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There are significant differences between Catholics and Protestants. Despite attempts to find common ground, the distinctions persist and are as crucial today as during the Protestant Reformation. Here is a brief summary of some key variances:
One major contrast between Catholicism and Protestantism is the matter of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Protestants hold that the Bible alone is God’s special revelation to humanity, providing all necessary guidance for salvation from sin. They consider the Bible the standard for evaluating Christian conduct, a principle known as “sola scriptura,” one of the “five solas” stemming from the Protestant Reformation.
Various Bible verses affirm its authority and sufficiency for matters of faith and practice. For instance, 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Catholics reject sola scriptura, asserting that the Bible alone is inadequate. They uphold both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally obligatory for Christians. Many Catholic doctrines, like purgatory, saint intercession, and Mary’s veneration, lack scriptural support and rely solely on Catholic traditions.The Roman Catholic Church’s insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
Another disagreement between Catholicism and Protestantism is over the office and authority of the Pope. According to Catholicism, the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ” (a vicar is a substitute) and represents Jesus as the head of the Church. As such, the Pope has the ability to speak ex cathedra (literally, “from the chair,” that is, with authority on matters of faith and practice). His pronouncements made from the seat of authority are infallible and binding upon all Christians. On the other hand, Protestants believe that no human being is infallible and that Christ alone is the Head of the Church. Catholics rely on apostolic succession as a way of establishing the Pope’s authority. Protestants believe that the church’s authority comes not from apostolic succession but from the Word of God. Catholicism teaches that only the Catholic Church can properly interpret the Bible, but Protestants believe that the Bible teaches God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all born-again believers, enabling all believers to understand the message of the Bible (John 14:16-17, 26;1 John 2:27).
A third major difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is how one is saved. Another of the five solas of the Reformation is sola fide (“faith alone”), which affirms the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, Catholics teach that the Christian must rely on faith plus “meritorious works” in order to be saved. Essential to the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation are the Seven Sacraments, which are baptism., Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Protestants believe that, based on faith in Christ alone, believers are justified by God. All their sins are paid for by Christ on the cross, and His righteousness is imputed to them. On the other hand, Catholics believe that Christ’s righteousness is imparted to the believer by “grace through faith,” but that alone is not sufficient for justification. The believer must complement the righteousness of Christ imparted to them with meritorious works.
Catholics and Protestants also differ on the concept of justification before God. For Catholics, justification entails being made righteous and holy. They hold that faith in Christ is just the starting point of salvation, and individuals must supplement it with good works because eternal salvation through God’s grace must be earned. This perspective on justification contradicts the explicit teachings of Scripture in passages like Romans 4:1–12 and Titus 3:3–7. Protestants distinguish between the singular act of justification (when believers are declared righteous by God based on faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross) and the process of sanctification (the ongoing development of righteousness throughout their earthly lives). While Protestants acknowledge the importance of works, they view them as the outcome or result of salvation—never the means to it. Catholics merge justification and sanctification into a continuous process, causing confusion about the path to salvation.
A fourth significant difference between Catholics and Protestants pertains to the afterlife. Both groups affirm that unbelievers will face eternal damnation in hell, but they diverge on the fate of believers. Drawing from their church traditions and reliance on non-canonical books, Catholics have formulated the doctrine of purgatory. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, purgatory is described as a “place or condition of temporal
Punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions” (Hanna, E., “Purgatory,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 12. Robert Appleton Company, 1911). On the other hand, Protestants believe that we are justified by faith in Christ alone and that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us; therefore, when we die, we will go straight to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-10 and Philippians 1:23).
One disturbing aspect about the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is the belief that man can and must pay for his own sins. This results in a low view of the sufficiency and efficiency of Christ’s atonement on the cross. Simply put, the Roman Catholic view of salvation implies that Christ’s atonement on the cross was insufficient payment for the sins of those who believe in Him and that even a believer must pay for his own sins, either through acts of penance or time in purgatory. Yet the Bible teaches that it is Christ’s death alone that can satisfy or propitiate God’s wrath against sinners (Romans 3:25;Hebrews 2:17;1 John 2:2;1 John 4:10). Our works of righteousness cannot add to what Christ has already accomplished.
The differences between Catholicism and evangelical Protestants are important and significant. Paul wrote Galatians to combat the Judaizers (Jews who said that Gentile Christians had to obey the Old Testament Law to be saved). Like the Judaizers, Catholics make human works necessary for one to be justified by God, and they end up with a completely different gospel.
It is our prayer that God will open the eyes of those who are putting their faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is our hope that everyone will understand tThat “works of righteousness” cannot justify or sanctify a person «But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. », (Isaiah 64:6). We pray that all will put their faith solely in Christ and the fact that we are “justified freely by [God’s] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:24-25). God saves us, “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7).
