I’d like to as you a question: How many of us have heard the following statement: “Oh, you church of Christ people think that you are the only ones who are going to heaven”?
I can think of few words which can cause members of the church of Christ more pain and confusion. I’ve heard this statement many times myself, and I’ve had members of other congregations come to me in mental anguish, because these words have been uttered to them.
In our love for the souls of all mankind, we diligently try to teach the plan of salvation to everyone. It’s our desire that all might become obedient to the Lord so that they might be saved, so that they might obtain heavenly eternal reward. But we are often hit with this statement, or a question that’s related to it: “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven?”
That’s a serious question, and one which deserves, I think, very careful thought. But it seems as though this question often times scares us to death. Now, why should that be? Perhaps, it’s because many, many members of the church feel that there is really no concrete answer that they can give to this question, while still being able to leave the lines of communication open—that there’s no safe answer to this question which will allow us to continue to teach the person who asked. It’s sometimes true that a member of the church feels that by answering this question, he or she will alienate the one who’s being taught so that they will lose whatever opportunity that they had to bring that person to Christ.
If we look at this specific question, “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven,” it should be clear to us that sometimes this is a dishonest question asked by those individuals who know what it is that we teach from God’s Word on the subject of “who will be saved.” Fortunately, we are in good company, in terms of these kinds of questions.
In Luke, chapter 10, verse 25, we see where Christ was asked a question with the purpose of tempting, or testing, Him: “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of Him [tested Him], saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This was not an honest question. The lawyer was attempting to trick up Jesus with that question.
When we read the story of Jesus in the Gospels, we will see many other incidents where people were trying to ensnare Jesus with subtly dishonest questions. In Matthew 19, and verse 3, the Pharisees came to Him with the purpose of trying Him, asking Him if “it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause.”
We can read in Matthew 22, verses 15 through 22, where they desired to ensnare, or trap, Jesus by His Own Words, asking whether it was “lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not.”
We read in Mark 12, verse 13, that “they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch Him in talk [to catch Him in His words].”
Well, we read of the same kind of deceitful questions in many other places in the Scriptures—Mark 11:27 through 33, for one, and then again also in Mark, chapter 12, verses 18 through 27.
From these passages of Scripture, and many others, it should be clear to us that there will be those who ask questions of us which have this same purpose—a desire to ensnare, or entrap, us. I believe that most times when a person says something along these lines, that “You think you are the only ones going to heaven,” that person is often doing so with the purpose of trying to trip us up, either in our belief or in our trying to teach the Gospel plan of salvation. We need to understand, though, that we must give that person a clear and concise answer based upon what the Bible teaches on the subject. It is a mistake for a member of the church of Christ to make the following statement in response to that kind of a question: “Well, it’s not up to me to judge who will be in heaven.”
Please understand this: When we say something like that, we are just avoiding the question. When someone asks that question, when someone says, “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven?”— we…must…give them an honest “Yes” or “No” answer. Telling them that “It’s not up to me to judge” is no answer at all. If you give that kind of an answer, I guarantee you that your opportunity to teach that person the Truth of the Gospel has just gone out the window.
So, what’s the best way to answer someone who asks, “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven?” We would do well to emulate the example of Jesus in response to this question. As He did in so many cases, we might answer a question, first, by asking a question ourselves. I would ask this: “Do you believe that there is One God?” Well, if you answer “yes” or “no,” I would ask you this: “Where did you get your answer?” There’s only one place where anyone could get the answer to this question—the Bible.
First, we read in Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 35, “Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that Jehovah He is God; there is none else besides Him.” Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 4 says, “Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is One Jehovah…” We can read in Mark, chapter 12, verses 28 and 29: “And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is One…” We can also read 1 Corinthians 8, verses 5 and 6, the following words that teach that there is only One God. Paul wrote: “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there are gods many, and lords many; 6 yet to us there is One God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we unto Him…” There are many passages of Scripture which teach that there is One God, and only One God.
Now, after investigating all of these various passages, we would be forced to conclude, from our reading, that there is, therefore, only one answer to this question, that there is only One God. Now, how did we arrive at that conclusion? Well, it should be obvious to us that the answer had to come from the Bible. Now, should I, therefore, teach to everyone that there is One God? An honest individual would have to say, “Yes, you should teach that.” Well, why? Again, an honest individual would respond, “Because the Bible says so.” And that person would be exactly right.
It should be very clear, then, that the answer to the question, “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven?” can only come from God’s Word. That response from an honest individual, that response, “Because the Bible says so,” lies at the heart of any answer that we might give to any question of this kind, and we must impress upon everyone that this is NOT our opinion, that it’s not our opinion on the subject that matters, but rather, it’s what the BIBLE says in response to any question of this kind that is most important. In fact, the way the BIBLE answers this question is ALL that matters.
Now, suppose we were to get into the realm of opinions. If we were to do that, to most religious people in the so-called “Christian” world there would be “many churches.” In fact, this the foundation upon which this question before us this morning is based. Keep in mind that most people who ask us this question are members of denominational churches. They believe that the church of which they are a member is but one piece of the universal church of Christ, which consists of all the denominations that pledge allegiance to Jesus. But, is this what the Bible teaches?
The question I would ask then is, “Is there one church?” Well, let’s look at these passages of Scripture:
We read in Matthew 16:18 the following well-known statement by Jesus: “And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Christ said, “I will build My church.” Not “churches.” In the original Greek language of the New Testament, this statement by Jesus is constructed in a particular grammatical manner, in a particular way. It is singular—one church; it is possessive—belonging to Jesus.
Also, when we read in the Bible that the church is referred to as “the body,” notice what these passages of Scripture say:
“…and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all,” Ephesians 1:22 and 23.
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all,” Ephesians 4, verses 4 through 6.
“And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” Colossians 1:18. Now, how many bodies are mentioned in this passage of Scripture? One. Since the body is the church, and there is only one body, how many churches are there? One.
And once again, we arrived at our conclusion from the Scriptures. Now, would you have me go contrary to what the Bible teaches and teach a multiplicity of churches—would you have me teach more than one church? Would you want me to teach the most popular doctrine, which says, “Attend the church of…your choice”? If you have the desire to stay in harmony with the Scriptures, you would not want me to teach—or anyone to teach—anything other than the Truth, and the Truth of the matter is this: The only correct choice anyone has is to be a member of Christ’s church, and there is only one.
Now, you may ask yourself, “Well, if there is only one true church, how can I know this church?” Well, you can know it by the description of it given in the Bible.
It will have a Scriptural name:
“the church of the Lord,” Acts 20, verse 28 [“Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which He purchased with His Own blood.”].
“the church of God,” 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 2 [“…unto the church of God which is at Corinth, (even) them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called (to be) saints, with all that call upon the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their (Lord) and ours…”]; 1 Corinthians 10:32 [“Give no occasions of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God…”].
“The churches of Christ,” Romans 16:16 [“Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ salute you.”].
“the body of Christ,” or “the body,” 1 Corinthians 12:27 [“Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof.”]; Colossians 1:18 [“And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.”].
“the house of God,” 1 Timothy 3, verse 15 [“…but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth.”].
“the church of the living god,” also 1 Timothy 3, verse 15 [“…but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth.”].
Or, “the church of the firstborn,” Hebrews 12, verse 23 [“…to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect…”].
Now, that one church can also be known by its Scriptural organization:
As we’ve read, Christ is the head of the church. [“And He is the head ofthe body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence”Colossians 1:18.]
Under Christ, each congregation will be overseen byelders, Acts 20, verses 17 through 28 [“And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church...Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which He purchased with His Own blood”Acts 20: 17, 28]. [Note: Elders are also called shepherds, bishops, overseers, presbyters.]; 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 through 7 [“Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money; 4 one that ruleth well his own house, having (his) children in subjection with all gravity; 5(but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”].
Under the oversight of the elders are a group of men who serve, called deacons, 1 Timothy 3, verses 8 through 13 [“Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”].
Then, there are preachers and teachers of the Gospel , and the general membership of the congregation, all whom are under the oversight of the elders.
You can also recognize this church by its worship:
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and Truth,” John 4:24. It is for that very reason—those Words of Jesus—that Christ’s one church WORSHIPS along Scriptural lines, and by Scriptural authority:
We sing, Ephesians 5:19 [“…speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord…”].
We partake of the Lord’s Supper, as we did here this morning, Acts 20, and verse 7 [“And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…”].
We give, 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 and 2 [“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”].
We pray, Acts 2:42 [“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”].
And we teach, or preach, Acts 20, and verse 7 [“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”].
The Bible teaches that there is only one church AND that there is a way to know which church it is. There’s no mystery here. It has a Scriptural name. It is organized along Scriptural lines. AND it worships God in Scriptural ways.
Well, we might ask another question of those who ask, “Will only members of the Church of Christ be in heaven?” The other question we might ask is, “Is there only one way to be saved?”
Now, if you were to go out on the street and ask this question, you would probably get as many answers as those to whom you talk! How might we come to a logical and decisive answer to this question?
Well, what if we just decided, “Let’s let everyone make up their own way of salvation.” Well, if that were the case, then there really wouldn’t be any need for salvation, would there? For, everyone would come up with their own salvation, and everyone would be justified in their own minds and in their own sight.
Well, what if we decide to let parents be the guide. That happens frequently, doesn’t it? Well, if that were the case, then there would be no need for the church to send missionaries anywhere, because one’s parents would establish what the children should do for salvation.
Well, how are we going to answer the question, “Is there only one way to be saved?” We’ll listen to what the BIBLE says: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by Me,” John 14, and verse 6.
We’ll listen to what the BIBLE says: “No man can come to Me, except the Father that sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto Me” John 6:44-45.
In these verses, you can see that Christ is the only Way. Now, it’s true that there are other ways offered by the religious world today, but those ways are not approved by God. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; But the end thereof are the ways of death”Proverbs 14, and verse 12. “O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”Jeremiah 10, verse 23.
Now, what conclusion can we draw from these passages of Scripture? The Bible says that there is only one way of salvation. Well, you might ask, then, and you would correct in asking this, “What IS that one way of salvation?”
What, then, does the Word of God say that one must do to be saved?
One must hear God’s Word:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17.
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”Acts 2, verse 37.
One must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God:
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins”John 8:24.
“And without faith [belief] it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto Him; for he that cometh to Godmust believethat He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”Hebrews 11, verse 6.
One must repent of his sins:
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish”Luke 13, and verse 3.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”2 Peter 3, and verse 9.
One must confess that Jesus is the Christ:
“And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” Acts 8:37.
Paul wrote in Romans 10, and verse 10: “…for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
One must be baptized into Christ:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned” Mark 16, and verse 16.
“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on His Name” Acts 22, and verse 16.
“…which also after a true likeness doth now save you, (even) baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 21.
But that’s not all—
One must be faithful for life:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved” Matthew 10, verse 22.
“For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: 8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved His appearing” 2 Timothy, chapter 4, verses 6 through 8.
“Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life” Revelation, chapter 2, and verse 10.
Now, we must ask a very serious question: “If you have not done the things mentioned in all of these verses for salvation, are you saved?” What do you think the answer is, according to what the Bible says? The answer is, “No.” If you have NOT done the things mentioned in all of these verses for salvation, you…are not…saved. Those are not my words. Those are not my opinions. That is what God’s Word says on the subject. The Bible says that there is only one way to obtain salvation. If you are going to be in harmony with the Bible, then you have to obey what it says.
Now, up to this point in our lesson this morning, we’ve established some things…from the Scriptures:
There is One God.
There is one church.
There is one way of salvation.
Now, what can we observe from God’s Word, then, about who will go to heaven? First of all, heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Jesus said in John 14, verses 1 through 6,that there are many mansions in His Father’s house, and that He was going to go and prepare a place for us, that…WE could be where HE is.
We also read in the Bible that only those who are IN Christ will be in heaven:
Paul wrote in Romans 8, verse 1,“There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are IN Christ Jesus.”
John said in 1 John 5:11 that “eternal life is IN His Son”—is IN God’s Son.
Revelation 14, verse 13, we read, “And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die IN the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.”
“Blessed (be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly (places) IN Christ” Ephesians 1, and verse 3.
Now, the Bible tells us how we might get INTO Christ:
Romans 6, verses 3 and 4 says, “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized INTO Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We were buried therefore with Him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.”
Listen to what Paul wrote in Galatians 3, verses 26 and 27: “For ye are all sons of God, through faith, IN Christ Jesus.” WHY? “27 For as many of you as were baptized INTO Christ did put on Christ.”
One should be clearly able to see that the same act that puts one INTO Christ puts one INTO the body, which is His church. Seeing that those who are IN Christ are those who will also inherit eternal reward, and if those who are IN Christ are in the body—in the church—would you say, then, that “One must be a member of the church of Christ to go to heaven?”
Well, if you want to be Scriptural, if you want to remain true to what the Bible says, then you’ll have to answer, “Yes! You have to be in the church of Christ if you want to be in heaven some day.”
Now, let’s ask the question just like we worded it in the very beginning of our lesson this morning: “Will only those in the church of Christ be in heaven?” The answer is, “Yes.” With the evidence we have seen this morning, there is one God, there is only one way of salvation, there is only one church, there is only one conclusion that we can draw. If you are going to heaven, it will be by the means which Christ has made available for that purpose.
I want to tell you this morning that there’s nothing magical about the church. Being in the church simply shows one’s obedience to the commandments of Christ! Just because one obeys the Gospel and becomes a member of the church does not mean that he will automatically go to heaven. One must be faithful to the end, Matthew 10:22; Revelation 2, and verse 10. For one…to…go…heaven, he must be a faithful member of the church of Christ.
Now, when we are, therefore, faced with this question, we really don’t have any choice in the matter of how we’re going to respond. The matter of “who is going to heaven” is not one of personal opinion, and it’s not one of personal judgment. It is a matter which is determined solely by what…God’s…Word…teaches.
Now, if it’s true that members of the church are being hateful and unloving when they give the proper answer to this question, then I would submit to you that God is also being hateful and unloving, because it’s His Word upon which the answer to this question is based.
Now, let’s understand one other important fact this morning, as we close our lesson: When someone asks, “Do you believe that only those in the church of Christ will be in heaven,” it is very crucial—it’s extremely important—that we identify what is meant by the term “church of Christ.” If the questioner means, “Do you believe that only those in the denomination, which calls itself the ‘church of Christ’ will be in heaven,” then we must make it crystal clear that the church of Christ is NOT a denomination, but instead, is the one, true church, that one can READ ABOUT in the pages of the New Testament.
Now, why is that so important? If the church of Christ is only a denomination, then we have absolutely no right to tell anyone that we are the only ones going to heaven. We would be making our “denomination” superior to theirs. But the truth of the matter is this: No denomination is any better than any other denomination, because none of these various kinds of religion are either authorized by or found in the pages of God’s Word. And if you want to be in heaven some day, then it is crucial that you be in the church. Which church? The Lord’s church, the only one found in God’s Word. Yes, only those in the church of Christ will be in heaven…as long as that church is the one authorized by the Word of God.
This morning, we will ask you this question: Don’t you want to be in heaven some day? I know that you do. We’re positive that all in the entire world—and I’m including those in the denominations—we’re positive that all in the world who believe in Jesus, who believe that He is the Son of God, want to obtain that heavenly reward. Now, please understand that when we tell you that only those in Christ’s church will go to heaven, that we are not being hateful and unloving. We are not trying to exhibit an attitude of arrogance and superiority. What we are trying to do is show you what the BIBLE teaches on this subject. Since we know and believe that the Bible is the final Word of God on who will be in heaven, it is our desire that every single soul in the entire world will be obedient to what the Bible teaches. That’s not arrogance. That’s not unloving. That’s not hateful. That’s LOVE! We love the souls of all mankind, and we do not wish that anyone would be lost eternally, but that ALL would come to repentance.
If you’re not yet a New Testament Christian, we pray that you would come forward this morning in your desire to put your Lord on in baptism so that you might have that hope of everlasting life. We pray you would come this morning—that you would be saved this very morning. And if you will do that, when you are baptized in Christ, and you rise from that watery grave of baptism, HE will add you to HIS church. And then, you, too, might some day be in heaven with all of them who have been saved in a like manner. We ask you to come in response, this morning, to the Lord’s invitation.
Are you, perhaps, a Christian who has maybe fallen back into the ways of sin? We pray that you, also, would come to the Lord this morning. If you don’t live a life of faithfulness to God, you will not receive that eternal reward. When you first became a Christian, did you not understand that you must continue to be IN Christ in order to be in heaven with all of God’s saved some day? We ask you, at this time, if that’s the case, won’t you please come back to your first love.
This morning, whatever your desire might be—whatever you need might be—we ask you to come, while we stand and sing.