| Highlights of Dawn | July 1949 |
Who Can Be Saved?
IN THIS world of economic warfare, when varied phases of the struggle between capital and labor are spread before us as a substantial part of our daily news diet, it is neither novel nor startling to read of factories and other industrial establishments being picketed. But when we read of pickets marching before six Roman Catholic Churches, carrying placards on which is boldly displayed the pronouncement that there is “no salvation outside of the church,” well, that is something new!
This occurred in Massachusetts, and was in the nature of a protest against what is alleged to be the opposite teachings of a Jesuit institution—the Boston College. The incident grew out of the dismissal of three lay instructors from the faculty of the College. These teachers made it known, and protested to the head of the college, that heresy was being taught, specifically on the following points:
“(1) That there may be salvation outside of the Catholic Church; (2) that a man may be saved without admitting the Roman Catholic Church to be supreme among all churches; (3) that a man may be saved without submission to the Pope.”
They appealed to the head of the eastern division of the Jesuit order and to the Pope, to stop this dangerous drift toward liberalism. The president of the college does not deny the charge of teaching that it is possible to obtain salvation outside of the church, but insists that this is not contrary to the tradition of the church. He insists that any other view would lead to “bigotry and intolerance.” The official Catholic viewpoint is, of course, quite cleverly worded. As the Christian Century has stated the matter:
“It would be very bad Catholic theology to state that ‘the Catholic Church is supreme among all churches’; for the Catholic teaching is that there are no other churches, that there is only one church, and the Catholic Church is it.”
Right in the midst of this controversy in Boston College, announcement was made of a new Catholic Catechism, just published by the St. Anthony Guild Press, in which it is set forth that any person who does not know that the Catholic Church is the true church can be saved outside of the church. This, of course, showed up the lay teachers of Boston College, who had leveled the charge of heresy against those who taught theology in the college, as being wrong.
It is well that this question has come into the open, for it has revealed a weakness in the armor plate of the Catholic Church which probably few Catholics knew existed. The Catholic theologians who drew up the new catechism are to be congratulated on having yielded a point to public sentiment and progress. They knew that nothing could be more damaging to the Catholic cause in America than to insist that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church, yet to admit that under any circumstance one could obtain salvation outside of the Catholic Church is certainly conceding an important point to Protestantism.
As a matter of fact, it is also making an important concession to the spirit of liberalism and unbelief that is so generally prevalent today in most religious circles. It is saying in effect, that if one lives a good life, yet doesn’t know that the Catholic Church is the true church, he will be saved anyway. It tends to imply that it doesn’t make so much difference what one believes so long as he lives a good life. To bring this right down to its basic meaning, it suggests that one church is as good as another; and if this really be true, then there would seem to be little reason for the Catholic Church even to try to maintain its claims of superiority over other denominations.
Besides, the principle involved here leads inevitably to another conclusion, more serious in its implications than that already mentioned. It is this: If a person can be saved outside of the church because he doesn’t know about the church, or cannot be convinced that it is the only true church, why try to enlighten anyone at all? Why not simply leave all in their ignorance, encourage them to be good, and let it go at that; then they all would be saved?
Many years ago this was a serious question among Protestant churches with respect to their missionary work in heathen lands. With most Protestant churches, even as with the Catholic Church, their creeds strongly imply that there is in reality no salvation outside of their organizations. Years ago, when asked about the millions of heathen who died without even hearing of Christ, the reply usually was that they will be saved in their ignorance. If this be true, the wisest course to pursue would be to leave them all in their ignorance, then they would all be saved. Strange, isn’t it, that the Catholic Church in America should now be backed into the same position?
Fundamentally, and scripturally, what forces all of the denominations ultimately to adopt the viewpoint that salvation is obtainable outside of their group, is the mistaken understanding that God is now trying to convert the world, and that this is the only age in which salvation will be available. Hence, in view of their own failure, they hope God will save people in their ignorance. But even the use of the word “trying” is in a sense dishonoring to God, for he never tries to do anything. When God gets ready to do something, he does it. Through the Prophet Isaiah God declares, “My Word … that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall riot return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”—Isaiah 55:11
The fact that the world has not been converted during the present age, and that the professed Christian church is divided into many fragments as a result of their disagreements; plus the fact that now, more than ever, paganism and unbelief are sweeping over the earth, should be ample proof that this was not God’s due time for the conversion of the world—and this is also just what the Scriptures teach.
Early in the experience of the church, a conference of Christians was held at Jerusalem, attended by the Apostle Peter, and other outstanding leaders of the Early Church. The issue at that conference concerned the Gentile converts then coming into the church. The chairman of the conference summed up the findings of those present, and speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said:
“Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this will I return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”—Acts 15:13-18
It should be noted from this quotation that God’s purpose in having the Gospel preached to the Gentiles, was not to convert them all during this age, but simply to take out from among them “a people for his name”—that is, a people to become members of his immediate family in association with Jesus his beloved Son, in order that they might reign with him in his thousand-year kingdom. This purpose of true Gospel preaching has been gloriously successful, although the work has progressed unknown to the world, and for the most part unknown to the great religious bodies of the earth.
Those called out from the world by the Gospel, and prepared under its influence to live and reign with Christ in his future kingdom, have not been identified either as Catholics or Protestants, although as individuals doubtless many of them have been in these various denominations. They have been known by God, and blessed by him, and this has been the important consideration.
With this, the real work of God during the present age, complete, then will follow other features of the divine plan. There comes the regathering of the Israelites from among all nations, and their re-establishment in the Promised Land. Then, as the apostle declares, all the Gentiles will be given an opportunity to call upon the name of the Lord, not upon the basis of ignorance, however, for the purpose of God is to enlighten all mankind. This work of enlightening the nations will be accomplished through the instrumentality of the glorified Christ, made up of Jesus, and the members of his body, the church.
God performed a miracle to raise Jesus from the dead at the beginning of the age. At the close of the age he performs another miracle to raise the true church from the dead; and, together with Jesus, these will rule the world for a thousand years, filling the earth with God’s glory, offering blessings of life to all mankind, even raising the dead that they too may have an opportunity to share in the blessings of that new kingdom. How thankful we are when we understand that the salvation of the world does not depend upon the weak and misguided efforts of denominationalism, but upon Jesus, and that his church, after being raised from the dead, will live and reign with him for this very purpose!