Salvation of the Professing Christians
The way of salvation that professing Christians, like Born Again Christians, knew is too easy to do. According to them, by just accepting Christ as personal savior is enough for us to be saved on Judgment Day. This pronouncement is backed them up with the John 3:16 verse of the Bible which says:
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)
But, is it really true that by merely believing Christ, you will be saved or will receive eternal life?
It is true that according to the verse quoted above, those who will believe Christ will have eternal life. However, is it enough to believe Christ and we have nothing to do for our faith? Apostle James has this question too:
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14, ibid)
It is actually obvious that faith alone can't save us, because faith are justified by works.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 2:24, NKJV)
If you have faith alone in Christ but you did nothing to prove your faith, then your faith is dead.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26, ibid)
In other words, if you believe in Christ, then you should follow His command, isn't it? And according to Christ Himself, what should a man do for him to be saved? Christ said, those who will enter by Him will be saved.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9, ibid)
And those who enter Christ became parts of His body.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. (Romans 12:4-5, ibid)
The body of Christ is the church.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18, ibid)
However, this church is not just any churches. It is the church that Christ built by Himself and claimed it as His own.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, ibid)
It is not the Catholi Church, nor the Protestant Churches nor any Christian Ministries, but it is the Church of Christ:
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16:16, ibid)
In other words, faith alone in Christ is useless. If you want to be saved on the day of God's wrath, your faith must have works. To believe in Christ is to follow his command, that is, to become part of his body the church.
But why should we need to become members of the Church of Christ for us to be saved? It is because, Christ will saved His Church.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23, ibid)
And outside the Church of Christ is God's judgment.
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore