Answering a question like this one is difficult because there are a number of significant differences between these three theological systems. My goal here isn’t to offer an exhaustive list of differences, but to show some general distinctions. Hopefully this explanation will clarify things.
If you have any specific questions, or would like more detail on a certain area, please feel free to let me know.
Let me start with the most general description, and then work my way down to some details. In general, Catholicism is traditional, liturgical, and highly structured. Evangelical Christianity is a reformed, more casual, and more independent in structure. Mormonism is a more unified, organized cult of Christianity.
Let me start by explaining Mormonism. I described Mormonism as a cult of Christianity. A cult of Christianity is generally characterized by three main things:
1. Making additions or subtractions to the Bible. Teaching that is inconsistent with the clear teaching of the Bible. – In the case of the Mormons they have the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, which are additions to the Bible.
2. Following the teaching of a charismatic man. In this case the majority of Mormonism is built from the teaching of Joseph Smith.
3. Highly legalistic, secretive, or controlling behaviors.
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Source: "Unmasking The Cults" by Alan Gomes.
Mormonism offers a way of salvation that is largely based on good works, your connection to the church, and your service. Its teachings differ most significantly from Christianity in the following areas:
Understanding of what God is like
Understanding of who Jesus Christ is
Understanding of the work of Christ
Understanding of the way of salvation
Understanding of the Bible
Because of these differences it would not be accurate to identify Mormonism as a branch of Christianity or a denomination of Christianity, but a cult of Christianity. As such most Catholics and Evangelical Christians would consider Mormonism a false religion.
Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity have more in common, but still have some significant differences. I’ll compare and contrast these two theological systems based on two criteria; authority and salvation
First, Catholicism is built upon three kinds of authority; 1. The Bible, 2. The Magistrate(Pope & other leaders) and 3. Tradition. Each of these legs carries equal weight and importance. They would claim that they all work together to form the orthodox teaching of The Church.
While they hold primarily to the teaching of the 66 books of the Bible, the Catholic Church also recognizes Apocryphal writings. These are writings that were supposedly written during the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and during the time after Christ. These books were not recognizes as scripture by the early church, by early Christians, or by evangelical Christianity.
The Magistrate of the Church holds just as much authority as the Bible. Catholics believe that the Pope is the human representative or spokesman for Jesus Christ. This representative authority was passed down through history starting with the Apostle Peter, who is said to have been the first Pope.
When the Pope speaks “ex cathedra”, or “from the seat”, his ruling is completely binding and authoritative. It’s just as if Christ spoke Himself. Some of the “ex cathedra” ruling of the Pope have been things like forbidding birth control and forbidding priests to be married.
The third leg of authority in the Catholic Church is tradition. The traditions of the early church fathers, early church practices, and early church doctrines are given a high degree of authority. The weight of tradition is equal to scripture, and the magistrate.
By contrast, Evangelical Christianity would only recognize the Bible as authoritative and infallible. The Bible alone is the Word of God and the Bible alone is our guide for knowing God and living for God.
Christian leadership is still very important to Evangelicals. It is still important to have pastors and leaders who have studied the Bible and who can teach and preach from the Bible. However, the teaching of any pastor is always subject to scrutiny by the Bible itself. Every believer has the ability to read and study the Bible for themselves.
Evangelicals also view tradition as an important part of Christianity. There are great men who have gone before us that have helped to defend and define the boundaries of orthodox faith. Studying Christian history has great value and importance. But the ultimate authority always lies in the Scripture.
So one of the major differences between Catholicism and Evangelicalism is in our understanding of authority. But there are also some important distinctions in our understanding of the nature of salvation.
Both the Catholic and the Evangelical believe that salvation is by grace. But the definition of grace and the means of accessing this grace are very different. Both Catholics and Evangelicals hold to the importance of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, but the way in which we access the work of Christ is very different in the two systems.
In the Catholic Church grace is found through the sacraments. A sacrament is defined simply as a “means of grace”. It is a way in which we humans gain access to God’s saving grace. The Catholic Church has 7 sacraments, communion, matrimony, baptism, confirmation, penance, last rites, and holy orders.
A person receives God’s grace by performing these various rites. These sacraments are in place to wash away our sin, atone for our guilt, and make us right before God. The historic teaching of the Catholic Church is that those who do not undergo baptism, penance, and communion won’t get into heaven, or at the very least, will have to spend significant time working off their sin in purgatory.
In contrast, Evangelicalism sees the Grace of God as a free gift, accessed simply by faith. In order to be made right in God’s sight a person simply has to put their faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ. No other external rite or work is required for salvation.
This view of salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone was the key teaching in the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a Catholic teacher, was reading through the book of Romans and discovered that Paul was teaching that salvation was not found in good works, the Law, or sacraments, but simply through faith.
Catholics and Evangelicals differ in their understanding of how justification and sanctification work. Justification is the process of being made right with God. It is where God forgives our sins, restores our relationship with Him, and gives us a new heart. Catholics believe that this happens through the sacraments. Baptism washes away original sin and through penance we work off the guilt for any subsequent sins.
So in Catholicism justification requires us to work off our sin. The more sin you have, the harder you will need to work. Justification can be lost depending on your sinful actions. Justification is a life-long process of atoning for your own sin.
Evangelical Christianity believes that justification is accomplished for us by the work of Christ on the Cross. Justification is not something that we work for, but something that is freely given. The way we access it is merely by faith. When we believe that Jesus Christ is God and that He died to save us, and rose from the dead to give us new life, all our sins are forgiven.
Evangelicals believed that justification happens all at once. All our sins are atoned for, past, present, and future. All our guilt is erased. This is all accomplished by Jesus Christ for us. It can never be lost, never be taken away, and never reversed because of sin. Justification is not a work, but a gift.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So in the Evangelical Church baptism, communion, prayer, and other good works are not there to save, but to sanctify. Justification is where God makes us right in His sight, sanctification is the process where God begins to clean us up. It is the process of building a healthy relationship with our savior. It is doing good things, obeying God, and rejecting sin so that we can grow in our relationship with Him, not because we have to do those things to stay saved.
This is such an important distinction between the two systems. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is such a fundamental tenant of evangelicalism.
Both Catholics and Evangelicals see Jesus Christ as the ultimate source of our salvation. They both view Christ as fully God. They both believe that faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is essential. Ultimately we both ground our salvation in the work of Christ.
The differences come in the extent of the work of Christ on the cross. Evangelicals believe that Christ paid our penalty in full, He completely atoned for our sin, He totally removed the guilt of sin. Access to the work of Christ come by faith.
Catholics believe that Jesus atoning work comes through faith plus our own work of atonement. It’s what He did plus what we do that saves us.
Because of these major differences in the understanding of how salvation is attained there are many evangelicals who believe that Catholicism is just another cult of Christianity, or at least an errant form of Christianity. Some would claim that it has become more about rituals and rites than about a relationship with God.
Catholicism, just like Evangelicalism, has many different forms. There are those who hold fast to everything that Rome teaches, and those who don’t buy in to the whole package. There are those who only practice because of family history or tradition, and those who truly love God.
In my experience, many Catholics firmly believe that their salvation is found in Jesus Christ. They believe that He is God; they believe that He died for them and rose from the dead. They believe that the Bible is true and reveals God to them. They are less interested in keeping all the rules, and more interested in a relationship with God.
Because of this I personally am inclined to believe that many Catholics are in fact saved and sealed by God. Even though I also believe that they add a bunch of unnecessary rites and sacraments to their religious practice. At their core they believe in Jesus Christ as their savior, and that is the heart of Christianity.
The Apostle Paul spends a lot of time writing about the danger and futility of works based religion. For a better understanding of this read through the book of Romans for yourself.
There is a lot more that could be said about the similarities and differences between these religious systems. Hopefully this “brief” explanation will help. If you have any further questions or comments feel free to share them.
Next Week- Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?
If you have any specific questions, or would like more detail on a certain area, please feel free to let me know.
Let me start with the most general description, and then work my way down to some details. In general, Catholicism is traditional, liturgical, and highly structured. Evangelical Christianity is a reformed, more casual, and more independent in structure. Mormonism is a more unified, organized cult of Christianity.
Let me start by explaining Mormonism. I described Mormonism as a cult of Christianity. A cult of Christianity is generally characterized by three main things:
1. Making additions or subtractions to the Bible. Teaching that is inconsistent with the clear teaching of the Bible. – In the case of the Mormons they have the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price, which are additions to the Bible.
2. Following the teaching of a charismatic man. In this case the majority of Mormonism is built from the teaching of Joseph Smith.
3. Highly legalistic, secretive, or controlling behaviors.
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Source: "Unmasking The Cults" by Alan Gomes.
Mormonism offers a way of salvation that is largely based on good works, your connection to the church, and your service. Its teachings differ most significantly from Christianity in the following areas:
Understanding of what God is like
Understanding of who Jesus Christ is
Understanding of the work of Christ
Understanding of the way of salvation
Understanding of the Bible
Because of these differences it would not be accurate to identify Mormonism as a branch of Christianity or a denomination of Christianity, but a cult of Christianity. As such most Catholics and Evangelical Christians would consider Mormonism a false religion.
Catholicism and Evangelical Christianity have more in common, but still have some significant differences. I’ll compare and contrast these two theological systems based on two criteria; authority and salvation
First, Catholicism is built upon three kinds of authority; 1. The Bible, 2. The Magistrate(Pope & other leaders) and 3. Tradition. Each of these legs carries equal weight and importance. They would claim that they all work together to form the orthodox teaching of The Church.
While they hold primarily to the teaching of the 66 books of the Bible, the Catholic Church also recognizes Apocryphal writings. These are writings that were supposedly written during the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and during the time after Christ. These books were not recognizes as scripture by the early church, by early Christians, or by evangelical Christianity.
The Magistrate of the Church holds just as much authority as the Bible. Catholics believe that the Pope is the human representative or spokesman for Jesus Christ. This representative authority was passed down through history starting with the Apostle Peter, who is said to have been the first Pope.
When the Pope speaks “ex cathedra”, or “from the seat”, his ruling is completely binding and authoritative. It’s just as if Christ spoke Himself. Some of the “ex cathedra” ruling of the Pope have been things like forbidding birth control and forbidding priests to be married.
The third leg of authority in the Catholic Church is tradition. The traditions of the early church fathers, early church practices, and early church doctrines are given a high degree of authority. The weight of tradition is equal to scripture, and the magistrate.
By contrast, Evangelical Christianity would only recognize the Bible as authoritative and infallible. The Bible alone is the Word of God and the Bible alone is our guide for knowing God and living for God.
Christian leadership is still very important to Evangelicals. It is still important to have pastors and leaders who have studied the Bible and who can teach and preach from the Bible. However, the teaching of any pastor is always subject to scrutiny by the Bible itself. Every believer has the ability to read and study the Bible for themselves.
Evangelicals also view tradition as an important part of Christianity. There are great men who have gone before us that have helped to defend and define the boundaries of orthodox faith. Studying Christian history has great value and importance. But the ultimate authority always lies in the Scripture.
So one of the major differences between Catholicism and Evangelicalism is in our understanding of authority. But there are also some important distinctions in our understanding of the nature of salvation.
Both the Catholic and the Evangelical believe that salvation is by grace. But the definition of grace and the means of accessing this grace are very different. Both Catholics and Evangelicals hold to the importance of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, but the way in which we access the work of Christ is very different in the two systems.
In the Catholic Church grace is found through the sacraments. A sacrament is defined simply as a “means of grace”. It is a way in which we humans gain access to God’s saving grace. The Catholic Church has 7 sacraments, communion, matrimony, baptism, confirmation, penance, last rites, and holy orders.
A person receives God’s grace by performing these various rites. These sacraments are in place to wash away our sin, atone for our guilt, and make us right before God. The historic teaching of the Catholic Church is that those who do not undergo baptism, penance, and communion won’t get into heaven, or at the very least, will have to spend significant time working off their sin in purgatory.
In contrast, Evangelicalism sees the Grace of God as a free gift, accessed simply by faith. In order to be made right in God’s sight a person simply has to put their faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ. No other external rite or work is required for salvation.
This view of salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone was the key teaching in the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a Catholic teacher, was reading through the book of Romans and discovered that Paul was teaching that salvation was not found in good works, the Law, or sacraments, but simply through faith.
Catholics and Evangelicals differ in their understanding of how justification and sanctification work. Justification is the process of being made right with God. It is where God forgives our sins, restores our relationship with Him, and gives us a new heart. Catholics believe that this happens through the sacraments. Baptism washes away original sin and through penance we work off the guilt for any subsequent sins.
So in Catholicism justification requires us to work off our sin. The more sin you have, the harder you will need to work. Justification can be lost depending on your sinful actions. Justification is a life-long process of atoning for your own sin.
Evangelical Christianity believes that justification is accomplished for us by the work of Christ on the Cross. Justification is not something that we work for, but something that is freely given. The way we access it is merely by faith. When we believe that Jesus Christ is God and that He died to save us, and rose from the dead to give us new life, all our sins are forgiven.
Evangelicals believed that justification happens all at once. All our sins are atoned for, past, present, and future. All our guilt is erased. This is all accomplished by Jesus Christ for us. It can never be lost, never be taken away, and never reversed because of sin. Justification is not a work, but a gift.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So in the Evangelical Church baptism, communion, prayer, and other good works are not there to save, but to sanctify. Justification is where God makes us right in His sight, sanctification is the process where God begins to clean us up. It is the process of building a healthy relationship with our savior. It is doing good things, obeying God, and rejecting sin so that we can grow in our relationship with Him, not because we have to do those things to stay saved.
This is such an important distinction between the two systems. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is such a fundamental tenant of evangelicalism.
Both Catholics and Evangelicals see Jesus Christ as the ultimate source of our salvation. They both view Christ as fully God. They both believe that faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is essential. Ultimately we both ground our salvation in the work of Christ.
The differences come in the extent of the work of Christ on the cross. Evangelicals believe that Christ paid our penalty in full, He completely atoned for our sin, He totally removed the guilt of sin. Access to the work of Christ come by faith.
Catholics believe that Jesus atoning work comes through faith plus our own work of atonement. It’s what He did plus what we do that saves us.
Because of these major differences in the understanding of how salvation is attained there are many evangelicals who believe that Catholicism is just another cult of Christianity, or at least an errant form of Christianity. Some would claim that it has become more about rituals and rites than about a relationship with God.
Catholicism, just like Evangelicalism, has many different forms. There are those who hold fast to everything that Rome teaches, and those who don’t buy in to the whole package. There are those who only practice because of family history or tradition, and those who truly love God.
In my experience, many Catholics firmly believe that their salvation is found in Jesus Christ. They believe that He is God; they believe that He died for them and rose from the dead. They believe that the Bible is true and reveals God to them. They are less interested in keeping all the rules, and more interested in a relationship with God.
Because of this I personally am inclined to believe that many Catholics are in fact saved and sealed by God. Even though I also believe that they add a bunch of unnecessary rites and sacraments to their religious practice. At their core they believe in Jesus Christ as their savior, and that is the heart of Christianity.
The Apostle Paul spends a lot of time writing about the danger and futility of works based religion. For a better understanding of this read through the book of Romans for yourself.
There is a lot more that could be said about the similarities and differences between these religious systems. Hopefully this “brief” explanation will help. If you have any further questions or comments feel free to share them.
Next Week- Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?
3 comments:
Thank you Pastor Andy for listing and showing the general distinctions between these three theological systems. I have made several copies to send to friends & relatives whom I know will appreciate having Bibical clarity carefully & thoughtfully outlined here by You. I will never again say, well,I just don't get it :-)
God Bless You,
Faith
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