The objective role of the Church from a Roman Catholic perspective is to preside over the Kingdom of God on earth, to properly administer the sacraments, to properly interpret Scripture, and to properly interpret the revelatory content of Church tradition. The objective role of the Church from a Protestant perspective is simply to properly teach the true Gospel and to properly administer baptism and Holy Communion.
But what about the specific role of the visible church in salvation? Jesus instructs Christians to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). Evangelism is therefore an important function of the church. But is the church necessary for a person to come to Christ? The answer to this question depends upon whether one speaks of the visible church or the invisible Church. Early Protestant thinking on this issue assumed the former, while later Protestant thinking assumed the latter. Steven Griffin writes, “Protestants like John Calvin and Martin Luther assumed that the Church was an objective medium of grace outside of which there was no ordinary possibility of salvation. Later protestants like Jonathan Edwards and Charles Hodge came to think of it as an essentially subjective, invisible quality shared by the truly converted.”[i]
Recall that Luther was initially a Roman Catholic who wanted the church to reform. Roman Catholics in Luther’s day believed that sacraments performed by church priests were required for salvation. Luther and early Protestants initially understood that the church was necessary for salvation. Luther’s writes, “Faith is created by the Holy Spirit only through the means of grace. Those means are available only in the church.”[ii]
But what about someone who has not been evangelized by the church? Today, most theologians agree that the non-evangelized can come to faith without church involvement (Catholics today included). Glenn Siniscalchi writes, “No serious theologian in the postconciliar era denies that the formally unevangelized can be saved.”[iii] And so, the predominant Protestant understanding today is that the church is involved in most people’s salvation through evangelism and guidance. People hear the gospel call from believers, often within a physical church or through the activities of a physical church. This is the ordinary way of salvation. But actual conversion requires personal faith that can potentially occur without church involvement.
A closer theological investigation reveals that salvation must be possible outside of the church as an institution because people experienced salvation prior to the church existing as an institution. Even if OT examples are excluded, Christ said to the penitent criminal who was being crucified alongside of Him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43). Ola Tjørhom explains, “Basically, our justification in Christ by grace through faith must be seen as theologically prior to ecclesiology. The church is a sign of and a service to the gospel of justification, and not the other way around.”[iv]
In addition to the core church functions of properly teaching Scripture, properly administering the sacraments, and properly administering discipline when necessary, there are other important functions of local churches including worship, ministry to believers, and ministry to non-believers. Of course, the command to worship God permeates the entire Bible. A good example is Heb 12:28–29, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Once one is saved, the Christian journey has just begun, and the church should minister to believers for their edification. It is critical for sanctification to take part in the community of believers, where Jesus promises to be present (Mt 18:20). Charles Hodge writes, “The intellectual and social life of man is not developed in isolation and solitude … Thus also it is by the Church life of believers, by their communion in the worship and service of God, and by their mutual good offices and fellowship, that the spiritual life of the soul is developed.”[v] Examples of this church function include classes, workshops, and Bible studies.
It is also important for churches to minister to non-believers. At a minimum this will include non-believers that approach the church. But this function could also be very extensive and include international ministry organization and support. This function relates to the Great Commission as discussed above. Examples of this church function include outreach to non-believers to attend a service, calls to faith for unbelievers during worship services, mission trips, and much more.
There are also important components of a Christian life that can take place outside of a church organization but are often convenient and effective when part of a local church. Examples include care for the needy, Christian fellowship, and care/support. Care for the poor and needy is fundamental for Christians. This does not have to occur through a church, but a church can certainly be effective in this function. It also seems appropriate for those churches with the means to do so. Ps 41:1 reads, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him.” Christians should also cultivate close relationships with other Christians. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness” (2 Cor 6:14)? Christian relationships can be pursued outside of the church but is certainly appropriate for a church to provide opportunities for members to meet and get to know one another. Examples include life groups, social events, youth activities, and much more. The care and support function relates to prayer requests, support for the sick and dying, life counseling, divorce counseling, and so forth. Christian care and support can occur outside of the church, but oftentimes the church is in the best place to be aware of and address these care and support needs.
[i] Steven Griffin, “The Holy Spirit and the Church as the Ordinary Means of Salvation,” Evangelical Review of Theology, Vol. 42, no. 3, July 2018: 256.
[ii] Kurt Hendel, “No Salvation Outside the Church’ in Light of Luther’s Dialectic of the Hidden and Revealed God,” Currents in Theology and Mission, Vol. 35, no. 4, August 2008: 250.
[iii] Glenn Siniscalchi, “Thomas Aquinas, Natural Evil, and ‘Outside The Church, No Salvation’” Heythrop Journal, Vol. 56, no. 1, Jan. 2015: 79.
[iv] Ola Tjørhom, “The Church as the Place of Salvation: On the Interrelation between Justification and Ecclesiology,” Pro Ecclesia, Vol. 9, no. 3, Summer 2000: 292.
[v] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, 1873/2013: 230.
Leave a Reply