Belonging to Jesus & His Church-Acts 2

Theologian R.B. Kuiper asserts that the NT does not contain even a hint of someone who was truly saved but not a part of a local church. In his publication THE GLORIOUS BODY OF CHRIST he writes, "It is clear that in the days of the apostles it was universal practice to receive believers into the visible church. What could be more logical? He who believes in Christ is united with Christ. Faith binds him to Christ. He is a member of Christ's body, the invisible church. But the visible church is but the outward manifestation of that body. Every member of the invisible church should as a matter of course be a member of the visible church. Extremely significant in this connection is Acts 2:47--'And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.' Not only does the Lord Christ require those who are saved that they unite with the church; He Himself joins them to the church. And the reference is unmistakably to the VISIBLE church. Does it follow that he who is outside the visible church is necessarily outside Christ? Certainly not. It is possible that a true believer because of some unusual circumstance may fail to unite with the church. Conceivably one may, for instance, believe in Christ and die before receiving baptism. But such instances are exceptional. The Scriptural rule is that, while membership in the church is not a prerequisite of salvation, it is a necessary consequence of salvation. Outside the visible church 'there is no ordinary possibility of salvation' (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXV, Sec II)." This coming Lord's Day, as we bring more folks into membership, we'll pause from our study of James and consider "Belonging to Jesus and His Local Church" (Acts 2:41-47). In a day in which God's gracious means of membership is wrongfully minimized, join us for our study as we look at the NT implications of being vitally involved in a healthy local church, to the praise of His glory!