In researching both of their
doctrines, I have found that the Protestant doctrine compares most with the
Biblical doctrine of salvation, whereas, the Catholic’s set of guidelines do
not. My information, in this page,
comes from various authors’ perspectives, my own observations, and the Holy
Bible. I have found the following
results:
The
denomination of Christianity called Protestant have been preaching and
practicing since the days of John the Baptist.
In addition, they are said to be bound together by faith as brothers and
sisters in Christ (Mead p.54).
Protestant’s
believe the following principles of faith:
The inspiration and trustworthiness of the Bible as the sole rule of
life; the Lordship of Jesus Christ; the ability for any person to approach God
for themselves; the granting of salvation through faith by way of grace and
contact with the Holy Spirit; two ordinances-the Lord's Supper and the baptism
of believers by being immersed in water; the church as a group of believers in
Christ who are baptized upon confession of faith; complete separation of church
and state; infant baptism as unscriptural and not to be practiced; life after
death; the royal law of God; the need of redemption from sin; and the ultimate
triumph of God's kingdom (Mead p.54).
Another sect of Christianity comes
from the Roman Catholic Church. These
Catholics differ from Protestants because of the way in which they believe and
also what they believe. The Roman
Catholic Church has faith in seven sacraments.
The Catholic
sacraments are as follows:
Baptism (necessary for church membership and
is done by pouring water or by immersion); confirmation
(laying on of hands by the bishop or the priest); Eucharist (receiving bread and wine and through this process, the
actually body and blood of Jesus Christ are considered to be present in the
elements at this time); reconciliation
(any sins after baptism are forgiven);
anointing of the sick (is for the seriously ill, injured, or aged); holy orders (is for the ordination of
deacons, priests, and bishops); marriage
(cannot be remarried after divorce).
Also, Catholic members are required to attend Mass on Sundays and on
holy days, abstain from eating meat on Friday (Lent), confess their sins to the
priest at least once a year, and receive the Holy Eucharist every Easter season
(Mead p.270).
Through extensive research I have
found that there are many differences in the beliefs of Protestants and Roman
Catholics. As a result of these
variations, I have persistently searched through scripture determined to find
the truth between these two contrasts of faith. All of my answers to these dissimilar viewpoints come from the
Holy Bible. These variations are as
follows:
According to the Holy Bible, salvation
into Heaven may only be received through God’s grace (Romans 5:15-17, 6:23; 1
Corinthians 15:10). The Bible claims
that salvation is a gift from God and may only be obtained through faith, not
by good works. However, in accepting
the Catholic doctrine, you are also choosing to believe a person must earn his
spot in Heaven through good works. This
idea of salvation goes against the teachings of Protestants and also against
the instructions of Jesus Christ in his word, the Bible.
Another difference is that Catholics
worship idols and Protestants do not.
This form of idolatry opposes the scripture found in Exodus 20:4-5,
which states that bowing and kneeling to any carved image and making carved
images for worship are forbidden. Also,
1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us to flee from false idols. However, Roman Catholics continue to kneel
before the statue of St. Peter and kiss his big toe, and pray to the Virgin
Mary. Roman Catholic priests would
argue that the pope, statues, and Mary are not worshipped because they simply
substitute words; such as, honor and adoration for the word worship.
In addition, the Roman Catholic Church
teaches the “immaculate conception,” which says that the virgin Mary was born
without sin. However, scripture informs
us that this teaching is false. In
Romans 3:23, it tells us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.” Furthermore, scripture warns us
that if we say there is no sin in us, then we are deceiving ourselves and
refusing to admit the truth (Romans 3:9-20).
Moreover,
both Baptists and Catholics believe in Heaven and Hell, but Catholicism adds
one more dimension to these places of spiritual living: purgatory, which is an
intermediate state where Christians go who are not good enough to go to Heaven
nor bad enough to go to Hell. Catholics
say that purgatory is an essential act of spiritual cleansing before sinner’s
can be accepted into Heaven. This
concept of purgatory is not scriptural and is disproved by the Apostle Paul in
2 Corinthians 5:8. In this passage,
Paul instructs us when believers in Christ die, they immediately go to Heaven;
he never mentions anything about purgatory.
Moreover, the Bible informs us that after a person trusts in Jesus
Christ, he receives the gift of eternal life in Heaven. The Protestants believe in this gift of
eternal life through faith; although, the Catholics do not. Roman Catholicism teaches that further
purification of sin, through purgatory and good works, is required to get to
Heaven. However, Isaiah 64:6 tells us
that all of our self-righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight.
The
Roman Catholic Church also teaches that salvation in Heaven ultimately depends
on ourselves. Catholics say that
salvation is earned by obedience to the law of the church; for example, regular
attendance at mass, rosary prayers, and receiving the Eucharist. In this system, God only forgives those who
try to change their sins for the better through penance (sacramental ceremonies
and confession to a priest).
Based
on my research, I believe that the Protestant Church does a better job at
explaining faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. I accept the doctrine of the Protestant
Church as being true because it is identical with the teachings of the
Bible. For the Protestant, I recommend
constantly pursuing your faith because when your life ends, your going to need
it. For the Catholic, I would challenge
you to ask yourself this question… Should I trust my place in Heaven to a
church that denies the Biblical doctrine of salvation? You decide for yourself.
Bibliography
Gendron,
Mike, Roman Catholicism. Plano, TX:
Proclaiming the Gospel, 1996.
Mead S.
Frank revised by Hill S. Samuel, Handbook
of Denominations in the United States.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.
The
Holy Bible, New International Version.