Which Church Saves?

"Must we become Protestants in order to be saved?"
          "Not at all, I wouldn't waste my time trying to convert you to Protestantism."

"Do you believe that either the Roman Catholic or the Greek Orthodox Church can save?"

"Certainly not."

"I am a Roman Catholic and my friend here is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, neither of which you say can save."

"That is Correct."
 

"And you - you are a Protestant. Do you want us to turn Protestant?"
"I do not. I have never asked any Catholic, Greek or Roman, to turn Protestant."

"You haven't? I don't understand. You believe that Protestantism can save, do you not?"
"No, I do not."

"You don't? I am amazed. What then?"
"Protestantism has no more power to save than has Catholicism, my friends."

"Then how can a man be saved? There are only the three great Christian churches, are there not?"
"I repeat, neither the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, or the Protestant Church can in any way save your souls."

"But!"
"Wait a minute. No church can save, but JESUS CHRIST can."

"Jesus?"
"Yes, you are saved not by the church, either Catholic or Protestant, but by a Person - the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son."
"So you see that it would do no good for you to become Protestants, for there are millions of Protestants who are not saved, who have professed to embrace Christianity, but have never accepted the Christ of Christianity."

"Is that why we have not found Peace? Is there no peace in Catholicism?"
"No, friend, and none in Protestantism either. Peace is only found in Jesus. Religion cannot save, but Christ can."

 "Are you sure of this?"
"Absolutely, and I shall quote the Bible as proof: Neither is there salvation in any other (Protestant or Catholic): for there is none other name (Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved' (Acts 4:12). 'Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he (not the Catholic priest nor the Protestant minister, but He - Jesus Christ) shall save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1: 21)."

  "What then, must we do?"
"'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, ' for 'as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God' (Acts 16: 31 and John 1: 12), is further proof in the Word of God."

"And will He receive us?"
"Listen to what He says: 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out' (John 6: 37)."

"Thank God!"
"Yes, my friend, thank God, indeed, for He loves you. He died for you. He bore your sins in His own body on the cross. And now He offers you salvation. Why not accept Him, trust His atoning death; believe His promise and rely wholly on Him, for He will have mercy and abundantly pardon."

"We will, right now! We thought we were saved because we were good church members. But you have opened our eyes, and we see now that Jesus is the only Savior."
"And you now accept Him as your Savior?"

"We do! Yes, we do!"

Oswald J. Smith, Litt.D