Faith ALONE?

 Question:
         IF BY GRACE man is saved "through faith" and " not of works," as Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8-9, then why does man still need to become a member of the Church of Christ in order for him to be saved? Doesn't a person need only to have faith?

Answer:
         The following is written in Ephesians 2:8-9;
         "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (NKJV)
         Please take note that Apostle Paul did not say, " by grace you have been saved through faith ONLY." To conclude that man can be saved by just having faith grossly contradicts the teachings of the Bible. As a proof, Apostle James taught,"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only"(Js. 2:24, NKJV). Clearly, man needs to couple the true faith with works in order for him to receive salvation.
          In Ephesians 2:8-9, Apostle Paul indicated that there are works or deeds that can not bring about one's salvation. In another translation of this verse, the works that Apostle Paul was referring to are those that have resulted solely from one's efforts (Eph. 2:8-9 TEV) . In other words, these are the works that are done according to man's will or the "good deeds of our own"(Titus 3:5, REB).
          On the other hand, the works that are truly good, according to Apostle Paul are those that are based on God's will, for He Himself "prepared before hand that we should walk in them"(Eph 2:10, NKJV). From the very beginning, God willed "to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head"(Eph 1:9-10,TEV). In order for man to fulfill God's will or carry out this good work, man must belong to that which has Christ as its head, and this is none another than the Church that is body of Christ.(Eph. 5:22-23,NKJV).
          According to Acts 20:28 Lamsa, the Church that belongs to Christ is the Church of Christ, which He purchased or redeemd by His own blood. Because Christ redeemed His Church, the members have been justified and by the grace of God are assured of salvation (Rom 3:24; 5:8-9, NKJV)
         Therefore, having faith is not enough in order for man to be saved; man must couple his faith with works in accordance to God's will and one of these is to join the Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Source: PASUGO (God's Messge) October 2002, vol.54, #10