Do any Protestant denominations state there is no salvation outside of their church and doctrines?

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meltzerboy

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Another thread inspired my own. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church believes there is no salvation except through the Church and baptism, either by means of ritual sacrament becoming a Catholic, blood, explicit desire, or implicit desire: that is, invincible ignorance. The latter is a topic of much debate in itself. However, baptism per se does not ensure salvation since one may live and die in a state of mortal sin and non-repentance. The issue of infants who are not baptized in any form, including desire, also poses questions. Then there is the mystery of G-d’s love and mercy, so great that we humans are not entitled to judge who may or may not be saved.

My question, however, is about mainstream and non-mainstream Protestant Christian denominations. Apart from belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, are there any prescribed limitations regarding who may or may not be saved, such as belonging or not to a particular denomination, practicing or not practicing certain rituals, belief or non-belief in sola fide or sola Scriptura, unrepentant sinners, and the like?
 
-As far as I know, most Evangelicals believe in “getting saved”. A one time decision to invite Jesus into your heart and your life as your personal savior. Most believe that once you’ve done this, no loosing salvation, but if it’s sincere, it’ll show in your life. If you haven’t done this, you go to Hell when you die regardless of what church you attend , good works etc. Unofficially, they believe that Catholics most especially and Orthodox (those who know about them) aren’t really Christians and that most mainline & liturgical Protestants aren’t really saved because there’s no ritual of the alter call, and are supposedly based on “works” rather than faith- Suffice it to say that a lot of misinformation abounds.

-Most Protestants generally do not believe in a visibly united Church. Most believe in the invisible reality of the church only, so the idea of the one true church which is visible, is not held by most. Rather people who love Jesus and walk with him sincerely are all in the true church regardless of which church they attend on Sunday.

-What you’re looking for are fundamentalist protestants. There are quite a few who believe that they are the only true church. The church of Christ, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons (LDS). Most Christians would not consider these latter two actual Christians due to the lack of belief in Trinity & Divinity of Christ which are considered definitive of Christianity. I’m sure there are more.

Peace.
 
I was born and raised in the fundamental Protestant denomination called “THE church of Christ” .

The believe they are the only Christians and call all others “non-Christians”. They say they are Christians only but also the only Christians. If one is not a member of their tiny insignificant group you are going to hell, period.

This is odd to me since they have existed since 1906, so everyone born before that year goes to hell.

They are centered in the south, and people not from the south likely are unfamiliar.

But in the South you are either cofC or Baptist. Even though their doctrines are nearly identical they are constantly proseletyzing each others members:shrug:.

I got out off that denomination as soon as I graduated and became Catholic. For my troubles I was shunned and disinherited.
 
I am a practicing Catholic and former protestant minister. To my knowledge, some primitive Baptist churches and the non-instrumental Churches of Christ believe and teach that their churches are the “Gospel Express,” meaning that their particular churches are the only authentic churches and the only way to salvation.
 
Since most Protestant communities do not associate themselves as the “true church”…but that it’s members are part of the Body of Christ thru faith…the mindset of “true church” is not part of their theology…as one poster noted…perhaps some “Baptist” groups and some Churches of Christ may believe they are the “true church”…most denominations have a different ecclesiology than Catholics…salvation is found in the Church…when one becomes a new creature in Christ thru grace by faith…the ARE a member of the “true” Church…the Bride of Christ…the Household of God…
 
Marie_Gregg said:
I’m part of the Church of the Nazarene. There’s nothing in the Article of Faith that says people in other groups aren’t saved.

nazarene.org/ministries/administration/visitorcenter/articles/display.html
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Well it is Protestant in nature, evangelical in nature, on a mission to promote 66 books of the Bible, Protesant theology by regeneration typical of Protestant theology, believers Baptism and is promoting something that I consider novel as it regards Christian thought. They are intent on worldwide evangelization, even in countries in Latin America that are Catholic.

Sometimes it is not what is said but inferred. You may not be aware of this. I will look further into this.
 
meltzerboy said:
Another thread inspired my own. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church believes there is no salvation except through the Church and baptism, either by means of ritual sacrament becoming a Catholic, blood, explicit desire, or implicit desire: that is, invincible ignorance. The latter is a topic of much debate in itself. However, baptism per se does not ensure salvation since one may live and die in a state of mortal sin and non-repentance. The issue of infants who are not baptized in any form, including desire, also poses questions. Then there is the mystery of G-d’s love and mercy, so great that we humans are not entitled to judge who may or may not be saved.

My question, however, is about mainstream and non-mainstream Protestant Christian denominations. Apart from belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, are there any prescribed limitations regarding who may or may not be saved, such as belonging or not to a particular denomination, practicing or not practicing certain rituals, belief or non-belief in sola fide or sola Scriptura, unrepentant sinners, and the like?
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Your question can be answered by asking another question that includes an indirect answer to your question.

Why did all these Protestant denominations denominate? Some, because they believed others did not have truth and needed “truth”…Mormons are an example and the answer to your question would be part and parcel of the reason for their existence.

Knox, Zwingli, Calvin, Luther and the rest stated that the OHCAC was “apostate”…The Apostates, that’s us, still need to be brought into the fold.
 
meltzerboy said:
Another thread inspired my own. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church believes there is no salvation except through the Church and baptism, either by means of ritual sacrament becoming a Catholic, blood, explicit desire, or implicit desire: that is, invincible ignorance. The latter is a topic of much debate in itself. However, baptism per se does not ensure salvation since one may live and die in a state of mortal sin and non-repentance. The issue of infants who are not baptized in any form, including desire, also poses questions. Then there is the mystery of G-d’s love and mercy, so great that we humans are not entitled to judge who may or may not be saved.

My question, however, is about mainstream and non-mainstream Protestant Christian denominations. Apart from belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, are there any prescribed limitations regarding who may or may not be saved, such as belonging or not to a particular denomination, practicing or not practicing certain rituals, belief or non-belief in sola fide or sola Scriptura, unrepentant sinners, and the like?
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Yes. Fundamentalists believe that you must hold to their very strict version of sola fide or you will go to hell. Many Protestants have also traditionally believed that certain Catholic doctrines, particularly regarding the Eucharist and the saints, involve blasphemy and/or idolatry and thus are (if held fully and consciously) incompatible with saving faith in Christ.

As far as actually claiming that one must be a member of a particular Christian body to be saved, that is extremely rare, although at one time Lutherans seem to have held this. The Reformed position, which is more common among Protestants, is that the church outside which there is no salvation includes most Protestants, and obviously included Catholics (if in a very qualified sense toward the end of the Middle Ages) until the Reformation. The very conservative Reformed folks hold that (besides the issues with blasphemy and idolatry already mentioned) the Council of Trent “anathematized the Gospel.”

Edwin
 
meltzerboy said:
Another thread inspired my own. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church believes there is no salvation except through the Church and baptism, either by means of ritual sacrament becoming a Catholic, blood, explicit desire, or implicit desire: that is, invincible ignorance. The latter is a topic of much debate in itself. However, baptism per se does not ensure salvation since one may live and die in a state of mortal sin and non-repentance. The issue of infants who are not baptized in any form, including desire, also poses questions. Then there is the mystery of G-d’s love and mercy, so great that we humans are not entitled to judge who may or may not be saved.

Meltzerboy,

Matt 18: 17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

Meltzerboy, don’t you see/read above (Matt 18: 17) how much power Jesus Christ gave His Church even to cast out and treat a person or persons as a heathens or a tax collector if they don’t repent or ask for forgivness?

Meltzerboy, as you know there is no heathens allowed in Heaven, so here Jesus Christ is saying the Church can judge anyone. You, I, nor anyone else, can not Judge and cast out anyone, to do so that is a sin of judging others, not so with The Church, as Jesus Christ say’s in (Matt 18:17) can Judge anyone.

Meltzerboy, So the Church says “there is no salvation except through His Church” then by golly gee we all better adhere to this Church, for Jesus Christ says in Matt 16: 18 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
…

Meltzerboy, if you still don’t believe the power that Jesus Christ gave to his Church, then read a little further for here Jesus Christ says in (Matt 16: 19)19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Meltzerboy, see the power/Authority that Jesus Christ gave to His one and only Church to bind or loose anything in heaven and on earth…now that is Power/Authority This Power and Authority was given by Jesus Christ, to Peter the rock then unto his successors in the Catholic Church.

No other “church” can bind or loose anything in heaven or on earth, this Power/Authority belongs only to the Catholic Church throughout the generation. Amen

Ufam Tobie
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CopticChristian said:
Well it is Protestant in nature, evangelical in nature, on a mission to promote 66 books of the Bible, Protesant theology by regeneration typical of Protestant theology, believers Baptism and is promoting something that I consider novel as it regards Christian thought. They are intent on worldwide evangelization, even in countries in Latin America that are Catholic.

Sometimes it is not what is said but inferred. You may not be aware of this. I will look further into this.
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I can only go with what I’ve read and experienced. My pastor has said several times from the pulpit that he does not see people in other churches (including Catholic and Orthodox) as being unsaved or outside the Body so long as they acknowledge Jesus as Lord (and all that goes with that acknowledgement, of course - submission to the Spirit, to church authority, good works, etc). So when I think of missionaries going into other countries, I don’t think it’s about getting people to go from one group to another so much as it is sharing the glorious truth about God. At least I hope that’s what it is about.

As to baptism, the Church of the Nazarene will baptize either infants or adults, and will do so by immersion, pouring or sprinkling. It’s a matter of personal preference. Adult baptism is encouraged, but not required. Basically the idea is that the New Testament speaks of whole households being baptized, so there’s not a hard line on this in my congregation. It could be different elsewhere; I don’t know.

I think Article 12, The Lord’s Supper, best reveals the stance of the Church of the Nazarene:

“We believe that the Memorial and Communion Supper instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is essentially a New Testament sacrament, declarative of His sacrificial death, through the merits of which believers have life and salvation and promise of all spiritual blessings in Christ. It is distinctively for those who are prepared for reverent appreciation of its significance, and by it they show forth the Lord’s death till He come again. It being the Communion feast, only those who have faith in Christ and love for the saints should be called to participate therein.”

In other words, Communion is open. You just have to be a Christian. You could be part of any group and just be passing through one Sunday and be invited to partake. So as far as I know, the Church of the Nazarene doesn’t say that they’re the “only” church.
 
meltzerboy said:
Another thread inspired my own. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church believes there is no salvation except through the Church and baptism, either by means of ritual sacrament becoming a Catholic, blood, explicit desire, or implicit desire: that is, invincible ignorance. The latter is a topic of much debate in itself. However, baptism per se does not ensure salvation since one may live and die in a state of mortal sin and non-repentance. The issue of infants who are not baptized in any form, including desire, also poses questions. Then there is the mystery of G-d’s love and mercy, so great that we humans are not entitled to judge who may or may not be saved.

My question, however, is about mainstream and non-mainstream Protestant Christian denominations. Apart from belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, are there any prescribed limitations regarding who may or may not be saved, such as belonging or not to a particular denomination, practicing or not practicing certain rituals, belief or non-belief in sola fide or sola Scriptura, unrepentant sinners, and the like?
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I bet the Westboro Baptist Church has such a doctrine.

Your friend
Sufjon
 
There are some groups that have at times been accused of coming across that way in terms of their general attitude toward others (including other Protestants) and in the way that they talk about their own doctrines as compared to those of others (including Protestants).

That being said, you’d be hard pressed to find any Protestant denomination that comes right out and says “Outside of _______ there is no salvation” or “The entirety of the Christian Church subsists in [basically, just our denomination].”

If you find one, it’s going to be a small one and we’re going to have to check it out in order to see if it’s really Protestant. There’s probably some threads on here that have to do with marking clear lines between Protestants and non-Christians, or between Protestants and cults. Those types of resources would come in handy at that juncture.
 
ufamtobie said:
Meltzerboy,

Matt 18: 17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

Meltzerboy, don’t you see/read above (Matt 18: 17) how much power Jesus Christ gave His Church even to cast out and treat a person or persons as a heathens or a tax collector if they don’t repent or ask for forgivness?
Click to expand...
ufamtobie, are you really sure Jesus was referring to the Catholic Church. I do not think so. There was no Catholic Church when Jesus uttered those words. The only Church God recognized at that time is that of the Jews. Jesus never taught the New Covenant during His ministry, had He done so, He would have been in violation of the Mosaic Covenant, a sin that would nullify Jesus from being the Messiah, because the Mosaic Covenant was in full effect until Jesus death on the cross. At which time God annihilated the Mosaic Covenant.
ufamtobie said:
Meltzerboy, as you know there is no heathens allowed in Heaven, so here Jesus Christ is saying the Church can judge anyone. You, I, nor anyone else, can not Judge and cast out anyone, to do so that is a sin of judging others, not so with The Church, as Jesus Christ say’s in
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Matt 16: 18 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
…

Jesus spoke to Peter as being a rock because of all the answers the Apostles gave to Jesus, as to who Jesus really is, Peter correctly said that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus could not state this Himself plainly, because He was at that time, sent to the House of Israel, to fulfill the Mosaic Covenant with all its’ 613 Laws, as applicable to Him as Israel’s Chief Rabbi, the Messiah. And His Apostles were under the Mosaic Covenant until Jesus died on the cross.
ufamtobie said:
Meltzerboy, if you still don’t believe the power that Jesus Christ gave to his Church, then read a little further for here Jesus Christ says in
Click to expand...
(Matt 16: 19)19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

A long time mistranslation by the gentile Christians. I really do not care if you believe me or not, but that phrase that Jesus speaks is a Jewish idiom, and Jews would have understood what Jesus was saying:

"Whatever you forbid on Earth must already be forbidden in Heaven. Whatever you loose on Earth must already be loose in Heaven."

Let’s go to the next set of verses immediately following which I am sure you believe also:

Mt 16:21-23
From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, " God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." **But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” **

How about that Ufamtobe, it turns out that Peter is actually Satan! At least, if you are consistent by your Church translation of Peter being the Cornerstone.
ufamtobie said:
Meltzerboy, see the power/Authority that Jesus Christ gave to His one and only Church to bind or loose anything in heaven and on earth…now that is Power/Authority This Power and Authority was given by Jesus Christ, to Peter the rock then unto his successors in the Catholic Church.
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Ufam Tobie

Peter points to Jesus as the Stone on which the Church is founded upon, and not himself:

1 Pe 2:4-8

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture:

“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER STONE,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,

“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER STONE,” and,

" A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE";

“for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”

Thus says Peter.
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I am part of a Non-Denominational Christian Church. We do not believe there is no salvation outside of our church. However, we do believe that there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
 
Thank you all for your enlightening comments! I suppose my question had the potential of activating yet another Catholic-Protestant controversy on the Forum, but it was not intended to do so; rather, I was seeking information, which I generously received.
 
Perhaps I didn’t read carefully enough and missed it, but did anyone mention that the Catholic church considers that all Christians, by virtue of their baptism, are members of our church? And, as the OP states, we also believe in baptism by blood and desire. I’m not sure there’s a church (that believes in hell) that’s more generous about who they believe may enter heaven. Those few who teach that one must be Catholic to get to heaven have been reprimanded by the Catholic church.
 
bz5 said:
Perhaps I didn’t read carefully enough and missed it, but did anyone mention that the Catholic church considers that all Christians, by virtue of their baptism, are members of our church? And, as the OP states, we also believe in baptism by blood and desire. I’m not sure there’s a church (that believes in hell) that’s more generous about who they believe may enter heaven. Those few who teach that one must be Catholic to get to heaven have been reprimanded by the Catholic church.
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I appreciate what your comments. Though I am not Catholic, I too believe that many Catholics will enter Heaven. And I rejoice in that.
 
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