Differences between Rome and Confessional Protestantism (handy reference chart)

[TriuneUnity]

I thought I would post this just for education purposes. Maybe some of the Orthodox brethren could chime in and give their position on these issues for clarification, too? Also, feel free to say whether any of this is inaccurate or needs further explaining.

Nature/Grace
Rome: Creation “participates in Being,” which is God. Grace
perfects nature. Creation per se is in need of grace.
Protestantism: Humans are only analogues to God. Grace renews fallen nature. Creation per se is good and was corrupted only by sin.

Authority
Rome: God is the source through the church by her living tradition and Scripture.
Protestantism: God is the source through the Scripture to the church so that the Scripture is read in and with the church but it alone is the norm for life and doctrine.

Hermeneutics
Rome: Scripture is old law (Moses) and new law (Christ).
Protestantism: All Scripture contains law (“do”) and gospel (“done”). The Reformed express the law/ gospel dichotomy in the covenants of works (law) and grace (gospel).

Sin
Rome: A fall from original grace and the result of the concupiscence natural to creatures. Sin created the need for more grace. The effects of sin do not prevent our cooperation with grace toward final justification.
Protestantism: A free, unnatural act of willful disobedience to God’s law. Sin results in depravity and inability to cooperate with grace.

Salvation
Rome: A grace given through the church enabling us to overcoming finitude and consequent sin.
Protestantism: Deliverance from sin, death, and the devil.

Merit
Rome: Condign (intrinsically worthy) merit is wrought within sinners by the Spirit and congruent merit is imputed graciously to sinners in view of their best efforts.
Protestantism: The condign merit of Christ’s obedience is imputed to sinners who have no intrinsic merits. There is no congruent merit.

Grace
Rome: A gift from the Holy Spirit, by which “he shares his divine life,” that is infused into sinners sanctifying them.
Protestantism: Free, unmerited or demerited divine favor toward sinners.

Justification
Rome: The process of being made intrinsically righteous through grace and cooperation with grace, occurring in two stages, initial and final. Initial justification is received at baptism. Final justification recognizes intrinsic righteousness which is the result of grace and cooperation with grace and occurs at the judgment.
Protestantism: A definitive divine declaration of forgiveness of sins and righteousness on the basis of Christ’s righteous obedience and death imputed to sinners. There is no distinction between initial and final justification.

Faith
Rome: A measure of sanctity, one of three virtues (the others being hope and love) created within the righteous. With hope and love it is gradually infused into the soul and exists partially in this life as the sinner cooperates with grace.
Protestantism: A grace whereby sinners are granted true knowledge of and trust in Christ the Savior, and are righteous, accepted, and saved by God for Christ’s sake. Faith’s virtue is not intrinsic but rests in Christ and his alien righteousness. It is the only instrument of justification.

Our Good Works
Rome: Necessary for justification.
Protestantism: Logically and morally necessary as fruit and evidence of justification, but not as the ground or instrument of justification.

 

[TriuneUnity]

Part 2 of this, continued from above

Free Will and Election
Rome: Free will is essential to salvation. Humans cannot be righteous without the exercise of free will in cooperation with grace. It is presumptuous to say with certainty that one is elect.
Protestantism: (Lutheran) God foreknows everything, but election applies only to believers. God hardens those who resist the Spirit.

(Reformed) God foreknows and predestines everything. In Christ, the elect are chosen for salvation but the reprobate are passed over. The grace of election is irresistible and produces true faith that trusts God’s promises in Christ.

Baptism
Rome: Provides initial justification and regeneration. By its act, grace necessarily operates on the sinner.
Protestantism: (Lutheran) The Holy Spirit is so related to baptism that it necessarily works forgiveness of sins, regeneration, and salvation to believers.

(Reformed) A sacrament (sign and seal) of inclusion in the covenant of grace whereby God promises salvation to those who believe.

Eucharist
Rome: By “transubstantiation” the elements become the body and blood of Christ. The transubstantiated victim is ritually and memorially sacrificed to turn away divine wrath for sin.
Protestantism: (Lutheran) At consecration the body and blood of Christ is in, with, and under the elements. Both believers and unbelievers receive the body and blood of Christ.

(Reformed) Christ is bodily at the right hand of the Father but, by the work of the Holy Spirit, truly and really communicates himself to believers through the Supper so that they receive the body and blood of Christ through faith.

Mary
Rome: Was redeemed at her sinless (immaculate) conception, was without sin and was assumed bodily, without death, into heaven where she reigns as queen of heaven, a recipient of prayer and adoration, interceding on behalf of believers.
Protestantism: Mary was blessed above all women, bore the God-Man in her womb, but was not conceived immaculately, nor assumed into heaven at death. Christ is our only priest and Mediator.

Saints
Rome: Intermediaries whose righteousness is stored in a treasury of merit accessible to sinners through the church and the proper recipients of prayer.
Protestantism: Fellow believers and valuable examples but neither intermediaries nor contributors to a treasury of merit.

Eschatology
Rome: At death, the elect enter a state of purification (purgatory) before glorification. Therefore, prayers on their behalf are proper.
Protestantism: At death, believers go to be with their Savior. Glorification is immediate, but they with believers and unbelievers on earth wait for the resurrection and judgment.

 

[sola_scriptura]

nice job … I think, however, there are some nuances within Protestantism (i.e. Arminian versus Reformed soteriology), which is worth mentioning. However, it’s probably sufficient to say that at this point there is little difference between Catholic & Arminian soteriology.

 

[TriuneUnity]

nice job … I think, however, there are some nuances within Protestantism (i.e. Arminian versus Reformed soteriology), which is worth mentioning. However, it’s probably sufficient to say that at this point there is little difference between Catholic & Arminian soteriology.

Correct. Also, it’s mainly dealing with the original confessional Protestants; Lutheran and Reformed. Since Arminianism arose in contradiction to Reformed theology a hundred years after the Reformation began, I wouldn’t consider them confessional Protestants.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

Part 2 of this, continued from above

Eucharist
Rome: By “transubstantiation” the elements become the body and blood of Christ. The transubstantiated victim is ritually and memorially sacrificed to turn away divine wrath for sin.
Protestantism: (Lutheran) At consecration the body and blood of Christ is in, with, and under the elements. Both believers and unbelievers receive the body and blood of Christ.

(Reformed) Christ is bodily at the right hand of the Father but, by the work of the Holy Spirit, truly and really communicates himself to believers through the Supper so that they receive the body and blood of Christ through faith.

Jesus is not ‘ritually sacrificed’ at mass. His eternal sacrifice is made present at mass. We can thus participate in his sacrifice and be made holy by receiving his body and blood. Through, with, and in him we offer all honor and glory to the Father.

Mary
Rome: Was redeemed at her sinless (immaculate) conception, was without sin and was assumed bodily, without death, into heaven where she reigns as queen of heaven, a recipient of prayer and adoration, interceding on behalf of believers.
Protestantism: Mary was blessed above all women, bore the God-Man in her womb, but was not conceived immaculately, nor assumed into heaven at death. Christ is our only priest and Mediator.

Whether or not Mary died before her body was taken to heaven has not been defined by the church.
.

 

[TriuneUnity]

Jesus is not ‘ritually sacrificed’ at mass. His eternal sacrifice is made present at mass. We can thus participate in his sacrifice and be made holy by receiving his body and blood. Through, with, and in him we offer all honor and glory to the Father.

Issue of semantics. It is still referred to as a sacrifice and takes place within the context of a ritual.

 

[ralphinal]

Issue of semantics. It is still referred to as a sacrifice and takes place within the context of a ritual.

Yes, but that is because it is a re-presentation of the Crucifixion.

By the way, yours is in a ritual, too

 

[TriuneUnity]

Yes, but that is because it is a re-presentation of the Crucifixion.

By the way, yours is in a ritual, too

Yes, it is. I don’t use the word “ritual” in a negative way here.

 

[ralphinal]

Yes, it is. I don’t use the word “ritual” in a negative way here.

I did not think that you did. However, in some Protestant Circles, ritual is the same as non-Christian. It should be pointed out that every faith used by man has some level of ritual and tradition, even if they do not want to admit it.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I did not think that you did. However, in some Protestant Circles, ritual is the same as non-Christian. It should be pointed out that every faith used by man has some level of ritual and tradition, even if they do not want to admit it.

Yes; jumping up and down and clapping while speaking in tongues in as much ritual as the liturgy of the hours.

 

[Reformed]

That was excellent and should help all of us share and communicate with each other more effectually. The only distinction that I would make is the word predestined is related to the destiny of individuals. Instead of predestined for other things, maybe providence is the better word in Reformed circles? I hope we all use these definitions in our discussions.

I think both Protestant and Roman Catholic communites believe that there are converted Christians in each communities. In additon, both Protestant and Roman Catholic communities believe that some in their own communities are not actually converted. If this is true, who becomes your true brothers and sisters in Christ, only those are are united to Christ (converted).

 

[sola_scriptura]

Yes; jumping up and down and clapping while speaking in tongues in as much ritual as the liturgy of the hours.

I’m trying to imagine jumping up & down while speaking in tongues … boy that takes coordination

Even better – jumping up & down, clapping, and speaking in tongues all at the same time. I guess I know why I’m reformed – I got no rhythm.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I’m trying to imagine jumping up & down while speaking in tongues … boy that takes coordination

Even better – jumping up & down, clapping, and speaking in tongues all at the same time. I guess I know why I’m reformed – I got no rhythm.

Amen. Lutherans and Calvinists are just not meant to be entertaining

 

[ralphinal]

Amen. Lutherans and Calvinists are just not meant to be entertaining

As if Catholics are…

Father Benedict Grochelle said it best: " it is not thou shalt be entertaned but thou shall keep holy the saboth."

 

[sola_scriptura]

I say we start a thread – whose church is the most boring … LOL!

 

[tGette]

Our Good Works
Rome: Necessary for justification.
Protestantism: Logically and morally necessary as fruit and evidence of justification, but not as the ground or instrument of justification.

The good works of all past Christians have made my/our salvation possible. It was them cooperating in the grace of God (doing good works) that caused them to preach the Gospel.

Yes, ultimately God’s grace does everything…God’s grace allows a person to commit murder.

When we cooperate with God’s saving grace our good works which come form that allow salvation to be possible for others.

So…yes…we are justified by good works, because if no one accepted the Gospel then there would be no salvation.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I say we start a thread – whose church is the most boring … LOL!

Hahaha! I’m thinking the Reformed Baptists might win that one, actually. At least most Presbyterian services have a recitation of some form of creed to liven it up lol

 

[tGette]

**Mary
**Rome: Was redeemed at her sinless (immaculate) conception, was without sin and was assumed bodily, without death, into heaven where she reigns as queen of heaven, a recipient of prayer and adoration, interceding on behalf of believers.
Protestantism: Mary was blessed above all women, bore the God-Man in her womb, but was not conceived immaculately, nor assumed into heaven at death. Christ is our only priest and Mediator.

I have a question on this:
When do most Protestants think the Church “made up” the belief in the immaculate conception?

I had to be before the year 600AD because Islam has the belief in the immaculate conception…and there is only one place they could have gotten that belief from.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I have a question on this:
When do most Protestants think the Church “made up” the belief in the immaculate conception?

I had to be before the year 600AD because Islam has the belief in the immaculate conception…and there is only one place they could have gotten that belief from.

Islam wouldn’t be a fair comparison because they deny original sin altogether.

I am not sure of an approximate time of when this belief appeared in church history. Many notable fathers taught it, however, notable fathers also taught that she sinned. Someone more knowledgeable than I would have to comment on a timeframe.

 

[ralphinal]

Islam wouldn’t be a fair comparison because they deny original sin altogether.

I am not sure of an approximate time of when this belief appeared in church history. Many notable fathers taught it, however, notable fathers also taught that she sinned. Someone more knowledgeable than I would have to comment on a timeframe.

I haven’t seen any fathers claiming that. I have seen it said that she was not immaculately conceived, but that tends to be because it was thought that the soul was not in place at conception but later. Many pull this out of context.