I don’t think Jesus is as concerned about church membership as He is about people repenting of their sins and loving one another. It’s clear that God allows and in some cases arranges for people to be in different churches so obviously He has no problem reaching out to people of good will whatever church they are in and whatever doctrines they believe are true.
He must care or he would not have founded a Church in the first place, and spent 3 chapters (John’s gospel, Last Supper discourse) just before he went to his death pleading for unity among his followers. He and he alone prescribes how he accomplishes communion among his followers, and that is through participation in the Eucharist, which he instituted during that same Last Supper. Had he not intended unity he would not of given us this means of communion with him.
I believe Annie’s response.
I really cannot answer what He thinks. I believe that the 70 percent of the world going to hell that are not Christians and our failure to evangelize them and spend more time arguing with one another is far far more important.
I think that the seriousness of burning in hell warrants evangelism efforts for people who are not Christians. If I turn out to be wrong, bettere safe than sorry.I don’t think it is our role to say who is and isn’t saved. Judgement belongs to God, so we can’t say that nonchristians won’t be saved. What we do know is that we love God seek to follow him, so we search out the True Church. We want to share our love for God with others, so we evangelize.
Though I do agree with RightlyDivide that “partisan” arguing gets us nowhere, this thread seems calm and curious, not bitter and aggressive. Questions don’t hurt, only stubbornness
How do you know that 70% of the world “non-Christians” are going to hell?
Yes, we in the Church are called to evangelize,but we are not called to coerce.
I understand that there are many different branches of Christianity… but it’s my understanding that while they all have their differences they do all believe in the same Jesus and all believe Jesus is the Son of God.
We are called to preach the gospel. Those who do not believe are damned Mark 16.
No Christ is not indifferent because He founded a visible, teaching Church, and His Church is suppose to offer the Holy Sacrifice of His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Christ paid the debt for sin but they are not forgiven unless we do our duty to God. Christ founded His Church, and He called men to be a part of that Church and to spread the good news and despence the sacraments He instituted in order to confer grace onto His people and to continue His work. Full recompense for sins forgiven and the sufferings endured by Christ for our salvation can only be made by the true Church and her Sacraments. While Christians who didnt know any better can be saved by being part of the Church by desire they however will still have to make up the debt they owe for their past sins in purgatory. Many souls are not saved because they lack the grace needed to continue living a holy life and they continue on their wide road to perdition.
Of course he does. Why would he have founded the Catholic Church if he did not?? it is interesting that for the first 1500 years of His Church’s existence nobody would’ve even thought to ask this question has the answer was obvious
What about those Catholic Churches that are not Latin? Is the Roman Catholic Church somehow in possession of truth not accessible to the other 22 particular Churches in communion with Rome? Or are you saying that all of the other Catholic Churches are not in fact particular Churches but simply parts of the Roman Catholic Church. In either case, your statement is problematic-and not just from my perspective as an Eastern Catholic, but according to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.