How do we know that the church is essential for Christians?

The church is vital for Christians because it is the institution through which the message of salvation is declared to the world. According to Ephesians 2:19, believers are no longer strangers but fellow citizens with the saints; we belong to the household of God. Here lies the only hope of mankind—that through the preached word within the church, souls are awakened to salvation (Romans 10:14-17). The Lord adds to His church those who are ordained for eternal life (Acts 2:47), underscoring its necessity in God’s divine plan for redemption.