Catholic Position
¶816
For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the
universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means
of salvation can be obtained.
¶846
“Outside the Church there is no salvation”
¶846
How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church
Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes
from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the
Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one
Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in
his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the
necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time
the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through
a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic
Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse
either to enter it or to remain in it.
Scripture Says
Romans 10:9-13
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not
be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
John 3:36
36 He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Commentary
- If the Catholic church is necessary for salvation, why didn’t God
say
so in the scriptures? - Was Jesus lying when He said that salvation is through faith in
Him?