With a Subtitle: Drawing the line between Shared Beliefs and Critical Differences

A brief Excerpt: A Biblical Christian analysis of Roman Catholicism examining shared beliefs, key theological differences, and the critical issue of salvation by grace through faith.

The Author is: Jeff Hilles

I recently read an article from a longtime associate that listed a number of very positive attributes of the Roman Catholic Church. It included discussion on Catholic charitable giving, support of hospitals and universities, and the promotion of human rights. I would add that Catholic theology shares many beliefs with Biblical Christianity, including the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, the reality and historicity of sin, our final judgment and eternal life, and general moral teachings.

However, there are significant differences between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity as well. These include the sole authority of Scripture and its content, salvation by faith alone, the view of Mary and the saints, purgatory, the miraculous nature of the Eucharist, oversight of the Pope and, at times, his infallibility, and the potential for continuing revelations.

The issue that prompted a private correspondence with my associate on his writings stemmed from his focus on the positive aspects of Catholicism, without acknowledging the more impactful differences between our theology. I think the discussion has a broad appeal for all Biblical Christians as we weigh our priorities in “keeping the main thing, the main thing,” with grace and love for each other and the lost.

Below is a sanitized version of our exchange…

My First Response to His Article

JEFF: Let me begin by saying that I believe there are many “saved” Catholics … but the one thing missing from your review of Catholicism is their view of salvation, which is a false doctrine. Since Mormons and other religions also have many positive attributes on this earth (performing the second half of Luke 10:27) … the watershed issue is the question of works-based vs. grace-based eternal life. Our time here is a mist that disappears in the morning (James 4:14), but our life after the grave is for eternity, and, therefore, it is crucial to understand what it takes to get to Heaven vs. Hell. Below is just one article I have written on Catholicism over the years. Following that is a source of truth I have trusted for many years that presents my view more clearly.

Below is “Thomas’s” response and my (Jeff’s) follow-up.

THOMAS: Thanks for your note. I may be wrong (please tell me if I am), but I suspect we may share more in common than one might suspect.

JEFF: Likely true, as you signed our Core Statement of Faith some time ago.

THOMAS: I’m with you in not agreeing with all of Catholic doctrine. Perhaps I should mention first that my intent in writing the series on Christian unity is to highlight what can bring Christians together. And part of that for me is recognizing the true, noble, and good aspects in other traditions (like Catholicism).

JEFF: I think that is a worthy goal, but it is interesting timing … I am teaching a Bible study that landed on 2 John last night. The background involves Gnostics who infected the church by promoting theology contrary to the teachings of Christ. Here are two interesting verses …

2 John 9-10 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.

As we try to accommodate other religions, the question is, how far should we go in that effort? After all, the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord and love our neighbor (Luke 10:27), even to the point of loving our enemies (1 John 4:7-8, Matthew 5:44).

So where is the middle ground? Where we landed last night was the difference between those who are lost in a false religion vs. those who are preaching a false religion. This is why I offered above the recognition that there are many Catholics who are saved, but the core doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church is works-based, and it has other heretical views.

The greatest heresy in any false denomination is its view of salvation, as eternity should be the focus (treasures in Heaven vs. Earth). And so, any time one compares the positives of a religion, in my view, is sending people to Hell by their core doctrine … All good theology that aligns with Biblical Christianity must be weighed in light of that eternal condition. This, in addition to the fact that if their belief system is not salvific (saving), those who think they are saved under traditional Catholicism do not have the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Finally, if one accepts that there are only two religions, one that worships God and the other that supports Satan, the positives of a false religion are relatively insignificant.

THOMAS: Highlighting doctrinal differences can also be important, but that’s not what I’m after here. In a couple of weeks I’ll publish something on some of the positives from Protestantism, highlighting the lasting legacy of the essential emphasis on faith and grace.

JEFF: I have authored articles discussing the positive aspects of Catholicism, just as I have written on the positives of Mormonism (strong social network, etc.). But in publishing any of those articles, I always balance the places we agree with the places we don’t. I resist only expressing the positives because a reader may never see the article that expresses the eternal negatives. What if a seeker read your article knowing that you were a born-again Biblical Christian expressing only positive aspects of Catholicism and never read a companion article that raised caution regarding a works-based salvation?

THOMAS: I think we also both agree with Ephesians 2:8-9 as the foundation of salvation. We are incapable of saving ourselves. There is no way apart from the grace of God. And we receive this gift of grace through faith.

JEFF: Absolutely agree.

THOMAS: In terms of differences between us, I think one place may be how we each define works-based vs. grace-based eternal life.

JEFF: Perhaps.

THOMAS: While I certainly don’t agree with all of it, the Catholic article you link to in your own article makes some points that I think can be overlooked by some Protestant traditions. That article points to James’s reminder that even the demons believe.

JEFF: This gets into a topic I often cover … Head knowledge vs. Heart knowledge. I will use myself as an example. I came to Christ over the course of a year, and by June/July of 1989, I acknowledged (to myself) that intellectually I knew the Bible was true, in particular the miracle of the resurrection. Despite being aware of the truth in my mind, I was unable to receive salvation due to my heart’s resistance. On August 15, 1989, I went to a park, sat on a large rock, bowed my head, and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins and to become my Savior and Lord. Between July and August, in my opinion, if I had died, I would have gone to Hell, just as the demons in James 2:19 know who God is but refuse to accept Him as their Master.

THOMAS: Calvin taught that we’re justified by faith alone … but also that faith never comes alone. True faith comes with fruit … or good works. The fruit/works don’t produce justification but are evidence of saving faith.

JEFF: This is a second topic I land on frequently. In my view false religions (with exceptions like atheism) place faith AND works in front of salvation. Biblical Christianity is the only religion (if one can call it that) that applies Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 10:9, placing God’s grace and our faith in Jesus Christ as the only prerequisite for salvation. Then James 2:26 reminds us that part of the evidence of our salvation is works. In my view, salvation is an event, and the works are part of the process that follows, called sanctification. So yes, as you said, the works “is evidence of a saving faith.” This, however, is not the view of Roman Catholicism as offered by my article on the subject (one example of many) and the link I provided to GotQuestions.org.

THOMAS: That’s where I think some Catholic doctrine can actually be helpful for some people. When I consider my own need for a Savior and source of salvation, I am fully Protestant. When I consider what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10-11, I find less support in many Protestant traditions. Those verses don’t seem as emphasized as the previous two, even though they’re part of Paul’s thinking. The “good works” he refers to are also beyond our control. God prepared them for us! But they are for us to walk in. We can achieve this not through our own efforts, but through the Spirit, who, through grace, is transforming us into Christ’s likeness.

JEFF: Just as I do not use the word “Christian” very often, I am careful of the times I use “Protestant.” In my opinion, these terms are meaningless, as they are tied to both saving and non-saving theology. I use the term “Biblical Christian” and reference our Core Statement of Faith to try to qualify the primary points of theology that the Lord is looking for in His children. Ephesians 2:10-11 are less emphasized because they are not defining what it means to spend this life and the one to come with God. These verses (10-11) are a call to the born-again believer to be sanctified because we are God’s ambassadors in a fallen world. Of course, they do have notoriety in themselves for those who believe in the predestination of some of our works during the sanctification process.

THOMAS: I respect you and your ministry a great deal, and I’d love to get more of your perspective if you’re willing to share. In short, my view is that I do not agree with the Catholic view of salvation. I also think it provides a helpful reminder that faith is active and not just what I believe in my head. That is a lesson I spent a lot of my life ignoring, very much to my detriment, as it led me to overlook the importance of actively living out my faith rather than merely holding beliefs in my mind.

JEFF: I guess my point is that if one “does not agree with the Catholic view of salvation,” the next question is, how important is it to make that clear when offering aspects of that false teaching that align with a Biblical Christian worldview? I think we should be at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18), but we should also offer God’s truth for clarification. And, to your concluding point, faith is a verb (i.e., active) and referenced in verses such as James 1:22, Matthew 5:16, Colossians 2:6, and 1 John 3:18. Further, as you said, faith does not reside in our head but in our heart (note my testimony above on that point).

THOMAS: Thanks for caring enough to reach out. I sincerely appreciate it.

JEFF: You’re welcome. Glad to do it, and you will likely see this again in a post (your name is obviously removed), as I think it is a great example of how we need to support those instances where we agree (with other faith traditions) in areas like abortion or homosexuality, morality, and social concerns, for example. But we should not allow ourselves to see only the places we agree without also being keenly aware of the places we disagree. That is really the bottom-line point I am trying to make in all this.

Your work on social platforms is a unique approach to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. A true blessing to both Biblical Christians and seekers in the faith. I know the Lord is smiling down on you as you represent Him. I guess it comes down to always keeping the main thing the main thing: Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2) and how to get to Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9).