Can not being in the correct denomination cause someone to not be saved?

Brother Del · 2025-11-20T00:01:22-0600

I understand the reason for the question. But in the grander scheme of things, denominations are inventions of men. Christ did indeed establish a church, but His church had nothing at all to do with buildings are creeds, least of all cults or denominations.

When Christ returns will He find faith? That's what He's looking for, and not a statement of faith, but true faith expressed through obedience to His many commandments, the greatest of which is love.

RandyPNW · 2025-11-20T01:56:19-0600

JohnB445 said:
this has worried me, do I need to be a Catholic to be saved, or a Protestant? Or does the denomination have nothing to do with it?

Denominations are just a variety of traditions that Christianity has assumed, due to the fact Christianity has penetrated different regions and different cultures. And sometimes Christianity is in decline and needs new movements to reinvigorate what has fallen.

So there are many denominations. Some denominations are in worse condition overall than others. But there may be good local churches in weak denominations. Or, there may be weak congregations in strong denominations.

Salvation is your relationship with Christ. Is his word in your heart, and are you following it day in and day out? Do you know what unconditional love is? Are you willing to maintain love in the face of attack? Are you willing to share the Gospel with those open to it?

Salvation is simply when Christ has "come into your heart," making you aware of your choice for him by the indwelling of his word within your conscience. You know you'r saved when your nature is being changed into the likeness of Christ, albeit imperfectly.

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2025-11-21T10:05:49-0600

chevyontheriver said:
There is quite a good explanation of the necessity to follow conscience in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1776 to 1785.

Start here: Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText

Here is what you sent...

MORAL CONSCIENCE

1776 "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths."47

This is quite different than the decision-making you described. One would presume that the moral compas points in the same direction for everyone, especially if it reflects the voice of God in a man's secret core. Why would one person "know" the Lutherans get it right and Methodists get it wrong and another person "know" Catholics get it right and Lutherans get it wrong if they both are following the same moral compas that is informed by God?

The answer is that the truth matters. God reveals the truth to people. When they trust what He says, that is called faith. When they do not believe what He says, that is called unbelief. In Christianity, faith is rewarded but unbelief is not rewarded. So, if a person believes that the Lutherans get it right, but God tells them otherwise, then following their belief against what God told them is not rewarded.

timothyu · 2025-11-21T10:30:48-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
So, if a person believes that the Lutherans get it right, but God tells them otherwise, then following their belief against what God told them is not rewarded.

That applies to Christianity (the institution) in general.

chevyontheriver · 2025-11-21T10:51:35-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
Here is what you sent...

MORAL CONSCIENCE

1776 "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths."47

This is quite different than the decision-making you described. One would presume that the moral compas points in the same direction for everyone, especially if it reflects the voice of God in a man's secret core. Why would one person "know" the Lutherans get it right and Methodists get it wrong and another person "know" Catholics get it right and Lutherans get it wrong if they both are following the same moral compas that is informed by God?

The answer is that the truth matters. God reveals the truth to people. When they trust what He says, that is called faith. When they do not believe what He says, that is called unbelief. In Christianity, faith is rewarded but unbelief is not rewarded. So, if a person believes that the Lutherans get it right, but God tells them otherwise, then following their belief against what God told them is not rewarded.

What you said would be true if humans were perfectly able to comprehend moral truths. But we aren’t. Our understandings are darkened by sin. We may try but we miss the mark. Which is why informing one’s conscience is so important. If God tells you something it is your duty to inform your conscience of it. Conscience is not infallible. Some people have deformed their consciences over time. They excuse small sins in themselves until their consciences no longer warn that they are sinning.

Our consciences are not equal. They are ideally informed by God. But we inform them sometimes with junk. So it is no surprise that one person feels his conscience say ‘A’ and another says ‘Not A’. The care and feeding of one’s conscience is critical.

BobRyan · 2025-11-21T10:53:52-0600

Fervent said:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Amen.

Fracturing, splinterig was never God's plan for the church, even though we see it in the NT and Paul outright predicts it in Acts 20.

26 Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

BobRyan · 2025-11-21T11:03:24-0600

chevyontheriver said:
First, God does not have to save anybody. You cannot compel God. Everything is only by the benevolent grace of God. Unearned. God shouldn't necessarily save you but God graciously does, not by you compelling Him. We can claim God should save us, as I alluded to in my earlier post, but it's a claim that has zero substance.

It has substance once God takes a position on that subject.

2 Peter 3 "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance"
John 3:16 "God so loved the WORLD that He gave..." not "God so loved just a few people".
1 John 2:2 "Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for our sins only , but for the sins of the whole world"

and yet in Matt 7 the "many are on the wide road to destruction" only the FEW enter heaven.

chevyontheriver said:
Second, acting in bad conscience, knowing something to be true but not following it out of convenience, is damnable. Follow an informed conscience. Follow it even if it is not perfectly formed.

Truth matters. People who err might be saved, at God's pleasure. People who act in bad conscience I think would be far worse off. Being convinced you are in the wrong church but staying there for the sake of the opinion of your parents or your job would be damnable. You know the truth but you just don't have the courage to follow it. That's convenience over truth. That's a Protestant minister who won't become Catholic because she's got a nice pastoral position and she has no path to becoming a Catholic priest. She should do it anyway. That's a Catholic priest who no longer believes what the Church teaches on faith and morals. Staying and pretending is reprehensible. Truth matters but following one's conscience matters more. Inform your conscience, trust God, and follow your conscience. Don't stay out of convenience.

Informing your conscience is key here. That differs from just conveniently accepting something you read once on the internet. Most of us are happy with our status quo and studiously avoid anything that might rock the boat. We should be able to figure out where we are in error but we just don't want to get all unsettled. Informing one's conscience is to take risks and learn things. Sometimes they are true and compelling things. Follow them. THAT is how following truth and following what we believe to be true actually converge.

timothyu · 2025-11-21T11:08:21-0600

chevyontheriver said:
Our consciences are not equal. They are ideally informed by God. But we inform them sometimes with junk. So it is no surprise that one person feels his conscience say ‘A’ and another says ‘Not A’. The care and feeding of one’s conscience is critical.

In today's world, let alone in history, we have a perfect example of how narcissism can taint good intentions.

timothyu · 2025-11-21T11:10:06-0600

BobRyan said:
Fracturing, splinterig was never God's plan for the church, even though we see it in the NT and Paul outright predicts it in Acts 20.

Of course. Every human puts their self-interest first which gives us 8 billion paths. Much simpler to do as God said and put His will first.

chevyontheriver · 2025-11-21T13:35:21-0600

timothyu said:
In today's world, let alone in history, we have a perfect example of how narcissism can taint good intentions.

Conscience is not ‘good intentions’ but we are all capable of deforming our consciences over time.

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Can not being in the correct denomination cause someone to not be saved?

Brother Del

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