Salvation outside the Church - Assignment Example

Salvation outside the Church Name Institution Tutor Date In what way does God's creation of humankind reply positively to the notion of "Salvation outside the Church"? Introduction Salvation from a Church’s perspective is the aspect when a person who because of sin is estranged and separated from God, is reconciled to Him and declared righteous and sanctified through faith in Jesus Christ. Upon receiving salvation, one becomes one with Christ and is revealed the paschal mysteries of Christ. The extra ecclesiam nulla salus also known as the Outside the Church there is no salvation doctrine is among principles and dogma generated by the Church that has over decades generated debate as to whether one can obtain salvation unless they belong to the Catholic Church, which is informed by counsel given by Catholic popes and the Vatican counsels1. For example, Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, indicates that there is only one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved while Catechism of the Catholic Church2 elucidate that the Catholic Church is the universal sacrament of salvation, the reign and the instrument of the communion of God and man3. On the other hand, Vatican II, Lumen Gentium highlight exceptions where an individual can attain salvation outside the church by stating 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 actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation. This has resulted in two extremities of Catholic faithful those who see salvation as possible to all regardless of denomination and those that assert that salvation is only attainable for fully fledged and baptized Catholic faithful, failure to which one is damned to eternal hell4. This informs the report which seeks to analyze in what ways God’s creations of humankind reply positively to the notion of salvation outside the Church. Ways in which God’s creations of humankind reply positively to the notion of salvation outside the Church In the pluralistic contemporary society, the Church is obligated and is charged with the responsibility of reconciling every human being regardless of their ideals, cultures, race, ethnicity, gender, social status, religious affiliation and political ideologies with the body of Christ and helps them participate in sharing the sacrament of salvation by realizing God’s kingdom. According to Machado5 this has necessitated the need for commitment to dialogue between the Catholic Church with other religious traditions. The author notes that all believers are called to dialogue and that the Church needs it to reflect what the Church is, that is, the universal sacrament of salvation Machado6. This will help foster behavior based on God’s word. Through dialogue, the concept of salvation outside becomes a reality as the Church engages with believers of other faiths through the guidance of the Holy Spirit who acts on the profundity of the consciousness people to bring them to the fulfillment of all things in Christ7. Through the Dialogue and mission discussed by Machado, Catholic faithful understands that by relating with others from religious traditions they do not abandon their elemental identity8. Through imago Dei, all human beings were made in the likeness of God. In Genesis 1: 27, the scripture says “So God created man in his own image, in the image OF God he created him; male and female he created them. It is apparent that God created human beings to relate with Him, in relation with others and with the world which illustrates that salvation outside the Church is possible as the Church relates with those from other religions and those who are not yet baptized and partaken the Holy sacrament in the church. Since Jesus Christ is the ultimate image of God and he demonstrated his Lordship over sin and death through his life and resurrection, human beings ought to be conformed to him in order to become sons of God and they need to participate in shunning from sin and achieving their lordship by declaration that Christ is God by faith. It is the will of God that all men, whom He created in his likeness, share with Him the communion of Trinitarian life9. The salvation of humanity came with the rise of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, who is God’s perfect image and creation as a son and his death on the cross to bring salvation to all was not meant to destroy human kind but generate a passage to new life where they are freed from sin, law, suffering and death, thus becoming new creations as God intended. Schmidt10 notes that salvation outside the church is an issue that has persisted over decades if not millenniums. The author notes that just as the Church sees itself as the institution of God meant to bring salvation to humanity in the whole world, first century Jews perceived themselves as the chosen people of God and they believed they were accountable to the wider world which compliments Amos 3:2 which states that “you only have I chosen of all the families of the earth11…” During Jesus times, Jesus taught both the believers and non-believers about what it takes to lead a righteous and a God pleasing life but he did not address issues pertaining to what fate befalls those who had not or will not have a chance to hear about the Gospel and His name12. Nevertheless, we see Jesus give his position in regards to those who are destined to hell. In John 9:40-41, ‘some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said” if you were blind, you would be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’ This means that those who fail to enter the Church to receive the salvation of Christ and indeed they know better are sinful and therefore are destined for hell but those through no fault of their own and knows no better are not guilty hence are not sinners13. Jesus Christ mentions in the Gospel of St. Luke that let the wheat and the chuff grow together and the harvester, who is God, will separate them. This indicates that as the Church, it is its responsibility to call all to the sacrament of salvation, relate well with others who proclaim Christ as Lord and leave to God to judge who is worthy to have eternal life and who are destined for eternal hell. As highlighted in Catechism14, honest non-Christians have the ability to seek God through His grace and effectively learn and do according to God’s will and when they do so based on the dictates of their conscience they acquire the salvation to eternal life as they discover the paschal mysteries of Christ15. Catechism16 further indicates that every human being is called to the catholic unity of God’s creations in varied ways and the Church becomes a place where all mankind regardless of creed and ideals establishes the unity of salvation. Since God’s intention for his creations was to have eternal life and to live peacefully with one another, the attitude of dialogue17 ensures that the Church has sincere concern, respect and hospitality towards others outside the Church and it becomes actively engaged in spreading the Great commission of evangelism by showing mercy, through charity, pardon, reconciliation and peace. This means accepting other religions for what they are and perceiving them as brothers and sisters just as God intended in the beginning18. As the scripture in Ephesians 4: 1-6 states “as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit….One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and father for all, who is over all and through all and in all”. Machado19 asserts that it is the responsibility of a Christian particularly a layman to advance their individual sanctification by engaging in the saving duty of the Church and they are charged with making the Church present and functional in situations and places where only through them the Church can become the salt of the earth. This is achieved by Christians interacting with those from other religions and constructing bridges that enhance peace and love in the wider world. Reconciliation and the dialogue of the Church with other religious traditions compliment Paul’s sentiments in Romans 2:13-16 where he states that it is not the hearers of the law but the doers of the law who are righteous before God which means the Church is not guilty for failing to convert people if they do what they are called to do and that is to preach the word of God, baptize and share the holy communion. Through Christ who is the Logos of God, everything on heavens and earth were created and through Him the world was reconciled back to God, not only the Church but even those who through the law of nature as Paul calls it, are saved as noted in Romans 2:14. In Catechism20, non-Christians or those who have not yet received the Gospel are associated to God’s people in various ways. Crockett21 suggests that God’s love for the human kind who He created in His own image and whom He gave authority over all He had created was sufficient enough to compel Him to give His only begotten son, as the ultimate sacrifice to bring salvation to them and is still sufficient to give salvation to all human kind through His infinite mercies. According to the author, salvation to mankind outside the Church is possible since God will eventually reconcile every man to Himself as His own creations. Crockett22notes that the notion that there is no salvation outside the church is informed by the belief by Christians that they were the only people who had the full truth about God and the intense belonging they felt as followers of Christ. In addition, group boundaries formed by the saints and the Apostles such as Paul, when they addressed members of the Church and when describing those from outside the Church. For instance, Paul refers to members of the Church as brethrens, brothers, sisters and believers and refers to those outside the church as the world and unbelievers among other descriptions23. Nevertheless as the Church strives to warn the non- believers, they should remember their great commission to bring them into the faith which means the Church should offer the outsiders chances to be justified in faith through Christ as stated in Romans 1:16. Crockett24 asserts that regardless of the great love and mercies God has for his creation, salvation for those under eschatological wrath is not possible and non-existent and therefore they are damned to hell since although they may have not heard the gospel, they experienced God’s calling in nature and in their hearts as noted in Romans 1:18-20 and Romans 2:15-16 and refused to heed the call as supported in Romans 3:23. Just as the early Church, contemporary church sees salvation outside it as remotely possible as people before Jesus through Logos were able to shun evil and seek the truth God and therefore, non-believers can receive salvation outside the church through the law of nature25. Conclusion Salvation outside the church has over centuries remained a contested issue as the two divides supporting or opposing it seems not to relent. Nevertheless, the report has analyzed ways in which God’s creation of humankind reply positively to the notion of salvation outside the Church. As highlighted in the report, salvation for those outside the church is possible through their obedience to the law of nature as described in Romans 2:14-16. Honest non-Christians have the ability to seek God through His grace and effectively learn and do according to God’s will and when they do so based on the dictates of their conscience they acquire the salvation to eternal life as they discover the paschal mysteries of Christ26. References Catechism of the Catholic Church: 780 Crockett, W.V. Will God save everyone in the End? In Crockett, W.V. & Sigountos, J. G. Through no fault of their own? The fate of those who have never heard. Michigan: Baker Book House. 1991: 159-166. Dupuis, J. Toward a Christian theology of religious pluralism. Melbourne: Orbis Books, 1997. Galvin, J.P. Salvation outside the church. In Phan, P.C. The gift of the church. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press. 2000: 249-256. Granfield, P. & Phan, P.C. The gift of the church: a textbook ecclesiology in honor of Patrick Granfield, O.S.B. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2000:249. Machado, F.A. Dialogue and mission: a reading of a document of the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue. In Isizoh, C.D. Milestones in interreligious dialogue; a reading of selected Catholic Church documents on relations with people of other religions. Lagos: Ceedee Publications. 2002: 171-173. Rausch, T.P. & Clifford, C.E. Catholicism in the third millennium. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2003. Schmidt, F.W. Jesus and the salvation of the Gentiles. In Crockett, W.V. & Sigountos, J. G. Through no fault of their own? The fate of those who have never heard. Michigan: Baker Book House. 1991: 99-105. Sigountos, J.G. Did early Christians believe pagan religions could save? In Crockett, W.V. & Sigountos, J. G. Through no fault of their own? The fate of those who have never heard. Michigan: Baker Book House. 1991. Stravinskas, P.M.J. Salvation outside the church? London: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2002: 55-59. Read More

Schmidt10 notes that salvation outside the church is an issue that has persisted over decades if not millenniums. The author notes that just as the Church sees itself as the institution of God meant to bring salvation to humanity in the whole world, first century Jews perceived themselves as the chosen people of God and they believed they were accountable to the wider world which compliments Amos 3:2 which states that “you only have I chosen of all the families of the earth11…” During Jesus times, Jesus taught both the believers and non-believers about what it takes to lead a righteous and a God pleasing life but he did not address issues pertaining to what fate befalls those who had not or will not have a chance to hear about the Gospel and His name12.

Nevertheless, we see Jesus give his position in regards to those who are destined to hell. In John 9:40-41, ‘some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said” if you were blind, you would be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’ This means that those who fail to enter the Church to receive the salvation of Christ and indeed they know better are sinful and therefore are destined for hell but those through no fault of their own and knows no better are not guilty hence are not sinners13.

Jesus Christ mentions in the Gospel of St. Luke that let the wheat and the chuff grow together and the harvester, who is God, will separate them. This indicates that as the Church, it is its responsibility to call all to the sacrament of salvation, relate well with others who proclaim Christ as Lord and leave to God to judge who is worthy to have eternal life and who are destined for eternal hell. As highlighted in Catechism14, honest non-Christians have the ability to seek God through His grace and effectively learn and do according to God’s will and when they do so based on the dictates of their conscience they acquire the salvation to eternal life as they discover the paschal mysteries of Christ15.

Catechism16 further indicates that every human being is called to the catholic unity of God’s creations in varied ways and the Church becomes a place where all mankind regardless of creed and ideals establishes the unity of salvation. Since God’s intention for his creations was to have eternal life and to live peacefully with one another, the attitude of dialogue17 ensures that the Church has sincere concern, respect and hospitality towards others outside the Church and it becomes actively engaged in spreading the Great commission of evangelism by showing mercy, through charity, pardon, reconciliation and peace.

This means accepting other religions for what they are and perceiving them as brothers and sisters just as God intended in the beginning18. As the scripture in Ephesians 4: 1-6 states “as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit….One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and father for all, who is over all and through all and in all”.

Machado19 asserts that it is the responsibility of a Christian particularly a layman to advance their individual sanctification by engaging in the saving duty of the Church and they are charged with making the Church present and functional in situations and places where only through them the Church can become the salt of the earth. This is achieved by Christians interacting with those from other religions and constructing bridges that enhance peace and love in the wider world. Reconciliation and the dialogue of the Church with other religious traditions compliment Paul’s sentiments in Romans 2:13-16 where he states that it is not the hearers of the law but the doers of the law who are righteous before God which means the Church is not guilty for failing to convert people if they do what they are called to do and that is to preach the word of God, baptize and share the holy communion.

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