Whether it’s a woman baking a cake, a contractor building a house, a lawyer arguing a case, or boys playing marbles, we have to go by the rules. There are rules, patterns, recipes, or blueprints for nearly everything constructive we do. This is accepted as normal and right. It is the expected thing.

In fact, life would bog us down if we didn’t have standards to live by. The wheels of industry would stop without the formulae and standards of manufacturing practice. Commerce and trade would cease if we didn’t have laws, treaties, and monetary standards. The courts of law would close if there were no legal precedents or judicial regulations. There could be no games, businesses, municipal organizations, and very little else if we did not have recognized and duly constituted authority by which these things could function.

And there must be authority in religion as well. Conflicts in religion arise from different sources of authority. There must be the divine standard to which we can appeal in deciding our religious activities.

God has given us that standard or rule of religion in the commands of His Son. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day asked Him – “By what authority doest thou these things?” Matthew 21:23. God’s answer for all time was: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” Matthew 17:5. God gave Christ all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus, by this authority, said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20.

The commands of Christ, therefore, are the authority in religion. His Word alone must be the eternal criterion of faith. The apostles of Christ recorded His will in the form of the New Testament; its pages contain the commands of the Master. Paul writes, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13.

The revealed will of God must be our sole authority in religion. We must not add to, or subtract from , the divine revelation. 2 John 9. We will be judged by the things that are written in this book. Our Lord plainly says, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48.

Only one book in the world, the Bible, can teach us accurately and fully about this widely misunderstood subject, the church. To clearly understand the church, one must first clearly understand two principles relating to the church.

The first principle is that Jesus Christ, and not man, was the builder, founder, head and foundation of the church. (Matthew 16:28, Ephesians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 3:11)

The second principle to understand is that the word ‘church’ means “the called out” – referring to those individuals who have been called out of the world through the gospel and have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. (Acts 2:47; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18, 19)

The church is therefore the spiritual domain made possible, or purchased, by the blood of Christ. (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) The relationship is also described as the spiritual body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18, 24) and also as the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 12:28) hence, we may fairly conclude that:

• Jesus Christ is the Head of His church.
• Jesus Christ is the Saviour of His spiritual body.
• Jesus Christ is the King of his kingdom.

All three of these spiritual institutions – the church, the body, and the kingdom – are one and the same. They refer to the very same spiritual realm or relationship wherein Jesus Christ saves. Christ does not save outside of His church, outside of His spiritual body, or outside of His kingdom.

When a person is baptized “into Christ” (Romans 6:3), he is at the same time baptized into the church of Christ (Acts 2:23-41), the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The kingdom of Christ (John 3:3-5). These are not three different organizations, but simply three different designations of the same spiritual fellowship in which Christ saves.

Therefore, all – not a few, or some, or many – persons who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ are, without any choice in the matter, members of Christ’s church or body or kingdom.

When these basic Bible teachings are comprehended, men will no longer teach or imply that the church is unnecessary to a person’s salvation. It is true that Christ – and not the church – is the Saviour, but – and this is equally true – the church is that very spiritual body or kingdom that Christ will ultimately save (1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 5:27). The church does not save, It is the body of the saved.

Yes, the church is inseparably linked with Christ, the blood of Christ, and man’s salvation. Christ’s precious blood was shed in order that individual souls might have remission of their sins through acceptance of and obedience to Christ’s will (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 5:8, 9). The Bible teaches that the church was “purchased” by the blood of the Lord (Acts 20:28) inasmuch as all individuals redeemed by Christ constitute the church.

Does, then, one have to be a member of Christ’s church or spiritual body or kingdom to be saved? While man will say “no” through misunderstanding, the Word of God teaches plainly that the church is that spiritual body which Christ will save (Ephesians 5:23). It necessarily follows that if a person wants to be a part of the spiritual body which Christ will save, he must, therefore, be a member of Christ’s church.