Which Church?

Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:

The other day I was pumping gas and looked at the sign connected to the top of the pump. Tucked in the side of the sign was a leaflet. The cover read “Which Church will Save?”, and behind those words were pictures of a church with a pointed steeple, one with a bell tower steeple and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. I didn’t take the time to pull it out and read it, but it did get me thinking as I drove away. What did it say inside? What do I think it should say? What do you think it should say?

If there is no place in your belief system for salvation then this question is mute. But even if this is the case for you, please continue reading so you may at least think about what others might believe. If your belief system does include salvation, then the question is one that needs not be asked especially if your a Christian.

Let’s take a few moments to imagine what the leaflet might say inside. It could promote the church it comes from as the one church that saves. It would then state that other churches are false churches. It could say that no church saves and pronounce that Jesus saves and we must choose Jesus as our personal savior to be saved. The third could be similar to the last: no church saves. But it would simply end with Jesus saves. I doubt that the last one was what was in there. Most leaflets are written to get you to do something.

I happen to believe in the last one. What do you believe about salvation?

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11