Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus

[HisChildForever]

I know there are a few interpretations of this doctrine, but how is the strict interpretation in line with Romans 10:9-10 -

 

 

For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For, with the heart, we believe unto justice: but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

 

 

Granted the Gospel was written before the birth of Protestantism, but we can clearly apply the above verse to all Christians, no?

 

Furthermore, even if you take EENS off the table, the verse doesn't mention baptism for salvation...it seems more like a baptism of the heart kind of thing. Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The chapter then goes on to discuss the necessity of preachers to spread the Gospel and those who come to believe and don't come to believe.

 

How do we reconcile this with Catholic teaching? Especially since this verse seems to imply that you're "saved," like it's a once-and-for-all deal that can't be lost.

Edited January 8, 2013 by HisChildForever

[Fidei Defensor]

I think there is a strong case to be made that the verse must be interpreted in context—that is, yes, the verse is true, but its not the end-all-be-all of how to obtain salvation.  

[Era Might]

The book of Romans also uses Abraham as a model of faith. Abraham had to first believe in the call he had received, but unless he saw the call through, how would he arrive at the promise? Part of the "context" that tardis refers to is St. Paul's contrast between circumcision and faith. To say that salvation comes by faith is to say that salvation is open to everyone, not just to the children of Abraham (that is, those who believe in Christ are the true children of Abraham).

 

See also 1Peter 3:18-22:

 

[quote]For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.[/quote]

Edited January 8, 2013 by Era Might