Will People in Denominations be Saved?

Will people in denominations be saved? This question is troubling for many members of the church of Christ. If we say no, we are seen as narrow-minded by even other brethren. What is the consequence if we say yes? Perhaps we might become more accepted among the general population of our hometowns if we affirmed that they are saved. Perhaps some members might find a sense of peace about a deceased or living loved one who was or is a member of a denomination, but at what cost? It is certainly not an easy thing to accept that good people, moral people on earth who loved us are eternally separated from God. This does not change the fact that our answer to this very important question must rely wholly on the Word of God and not be taken lightly. The Bible tells us about the location of salvation. The place can be found and recognized by its headship, the singularity of the body, its consistency, and exclusivity, all described in God’s Word. Any group that does not match the Biblical pattern delivered in the New Testament cannot be the location of the saved. 

 Headship Matters

In asking who will be saved, we have to consider first the location of the saved. Ephesians 5:23 teaches us that Christ is the Savior of the body. So if Christ is the Savior of the body, then we must conclude that we must be added to that body in order to be saved. What is the body of Christ, and who is the head of such a body? Ephesians 1:22-23 gives us a clear definition of the body, “and He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” From this text, we recognize that Christ is the head of the church, which is His body.  Based on this evidence, it would be worth noting that if Christ is not the head of the church, that church cannot be His body. Others have explained it this way. If you take the head of someone else and place it on an otherwise headless body, then what you would have would not be a healthy body, but what we would generally call a monster. You might say, “What if the church claims to have Christ as its head but has an earthly head?” With the same approach, imagine a body with two heads. What would you call that? A monster. The body of Christ is not a monster because Christ is the only head of the body, and the body is the location of the saved. 

How Many Bodies Can There Be?

If we must ask how many heads the body can have, should we not also ask how many bodies can there be of Christ? This is truly relevant considering there are said to be upwards of 49,000 distinct denominations of Christendom. Can each be the body of Christ? The book of Ephesians again tells us about the nature of the body, the church of Christ. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all” (Eph 4:4-6). If there is one body, does that allow for others? No, it does not. Multiple bodies equate to additional brides (cf. Eph 5:23). Can the one head have many brides? No, that would make the Lord a polygamist. 

Can There Be Contradictions in the Body?

Is it possible that there can be disagreement over doctrine and still be part of the same body? I want you to turn your attention again to the above passage of Ephesians 4:4-6. If there is one faith (system of), then how can we have varying faiths within the same body? One group might teach that one has to come to be drawn irresistibly by the grace of God to a saving relationship with Him. They might add that you simply believe or say a prayer, accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. Another group might say that one must be baptized, catechized, and confirmed. How can there be multiple plans of salvation (the faith) if there is but one faith? 

If there is one baptism, what are we to make of the incongruous practices among the sects? They cannot even agree with each other on the mode. One might say immersion is the only way, or perhaps one of three ways, leaving room for pouring or sprinkling. There are divergent teachings on who can be baptized. Some would say only the cognizant believer, others would say infants must receive baptism to be cleansed from their inherited sin. Even others have suggested that the living can be baptized for the dead. Some have taught that baptism is an outward sign of an inner change, while yet others have taught that baptism is necessary for salvation. Still others have taught that the one baptism is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, that it moves those who receive it to utter ecstatic utterances, and have involuntary movements of their body. The one body does not allow for these complete contradictions. While there are a few issues of opinion that exist in the body of Christ, there is no room for doctrinal dissension. You may say, how many doctrinal exceptions are there before I am lost? Perhaps we need to reframe our question to what must I do to be saved?

Is the Body Exclusive?

In the same breath, the Holy Spirit said there was One God. Perhaps most of these groups would believe in the teaching that there is one God. However, this is clearly not the flex that many assume it is. James recorded, “Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder” (Jam 2:19). Belief alone does not save; the Spirit says as much in the very same chapter. 

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

(Jam 2:23-25)

The Bible teaches that the body, which is the church, is one. This leaves out all who are not in the body. Perhaps we should consider Noah. Consider what is recorded in 1 Peter 3:18-22, where the Spirit describes the plight of Noah. Noah was commanded to build an ark for the purpose of deliverance from the flood. He did so, and the rains began and overcame the earth completely. None outside of the ark (the place of salvation) was saved. Only the eight souls that were in the ark of Noah. In the same way, there is one place of salvation–the church of Christ. The Bible teaches that one must be in the body of Christ, the church, to be saved; all others outside will perish. All who are in the body have followed the Biblical pattern of salvation, which includes belief, repentance of sin, confession of Christ as Lord, baptism (literally immersion) for the remission of sins, followed by walking faithfully in the body of Christ (cf. John 3:16, Acts 2:48, Romans 10:9-10, Mark 16:16, Mark 13:13, et al.). 

I do not say this lightly; it troubles my spirit when I think about how a majority of mankind will be condemned in the judgment. How is it possible that sincere men and women could believe they were serving the God of Heaven and be wrong? Sincerity does not equate to faithfulness. Our father Israel believed his son Joseph was deceased, and he later found he was sincerely wrong. Did not Apollos sincerely believe he was teaching the baptism of John faithfully to others? He had to be corrected for this error. This is why our Lord made it very clear that there will be many who believe they are right with God, but on the last day, they will not be. Yes, there is a narrow gate that few find (cf. Matt 7:13-14). There are sadly many religious people who appear to believe and be doing right, while actually living a life of iniquity because they were ignorant of the one place of salvation (cf. Matt 7:21-23). It does not have to be this way! God has given us His Word; if we seek Him, we can find Him. His people, the members of the body of Christ, must remember it is our solemn duty to bring the saving message to the lost we encounter (cf. Matt 28:19-20). This includes those among the denominations. Certainly, there are men and women among the denominations who, if they were taught the way, love the Lord enough to leave their churches for the church that belongs to Christ.