Is salvation for everyone according to Acts 20:28?

[jamil_joseph02]

I’ve always thought as a Catholic that Christ’s blood shedding on the cross was exclusively for everyone, whether you’re a Buddhist or a Muslim or Atheist or any other religion. But why is it that in Acts 20:28 it says God bought the Church by His blood? Why the restriction? Is the author (I’m not sure if it was Luke or Paul) making a restriction that salvation is exclusively for the Church only?

Acts 20:28 “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”

 

[Fidelis]

I’ve always thought as a Catholic that Christ’s blood shedding on the cross was exclusively for everyone, whether you’re a Buddhist or a Muslim or Atheist or any other religion. But why is it that in Acts 20:28 it says God bought the Church by His blood? Why the restriction? Is the author (I’m not sure if it was Luke or Paul) making a restriction that salvation is exclusively for the Church only?

Notice what he doesn’t say: he doesn’t say “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood to the exclusion of everyone else…”

To not mention one thing when mentioning another is not *necessarily *to exclude the first thing. If I say “Be nice to your family members” that doesn’t mean I’m saying you should be mean to everyone else; I am simply making a point about your family members.

You can also look at it in the sense that, since Jesus did shed his blood for all men, those of other faiths who, through no fault of their own don’t know Jesus but may still be saved by being faithful to the light that God has given them, may comprise (in a very remote and minimal way) a part of the Church.

 

[NHInsider]

I’ve always thought as a Catholic that Christ’s blood shedding on the cross was exclusively for everyone, whether you’re a Buddhist or a Muslim or Atheist or any other religion. But why is it that in Acts 20:28 it says God bought the Church by His blood? Why the restriction? Is the author (I’m not sure if it was Luke or Paul) making a restriction that salvation is exclusively for the Church only?

All who are saved by the grace of God are saved by Jesus’ sacrificial death, and by virtue of that salvation they all become part of the Church.

 

[Abu]

For our separated brethren, Jesus redeemed mankind (opened heaven) by His Passion and Death. Salvation depends on our co-operation with Him through His Church.

St Paul: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). What is lacking in Christ’s suffering is precisely what only we can do – take up our cross and suffer, repent and ask forgiveness, following the dictates of our conscience.

We see here that Christ’s Catholic Church (the Bride of Christ) is His Mystical Body through whom all salvation comes. Understanding the meaning of salvation for those nominally outside of Christ’s Church is not the only vitally important fact – private interpretation of the Scriptures cannot always guide us on contraception, on remarriage, on capital punishment, IVF, cloning, marriage only between the opposite sex, and many other modern problems - this fact results in uncertainty, confusion and lack of unified Christian action at times.

 

[PJM]

=jamil joseph02; I’ve always thought as a Catholic that Christ’s blood shedding on the cross was exclusively for everyone, whether you’re a Buddhist or a Muslim or Atheist or any other religion. But why is it that in Acts 20:28 it says God bought the Church by His blood? Why the restriction? Is the author (I’m not sure if it was Luke or Paul) making a restriction that salvation is exclusively for the Church only?

Yes BUT NO!

**God became Incarnate man-God, suffered, Died, was burried and Rose from the Dead to casue and effect the REDEMPTIONH of all humanity, for all time.

HOWEVER, "Redemption" is not the same as “Salvation.”**

“Redemption*” means that by the incomparable acts of humility, abasement and Love, God overcame the most signifiant of the penalities of Adam and Eve’s first sin; namely being locked out of heaven. By this supreme Sacrifice of Christ [the New Adam], access to **heaven and eternal bliss once again become a POSSIBILITY.:**D

As evidenced by the verse you question, as well as MANY others, most notably; Mt. 16:15-19, and:

Acts.20:28 “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church [SINGULAR] of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. “

Eph. 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,** [singular] **built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; **[singular] **in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God written for Catholic specifically] in the Spirit.”

Eph. 4: 4 “There is one body [One Church] and one Spirit, [One set of beliefs] just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, [One God] one faith, [One set of doctrine and dogma] one baptism, By water in the Trinity] 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Eph. 5: 23 Christ is the head of the church singular] , his body, [singular]

and …Eph. 3: 9 ** “And to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 that through the church [singular]** the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, "

Why? Because God insist of being in charge. Thus the ONE Church, His form of Governance, His Personal Sacrifice to insure it’s Truth, [John 17:15-19] and His Sending the Holy Spirit of ETERNITY to keep His Church Holy [not the people in it; who can exercise there frrewills;] Rather the Body of and Structure of His Church.

**John 14: 16 ** “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.”

Love and prayers,

Pat**

 

[Abu]

Those who, through no fault of their own, have never knoChrist’s Church teaches that a person who is NOT a practicing Catholic can be saved.wn Christ or his Church can still be saved. But their salvation, too, is the effect of Jesus working through his Church. In a positive sense, this theological principle “means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body” (CCC 846, 847).

The teaching MEANS that WITHOUT the Church there is no salvation – ALL salvation comes through Christ’s Church. The meaning of the Latin Extra = “without”.

From: insidecatholic.com/Joomla/ind…d=59&Itemid=48
“…the Church, centuries before Vatican II, regarded Orthodox sacraments as valid, which is awfully hard to do if you don’t think Christ can be found anywhere but in the Catholic Church. Similarly, it has always regarded the baptism of non-Catholics as valid – and a valid baptism means you are, in some sense, in union with Christ.”

Even for non-Christians: “Normally, it will be in the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions and by following the dictates of their own conscience that the members of other religions respond positively to God’s invitation and receive salvation in Jesus Christ, even while they do not recognize or acknowledge him as their Saviour. (cf. Ad gentes, nn. 3, 9, 11)” (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue – Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Instruction Dialogue and Proclamation, 19 May 1991, n. 29; *L’Osservatore Romano *English edition, 1 July 1991, p. III).
[John Paul II General Audience, Wednesday 9 September 1998]

[See: http://outsidethechurchnosalvation.b…bel/Salvation]

 

[EnterCanaan]

is salvation for everyone according to Acts 20:28?

Using the bible to define the bible, we can understand this. you compare scripture to scripture. spiritual things with spiritual things. Gods word to Gods word.

Thus…

As in Adam, ALL of mankind is born of original sin. Every single human being, is born spirituall dead. This is the context of all here. ALL of mankind is spirituall dead. ALL

When Christ died for our sins, and came to save ALL of those whome He has chosen, then this is to be understood as ALL those people whom Christ came to save. In this context, Everybody Christ gave His life for, is the ALL in question. For ALL of those people who are chosen are simply a remnant of the entire world, so to say Christ came to save ALL of man is false, because then there would be no punishment for sin, infact the world is born into sin, and so are spiritually dead. however for all of those destined to be children of God, for ALL of those people they will be saved. That is the All., for Christ came to save ALL of His children only. In which case everybody elected to salvation, is indeed ALL of those whom are to be saved. And ALL of them will be saved because Christ did not lose a single one.

In Adam, all of the earth is born into sin,

Through Christ, all of those whom He came to save will be saved.

everybody He came to save, is All of those people spoken of in scripture.

St Paul: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). What is lacking in Christ’s suffering is precisely what only we can do – take up our cross and suffer, repent and ask forgiveness, following the dictates of our conscience.

NO

This says that Paul was lacking in his own flesh. Nothing is lacking Christs death, Nothing, Christ is complete and harmony and if ever there is a lack of anything, it because of our own human failings. This is what Paul is talking about. this is not speaking of a miniscule, neglegent, tiny part of Christs work that is lacking thus we need to fill in the rest, that is work, we are not saved by our work, all the work was done by Christ and nothing He did is lacking for our salvation. This is how you understand this.

Paul is saying, compared to the completeness and love of Christs death and suffering for our sins, Paul is lacking in his flesh that which glorifies His death so completely. Because nothing is lacking of Christ, only Paul, as a man, was making the point that he is lacking in himself that which is worthy of Christ. He is being humble here, and teaching that flesh avails no man, and as Solomon puts it Ecclesiatics, it is all VAnity and Grabbing at the wind. Thus we are to be filled spiritually by God, as opposed to vanity of flesh when seeking heaven on earth.

 

[Abu]

EnterCanaan
St Paul: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). What is lacking in Christ’s suffering is precisely what only we can do – take up our cross and suffer, repent and ask forgiveness, following the dictates of our conscience.
NO
This says that Paul was lacking in his own flesh. Nothing is lacking Christs death, Nothing, Christ is complete and harmony and if ever there is a lack of anything, it because of our own human failings. This is what Paul is talking about. this is not speaking of a miniscule, neglegent, tiny part of Christs work that is lacking thus we need to fill in the rest, that is work, we are not saved by our work, all the work was done by Christ and nothing He did is lacking for our salvation. This is how you understand this.

What St Paul is teaching is that our salvation depends on our co-operating with Jesus. We are redeemed only by His death. What is lacking is our co-operation. That is precisely why St Paul teaches: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12). We don’t achieve salvation in one fell swoop by accepting Christ as our personal saviour as some are misled to feel. St Paul knows very well what he is teaching: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). The members of His Body have to co-operate – no pain no gain.

 

[Fidelis]

St Paul: “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His Body which is the Church.” (Col. 1:24). What is lacking in Christ’s suffering is precisely what only we can do – take up our cross and suffer, repent and ask forgiveness, following the dictates of our conscience.

NO

This says that Paul was lacking in his own flesh. Nothing is lacking Christs death, Nothing, Christ is complete and harmony and if ever there is a lack of anything, it because of our own human failings. This is what Paul is talking about. this is not speaking of a miniscule, neglegent, tiny part of Christs work that is lacking thus we need to fill in the rest, that is work, we are not saved by our work, all the work was done by Christ and nothing He did is lacking for our salvation. This is how you understand this.

Paul is saying, compared to the completeness and love of Christs death and suffering for our sins, Paul is lacking in his flesh that which glorifies His death so completely. Because nothing is lacking of Christ, only Paul, as a man, was making the point that he is lacking in himself that which is worthy of Christ. He is being humble here, and teaching that flesh avails no man, and as Solomon puts it Ecclesiatics, it is all VAnity and Grabbing at the wind. Thus we are to be filled spiritually by God, as opposed to vanity of flesh when seeking heaven on earth.

Your personal interpretation goes against the plain sense of the text.

It is true that there was nothing, objectively speaking, that was lacking in Christ’s suffering. However, since we are faced with the plain sense of the text, it’s clear that Paul’s (and our) sufferings DO make up for something within Christ’s suffering. It can only mean that Chirst wants us to join our sufferings to his – not because he needs them, but because we are part of his Body, the Body of Christ. Whatever happens to one part of the Body affects the other. First Corinthians 12:12-27, st. Paul’s classic characterization of the Church (i.e. the Body of Christ) says:

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single organ, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part, 25 that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

This interpretation fits both the plain meaning of the text, reason, and the entire context of the Gospel.

 

[crazzeto]

Salvation is for every man, woman and child on earth if they choose to accept what Christ did for them on the Cross, at least assuming they’ve heard of Christ. If they haven’t, then we trust the soul to God’s Mercy.