846. How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
Aprofunde seus conhecimentos
284. Does the breaking of the bread divide Christ?
562. How is Christian prayer Marian?
286. What kind of worship is due to the sacrament of the Eucharist?
163. How are non-Catholic Christians to be considered?
334. Is it necessary to be celibate to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders?
594. Why do we say “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”?
595. How is forgiveness possible?
Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:
What can we learn about divine wrath and protection of the righteous from the book of Nahum?
What are the story and life lessons drawn from the Ascension of Solomon in 1 Kings 1-2?
What does the Bible teach us about asserting personal identity within a loving relationship?
What is the main message of Jonah’s story and how does it reveal God’s grace?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the sanctification of the Christian?
What does it mean to be a new creature in Christ, as described in 2 Corinthians 5:17?
