Jimmy Akin dives deep into the controversial topic of “no salvation outside the Church.” He clarifies whether this refers to the Catholic Church as an institution or the body of Christ, exploring historical interpretations and modern implications. Discover how the Church has evolved in its understanding of this complex doctrine.
Transcript:
I’d like to know, Jimmy, when the Church says that there is no salvation outside the Church, is she referring to the Catholic Church as an institution, or is she referring to the Church as the body of Christ?
The way the Church has historically used that phrase, it’s a reference to the Catholic Church as a visible institution, but the key is how you interpret it, because it has never been understood to mean that there are literally no people who are saved, who are not full members of the institution of the Catholic Church.
Going back to the age of the Church Fathers, there is an awareness that, for example, catechumens, people who planned on becoming Catholic, but who died before they became Catholic, could still be saved. You know, St. Augustine talks about that, for example. That was recognized all the way down through the Middle Ages,
including when the teaching on this reached the papal level.
What’s happened is subsequent to the discovery of the New World, it’s been recognized there are more people who are not Catholic through no fault of their own than was previously realized. So if you read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this is a round paragraph 846 or so. I don’t know that that’s the exact paragraph, but it’s around that. When it quotes this saying from the Church Fathers, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation,” it explicitly makes the point that this is not directed to those who are not Catholic through no fault of their own. So that’s how the phrase has historically been used. It would be a bit of a reinterpretation to interpret it to mean the body of Christ in general, because there is a truth to be captured there in reference to the visible institution. If you know Jesus Christ wants you to become a member of the visible institution of the Catholic Church, and you know he’s serious about that, and you say, “I’m not going to do that,” and you’re not a Catholic through your own fault, then that will jeopardize your salvation. So I wouldn’t suggest just reinterpreting this phrase, but understanding it in the correct sense that the Church has articulated.
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