“The view that membership in the visible church is requisite to salvation has no basis whatever in Scripture. When the Philippian jailer asked what he should do to be saved, Paul said only: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’ The apostle did not command him to join the church. However, when he did believe he was at once baptized (Acts (16:31-33). As soon as the Ethiopian enuch confessed Christ he likewise was baptized (Acts 8:36-38). So were all who were converted at Pentecost. Now according to Paul’s words, ‘By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body’ (I Corinthians 12:13), baptism signifies reception into the church. It is clear that in the days of the apostles it was [the] universal practice to receive believers into the visible church.

What could be more logical? He who believes in Christ is united with Christ. Faith binds him to Christ. He is a member of Christ’s body, the invisible church. But the visible church is but the outward manifestation of that body. Every member of the invisible church should as a matter of course be a member of the visible church.

Extremely significant in this connection is Acts 2:47 — ‘And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.’ Not only does the Lord Christ require of those who are saved that they unite with the church; He Himself joins them to the church. And the reference is unmistakably to the visible church.” — R.B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ (1966, 2006) [not yet available on LCP], pp. 111-112