I read where a very prominent preacher in Dallas Texas said: “I hear people say “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian,” and they are absolutely right. Salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone. But you don’t have to go home to be married, but stay away long enough and your relationship will be affected.” I want to examine that statement a little bit.

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First, it is true that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. Ephesians 2: 8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Romans 5: 1 says “we are justified by faith.” Of course, saving faith is only in Christ. Galatians 2: 16 says one is justified by “faith in Jesus Christ.” The question is: “How were the Ephesians saved by grace through faith.” Acts 19: 5 says they “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Thus, when one is baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus he receives “the remission of sins” which equals being saved. (Acts 2: 38, 47). “How were the Galatians justified by faith in Jesus Christ?” (Gal. 3: 24). Verses 26-27 tells us: “For you are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Jesus Christ have put on Christ.” Thus, one becomes a child of God by faith i. e., he puts on Christ, when he is baptized into Jesus Christ. So, yes, salvation is through faith in Christ, but salvation is not through faith alone! We know this because James 2: 24 says: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” To teach that salvation is by faith alone is to teach salvation is by a dead faith. (v. 26).

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This preacher also said that one doesn’t have to go to church to be a Christian, because not going to church affects one’s relationship with Christ. One cannot serve Christ and have a good relationship with Him apart from the church, because the church is the saved. One who “doesn’t go to church” or “forsakes assembling together with the church” destroys his relationship with Christ. (Heb. 10: 23-26). Saving faith motivates one to do what Christ commands in order to be saved (Mk. 16: 16), and also motivates him to love the church for which Christ died. One cannot have Christ and abandon His church. Think on these things.

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Dennis Abernathy