Are We The Only Ones Who Will Be Saved?

A charge has been made against churches of Christ for many years, stating that we believe we are the only ones who are going to heaven. Do we really believe that? And if we do, can we prove it from the Bible?

First, let me say that I do not believe that only members of the churches of Christ are going to heaven. For example, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Moses, Elijah, David, and John the Baptist were never members of any church of Christ, yet I doubt anyone would argue that they will not go to heaven. I believe that there will, in fact, be many surprises on Judgement Day. There will probably be a lot of people lost who we think should be saved, and a lot of people saved who the rest of us think should be lost. I wish I could say that the denominations were right about it though...I wish I could say that "all you have to do is believe" and that you are "once saved, always saved." If I could support those doctrines with the Bible, it would mean that many more people would be saved. It would mean "I'm okay and you're okay." It would mean I don't have to try so hard to live righteously. It would mean that God would get more souls to heaven than Satan would get to hell. But what does the Bible say about it?

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who find it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." In this statement, Jesus is saying that there will be more people who find destruction than life...more people will be lost than saved! This is scary and sad, but they are Christ's words. In fact, if we keep reading that chapter, he said in verses 21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" In this statement, Jesus says that not every person who claims to have faith and power will be saved. Even people who work miracles can be rejected! Still not convinced? Paul said in Romans 11:5, "In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice."

Still doubting that this is true, that more will be lost than saved? Consider Luke 13:23-28:
Consider also the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14. The last verse of that story (verse 14) says, "For many are called, but few are chosen."

So then, we are back to the most important question ever asked: "What Must I do to be saved?" I would not dare tell you that you must be a member of the church of Christ in order to gain salvation. In fact, I would have to declare that you have to be saved in order to be a member of the church of Christ! You have to be saved first, and then the Lord adds you to His church (Acts 2:47). The Lord does not add unsaved people, and the church does not save anyone or determine who is saved or lost. Therefore, I believe that only the saved are members of the church of Christ! And when I teach others, I do not endeavor to convert them to the church of Christ, my goal is to point them to Christ and let Him be their teacher and Savior.

In the Bible, baptism comes before salvation, rejoicing, and membership in the church. See Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 8:12-17; Acts 8:35-39; Acts 16:30-34; Acts 19:1-6;Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1-7; Galatians 3:27; I Peter 3:21. If you or your church teaches something different than what the Bible teaches on this, who is right? However, baptism is not the end of "how to be saved." In fact, it is just the beginning. A person must live a life of faith and righteousness in order to stay saved. This does not mean earning salvation by good works, for that is impossible. Rather, it means having your life transformed by letting the will of God rule your life. It means being a living statement: "Thy will be done."

At this point it may be necessary to explain what I mean when I say "church of Christ." All Christians everywhere that have ever lived that have been "added by the Lord" are members of the universal kingdom (church) of Christ (Acts 2:41). Only God can reject a person from this kingdom. When you are baptized (for the right reasons), the Lord adds you to this church. When you live in sin and refuse to repent, you separate yourself from Christ's kingdom and reject God, and He then rejects you until you repent. In many cities and towns in the world, there are local churches of Christ. These congregations are composed of groups of Christians that represent the body of Christ in their area, and they carry out the will of God, the same acts performed by the congregations in the time of the Apostles. Occassionally, it becomes necessary to "disfellowship" members of this "local" group who sin and refuse to repent. However, in this case, the church is not judging that person to be lost; rather, they are enforcing a verdict already rendered by God in heaven by cutting off that person and preventing him from having a negative influence on the rest of the body. See the following Scriptures for more on disfellowship: I Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 18:15-17; Titus 3:10-11.

Earlier I asserted that Satan will bring more people to hell than God brings to heaven. Does that mean Satan will win? Some victory...he and his followers will be "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). "These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (1 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Is that a victory? But perhaps we are looking at it the wrong way. Salvation is not a competition between Jesus and the Devil. Salvation is a competition between MAN and the Devil! Satan loses a battle every time a man is saved, and Satan wins one every time a man sins. Yet the ultimate and final victory goes to the man who has been covered by the blood of Christ, for his sins will not be counted against him, and Satan's accusations will fail.

So, who will be saved? Is it only members of the Churches of Christ? Friend, I tell you the same thing Peter said in Acts 10:35: "In every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." Every person can be saved, but not every person will be saved because not every person is willing to do what is right in God's sight. We could ask, "what if they die on their way to the baptistry?" Or, "what if they are really sincere, but have been taught incorrectly by someone else?" It is not our place to judge whether or not those persons will be saved. I can not prove, from the Bible, whether or not God makes exceptions for those people. I cannot tell you with all assurance that they will be saved. I cannot say that a person today who is not a member of the church of Christ will be saved. But I can tell you with all assurance, and with Bible proof, that people who believe, repent, confess, and are baptized are on the pathway to salvation, if they live faithfully and obediently, and that people are in the churches of Christ. That is what I can prove, and that is what I will preach. Paul told Timothy, "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you" (1 Timothy 4:16). Let us pay close to attention to what we believe, practice, and teach as well, and we will insure our own salvation if we are letting God's word rule in our lives.

written by David F. Sims, doing my part to "turn the world upside down" (Acts 17:6)
All quotes taken from the New American Standard Bible.

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