Why Study Roman Catholicism?

 

By Moses Flores

 

 

            In much of today’s Christianity, we are seeing an urgent plea for unity and peace amongst all Christians that is transcending denominational lines and boundaries, even reuniting congregations in what is believed to be a common cause of world evangelization.  Methodists are joining with Charismatics and non-denominational churches; Liberals and conservatives are teaming up; in short, ecumenical movements are abounding.  But even more astonishing, Protestants and Catholics are teaming up to face the moral degradation that is consuming our world today.  Doctrinal differences have been set aside in order to come together for social justice.  It would not be going too far to say that many Protestants and Catholics are not aware of what it was that even separated them in first place or even what reason there is to still remain divided.  Some attempts have even been made reunite Protestants and Catholics together as seen in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) meetings.  I think it is important to ask if there really are significant differences in beliefs between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. I believe that there are some very crucial differences that need to be examined in the light of God’s word.  For now it will suffice for me to offer several reasons why we, as Protestants who are Christian, should become familiar with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. 

 

1.  Ignorance of Beliefs

            The first reason has already been implied above.  It is because many are not aware of what it was that led to the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century, and are, therefore, ignorant of these crucial differences.  I think it is safe to say that most non-Roman Catholics believe that the only crucial differences about Roman Catholics and themselves is that Catholics worship Mary and have dealings with many different types of saints, light candles and say the Rosary many times.  Some non-Catholics [1] are not aware of the differences of how Rome teaches that one is saved and what their own church teaches, or even what the Bible teaches for that matter.  It’s amazing how Roman Catholics and Protestants can come together in fellowship on the basis that each of them believes that they are saved by the “grace of God” and by “faith in Jesus Christ” and yet those phrases are equivocated to have entirely different meanings.  For example, to the Roman Catholic, the “grace of God” means that work which God has gone before our justification which cannot be merited.  It is “God’s free initiative” [2002, The Catechism of the Catholic Church] to give salvation to all who will respond to it.  On the other hand, when a Protestants sees the term “grace” in the Bible, to them it is not only God’s “free initiative”, it is also doing for us what we cannot do.  It is God actually saving the sinner and not merely having an “initiative” to give “predisposing grace” so that sinners can possibly respond to God’s offer of the Gospel.  In Historical Protestantism, it is believed that the Grace of God actually saves and not merely makes a person savable. This is one of many differences that are left unchecked by many non-Catholics today.  There are many more, undoubtedly, that we should become familiar with.

 

2.  Proper representation of their respective theology

            Another reason - and this is more of an ethical reason - is that it is all too common that Protestants create straw man arguments against Roman Catholicism, and thereby, misrepresent what Roman Catholics do in fact believe.  This has led to several errors when it comes to apologetics such as the ever common, ad hominem, or personal attack on the character of the Catholic rather than examining their arguments.  To the Catholic this can have the effect, since they are being misrepresented, to believe that Protestants are ignorant about their beliefs and persecuting them for their faith, of which Jesus said his followers would be.  I believe that this can lead them to strengthen their current persuasion of Roman Catholicism and drive them deeper into their own faith.  From the perspective of the Protestant, skewing, or misrepresenting the Roman Catholic can give them an advantage when it comes time to actually explain what they happen to believe.  It is a known fact that Protestants have converted to Roman Catholicism.  The question that we have to ask is why?  For the most part, it is because those Protestants have had a false concept of what Roman Catholics believe and why they do the things that they do, and when a friend who is Catholic actually explains what it is that they believe and they use scriptures to defend their beliefs about the Papacy, and Sacred Tradition and other beliefs, the Protestant is forced to admit ignorance of Roman Catholicism and because they are not informed, they are unable to give a response and, for the most part, in between a rock and hard place to go on believing what they have before about their own faith and the newly acquired true knowledge of Roman Catholicism.

 

3.  To clear up confusion of differences in theology

 

            Many non-Catholic groups that believe themselves to be firmly against Roman Catholicism are, in fact, not very far from it at all.  It’s amazing how many Evangelical, especially Charismatic, churches closely resemble the theology of Roman Catholicism.  For instance, I went to visit a non-denominational church a few months ago to discuss some issues in regards to the atonement of Christ with one of their members who invited me to attend.  During the service, I couldn’t help but hear the pastor tell people to come to the altar if they had committed certain sins and had, therefore, “lost their salvation” in so doing them, in order that they may get it back.  Upon inquiring what the pastor of this church meant, I was told that “there are big sins – like adultery – and there are little sins that God doesn’t care about –like cussing.  When a person commits a ‘big one’ then he has lost his salvation and must get it back.  But saying a little cuss word isn’t that as bad as committing adultery or getting drunk (paraphrase).”  

            Immediately what came to my mind was the Roman Catholic distinction of “mortal sins” and “venial sins” (Mortal sins being those sins which “destroy charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God…” CCC [1855] and venial sins being those sins which “allow charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” CCC [1855]).  Also, them coming up to the “altar” in order to offer the sacrifices of “confession” and “repentance” seemed too close to resemble the Roman Catholic necessary sacraments of “penance” and “confession.”  Upon their explanation of what it was that they believed, I did not hesitate to point out to them the similarities of their theology and the Roman Catholic Church.  Naturally, they responded by saying that they were aware of what it was that Rome taught and that they were firmly against it.  When we finally got to talking about the atonement and its sufficiency for salvation, it was interesting that they were quick to tell me that even though Christ “paid for our sins” on the Cross, whenever we commit more sins, especially “big ones”, we must be quick to “re-apply” the atonement to ourselves.  The implication is that the atonement of Christ only covers our past sins at the moment of salvation, but any sins committed after we are saved must be expiated by other means. 

            This is confusion!  I do not believe myself to be wrong if I were to say that many other churches like this one are nothing more than a “de-Marianized form of Roman Catholicism.”  I believe it is necessary to know exactly what Roman Catholicism teaches that we may be able to recognize its teachings where ever they may appear and through whatever structure.  The inability to recognize teachings that are foreign to the Word of God can be disastrous as we would be blaspheming against God and His glorious Gospel.

 

4.                   There is only one Gospel

 

            It is the testimony of the Bible that there is only one true and correct Gospel of Jesus Christ that saves (Galatians 1:6,7).  The dichotomy, then, that is set up is this:  Either one is believing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ or one is not believing in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

            Historically, two opposing sides believe to have the true Gospel: The Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism.  Each side believes that they are equally familiar with the teachings of the Bible and uphold to them faithfully.  Now, it would be presumptuous to dismiss either side without having examined each side in light of the scriptures.  Therefore it is of utmost importance that we give diligent attention to each side.  At stake is nothing less than our eternal salvation.

 

[1] I hesitate to call “non-Catholics”  by the name “Protestant” here for the simple reason that many non-Catholic groups are no longer protesting against the Roman Catholic Church as the Reformers were.  The Historical Protestant principles of Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Christo, Sola Gratia and Soli Deo Gloria are not widely upheld, therefore, I do not believe it right to label all non-Catholic groups as “Protestant”.