I am one day behind in reading the First Epistle of John. Still, I want to meditate more on the topic of "salvation outside the Church" in the light of 1 John.
In the 1960's, the Catholic Church went through a transformation by convoking the Second Vatican Council. Some 2500 bishops from all over the world attended to kick off this reformation. The Catholic Church had to proclaim the gospel to the modern world. She needed to enter into dialogue with the pluralistic environment in which she was living. However, she was burdened with the dogma which claims that outside the Church, there is no salvation. She needed to refashion this exclusive chain because God's salvation is meant for the whole world.
and he (Jesus) is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
Jesus has opened up the possibility for all mankind to receive God's salvation. This mission is left to the Church he set up on the Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is to accompany her to accomplish this mission.
In the 1960's, the Catholic Church went through a transformation by convoking the Second Vatican Council. Some 2500 bishops from all over the world attended to kick off this reformation. The Catholic Church had to proclaim the gospel to the modern world. She needed to enter into dialogue with the pluralistic environment in which she was living. However, she was burdened with the dogma which claims that outside the Church, there is no salvation. She needed to refashion this exclusive chain because God's salvation is meant for the whole world.
and he (Jesus) is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
Jesus has opened up the possibility for all mankind to receive God's salvation. This mission is left to the Church he set up on the Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is to accompany her to accomplish this mission.
When John wrote his epistles, there was no hierarchical Church as it is today. There were only communities of believers. The boundary was fluid. It was through the behaviour of the individual members that decided who was in and who was out. Therefore, membership was determined by "knowing Jesus". Of course, the Jewish conception of "knowing somebody" was more than intellectual. It involved actions. "Knowing Jesus" was only a summary way to express the complexity of becoming a follower of Jesus.
And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments (1 John 2:3).
Therefore, keeping Jesus' commandments was the first criterion of membership. In the gospels, we are able to find the teachings and thus commandments of Jesus. Inheriting the Jewish tradition, keeping the 10 Commandments was the initial step. For example, when the rich young man wanted to follow Jesus, the first condition Jesus put forth was the 10 Commandments (Mark 10:19). When a teacher of the law challenged Jesus' knowledge of the Torah, Jesus quoted him the famous Greatest Commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. This is a summary of all the 613 laws in the Torah. As such, Jesus did not come to change the law, but to affirm and fulfill it. Lastly, in the Last Supper, Jesus gave a new commandment.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).
This new commandment is more demanding than the Torah. Previously, in the Beatitude in Matthew 5-7, Jesus had already reset a higher standard than that stipulated in the 10 Commandments. Now, near the end of his ministry on earth during the Last Supper, Jesus set an even higher standard. It is more than loving your neighbour as yourself because to be the disciples of Jesus, we have to love as Jesus has loved. To love ourselves, we love our life. But to love as Jesus has loved, we have to be ready to forsake our life for the love of our neighbour!
And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments (1 John 2:3).
Therefore, keeping Jesus' commandments was the first criterion of membership. In the gospels, we are able to find the teachings and thus commandments of Jesus. Inheriting the Jewish tradition, keeping the 10 Commandments was the initial step. For example, when the rich young man wanted to follow Jesus, the first condition Jesus put forth was the 10 Commandments (Mark 10:19). When a teacher of the law challenged Jesus' knowledge of the Torah, Jesus quoted him the famous Greatest Commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. This is a summary of all the 613 laws in the Torah. As such, Jesus did not come to change the law, but to affirm and fulfill it. Lastly, in the Last Supper, Jesus gave a new commandment.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).
This new commandment is more demanding than the Torah. Previously, in the Beatitude in Matthew 5-7, Jesus had already reset a higher standard than that stipulated in the 10 Commandments. Now, near the end of his ministry on earth during the Last Supper, Jesus set an even higher standard. It is more than loving your neighbour as yourself because to be the disciples of Jesus, we have to love as Jesus has loved. To love ourselves, we love our life. But to love as Jesus has loved, we have to be ready to forsake our life for the love of our neighbour!
That was why when John wrote his epistle, he said that he was not writing them a new commandment.
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard (1 John 2:5-7).
It was nothing new because disciples ought to follow the footsteps of Jesus, to walk in the same way in which Jesus walked, all the way from Galilee to Mount Calvary. On his way, Jesus preached the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. He reached out to the disadvantaged and the abandoned with compassion. He healed their illnesses and freed them from the demons. He challenged the rigidity of ritual observations and the abusive authority of the powerful. At last, he lay down his life to free all mankind from the bondage of sins. He taught with words and actions.
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard (1 John 2:5-7).
It was nothing new because disciples ought to follow the footsteps of Jesus, to walk in the same way in which Jesus walked, all the way from Galilee to Mount Calvary. On his way, Jesus preached the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. He reached out to the disadvantaged and the abandoned with compassion. He healed their illnesses and freed them from the demons. He challenged the rigidity of ritual observations and the abusive authority of the powerful. At last, he lay down his life to free all mankind from the bondage of sins. He taught with words and actions.
If membership is determined by how we behave, as long as we do what Jesus has told us to do, we abide in him.
In Matthew 25, Jesus has set us a "syllabus" of six actions. Salvation is attained by fulfilling these six.
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' (Matthew 25:34-36)
Jesus did not require us to be baptized, He did not ask us to attend Sunday mass. He gave non-Christians all the opportunities to attain eternal life by feeding the hungry, satisfying the thirsty, welcoming the homeless, guarding the dignity of men, attending to the sick and siding with the imprisoned. These can be achieved by all, Christians and non-Christians alike. Therefore, there is no doubt about salvation outside the Church. So, what is the advantage of becoming a Christian? I will leave this for tomorrow or later.
In Matthew 25, Jesus has set us a "syllabus" of six actions. Salvation is attained by fulfilling these six.
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' (Matthew 25:34-36)
Jesus did not require us to be baptized, He did not ask us to attend Sunday mass. He gave non-Christians all the opportunities to attain eternal life by feeding the hungry, satisfying the thirsty, welcoming the homeless, guarding the dignity of men, attending to the sick and siding with the imprisoned. These can be achieved by all, Christians and non-Christians alike. Therefore, there is no doubt about salvation outside the Church. So, what is the advantage of becoming a Christian? I will leave this for tomorrow or later.
Dear Lord, to follow Your footsteps, we have to preach the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. May Your Holy Spirit continue to guide us and empower to fulfill our duties. Amen.
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