation, and on the other, the obligation to “work with fear and trembling” for that salvation, since it is a gift that we must protect, with which we must bear fruit, and for which we shall have to render an account on the day of the Lord’s merciful judgment.

Religion as a means of attaining salvation

Passing now to the second part of your question, namely, whether you can be saved even outside the Catholic Church, it seems to me that the best thing I can do to enlighten you on this is to quote for you some texts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church — which, moreover, I earnestly advise you to have and to meditate upon. Here is what the Catechism teaches us (numbers 846 and 847):

“‘Outside the Church there is no salvation.’ How are we to understand this affirmation, so often repeated by the Fathers of the Church? Re-formulated in a positive way, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church, which is his Body:

The Sacred Synod (the Second Vatican Council)… basing itself on Sacred Scripture and on Tradition, teaches that this pilgrim Church is necessary for salvation. For Christ is the one Mediator and way of salvation, who is made present to us in his Body, which is the Church. He himself, by expressly inculcating the necessity of faith and Baptism, at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Therefore they could not be saved who, knowing that God founded the Catholic Church through Jesus Christ as necessary for salvation, would nevertheless refuse to enter it or to persevere in it.”

This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

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 lives to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience — these can attain eternal salvation (Second Vatican Council).

As you see, the Church teaches that not only Christians, but even those who do not know Christ, can attain Salvation, for as the same Catechism says a little further on:

“Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith ‘without which it is impossible to please him’ (Heb 11:6), the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize” (number 848).

I think the text is clear. With this your question is answered: one can certainly attain salvation without visibly belonging to the Catholic Church (Saint Peter said: “In very deed I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh justice is acceptable to him” — Acts 10:34-35).

Nevertheless, the teaching of the Church also speaks of a second aspect, as important as the first, and without which the doctrine is damaged. We are told, indeed, that

“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 lives to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, can attain eternal salvation.”

That is to say, he is saved who seeks the truth, seeks salvation, is concerned for it, and lives according to what his conscience dictates.

This point is most important, for otherwise we fall into relativism, for which “everything comes to the same, all religions are equal, let each one do as he sees fit.” This doctrine, beyond doubt, comes from the “liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44), and therefore causes great harm. Indeed, one religion is not the same as another.

Let me give you an example: Jesus said: “he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life” (Jn 6:54). Now then, the Catholic Church teaches that when a priest consecrates the Eucharistic bread, it truly becomes the body and blood of the Lord, which the faithful must receive worthily and, receiving it, receives eternal life; the evangelical denominations, on the contrary, say that Jesus was not referring to that, and in fact, although they celebrate the Lord’s Supper, they do not believe in the true, real, and substantial presence of Jesus in the Eucharist: does it seem to you that the one doctrine is the same as the other? Who could say that whether one eats or does not eat the flesh of the Lord one has eternal life all the same?

Like this one, I could mention very many other examples. But it is not necessary; I think we can agree in affirming that it is NOT THE SAME to say white as to say black, above all in religious matters.

Therefore, knowing that “the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:32), and that the truth is not the same as error, the Church proclaims that every man or woman, in order to be saved, must seek the truth; to seek the truth is an absolute obligation: he who does not seek the truth cannot be saved, since salvation does not matter to him, and, as Saint Augustine well said, “he who created you without you will not save you without you.” Here are the words of the Church in another place of the Catechism, which seem to me most fitting (number 2467):

“It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons…, are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and to order their whole lives in accordance with its demands.”

That is to say: you and I have the OBLIGATION to seek the truth, and once it is discovered we must embrace it. If we do so, God will not hide his face from us, and will give to each one the means necessary for our salvation.

In this sense there is a text of Saint Paul, very much to the point of what we have been discussing, which I believe can be of great spiritual profit for all; it is from the second Letter to the Thessalonians 2:9 and following:

“The coming of the Wicked One is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all seduction of iniquity to those who are to perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying, that all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity.”

The love of the truth…

Truly it is a text without waste, worthy of being read and reread a thousand times, and, above all, worthy of being made flesh. We must love the truth! Seek it with all our strength, and once found, embrace it, whatever the cost!

I recall at this moment the prayer of that great American Presbyterian preacher and pastor who prayed thus: “Lord, I want to be where you are (and, reluctantly and not without humor, he would add) even if you were in the Catholic Church!” God heard his sincere prayer…

Thus, when the Church teaches us that we have the moral obligation to seek the truth, she is doing nothing other than drawing the conclusions from what Saint Paul teaches us in the text cited.

With what ease people are “credulous” before anyone who comes to preach to them citing passages of the Bible!, whereas the apostle already warned at the beginning of the history of the Church: (1 Jn 4:1) “Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God; for many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Returning to your question: God is the one who saves, but it is the same God who wills that we be his people, his Church. Not in vain did Christ found a Church, against which the infernal powers fail (Mt 16:18). One church is not the same as another; it is not the same to believe in Christ-God as to say that Christ is not God, etc. (see Mt 5:19). We must seek the truth, pray to God to enlighten us, and live accordingly. Acting thus, we can be sure that we shall be pleasing to him.

Dear friend Elías: I hope that, after all, something may have been able to help you with these reflections. Take your time to meditate upon them, since the evangelical teachings are like a seed, which needs time and care in order to mature.

Author: Fr. Juan Carlos Sack

Taken from Apologetica.org