OUR DIFFERENCES WITH ROMAN CATHOLICISM (PART 3)

-{Romans 5}

-On Wednesdays we have been looking at the excellence of the Christian faith by comparing it to other faiths that differ from ours. This allows us to dig deeper into our own theology, learn how to defend what we believe, and be better equipped to share the faith with others.

-A few weeks ago, I started contrasting our Evangelical Protestant beliefs with that of the Roman Catholic Church. While we often use similar language, there are some glaring differences between the two that it would be good for us to understand.

-I began this particular study looking at what each of the two believes is the ultimate authority for faith and practice and life. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the church is the ultimate authority as it is founded on both traditions that have been handed down through the centuries as well as Scripture. Evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, believe in what is called Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone. That means that the Bible alone is our authority for faith and practice, nothing added to it or taken away from it.

-Sola Scripture asserts that the Bible, as God's inspired Word, is the final, sufficient, and authoritative source for Christian faith and practice. This concept does not reject other authorities entirely, but places Scripture as the supreme authority that governs all others. The Bible is viewed as complete, true, and "God-breathed". Importantly, sola scriptura differs from nuda scriptura ("no creed but the Bible"), as it acknowledges the role of church traditions and officials, but subordinates them to Scripture.

-Because of these different authorities that the churches hold to, they then teach different things about theological subjects, although they often use the same terminology, but with their own twists to them. This includes the important subject of salvation, more specifically how one is justified before God.

-What I mean by the term? In general, it concerns how someone is declared to be right before God. We know that we are wrong before God because of sin. (To use modern slang) how do you get right with God? A more theological definition:

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine Explanation and Scriptural Basis

Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight.

-So, how do you get there? How do you stand righteous and be declared righteous? This is where there is some differentiation between the official Roman Catholic Doctrine and Evangelical Protestants. We Baptists teach that justification is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We believe that is what Scripture (our final authority) teaches. So, let’s look at Romans 5:

Romans 5:1–2 LSB

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

-One would think that these verses are pretty straight forward. The believer is justified (declared righteous and given a righteous standing) by faith. But here’s the thing, Roman Catholics and Protestants believe different things about faith. There are nuances to the words that are used. When we talk about faith, we mean to have faith and trust in Jesus Christ, His work on the cross, His resurrection. On the other hand, when Roman Catholics talk about faith, they talk about believing in and accepting Roman Catholic doctrine, which as we will see over the course of our study includes a more works-based salvation. Or, to put it in the term we’ve been using, they think we are justified by works.

-But we believe that Romans 5 says that when you place saving faith in Jesus Christ, you are declared righteous, given a righteous standing, given Christ’s righteousness before God. And when you are so born again, you have peace with God through Jesus Christ—you are no longer God’s enemy, you are His child. And as v. 2 makes clear, this comes from the grace of God—God’s unmerited favor. The only standing we have with God is through His grace. That is the only boast of hope that we have.

-But with the Roman Catholics, justification is more than grace through faith—it is something earned and worked for. One might say that it is a process. I will explain why we differ with this process bit by bit, but tonight I want to concentrate at what we might call the beginning of the process, and that is baptism. Roman Catholics do believe that one must be baptized in order to go to heaven. We might say that they hold to a form of Baptismal Regeneration—or that baptism regenerates someone to make them save-able.

-Now, they are not the only religion or denomination that believes that baptism is necessary for salvation. For example, the Church of Christ views baptism as a necessary step in the process of spiritual regeneration. Other denominations (like some Lutherans, Anglicans, Disciples of Christ) view baptism as a means of grace—meaning a means of receiving grace from God, advancing in grace, or something similar to that.

-So, as I contrast our view with the Roman Catholic view, I am also contrasting it with these other denominations as well, because we do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation—baptism does nothing to add to your standing with God.

-So, to summarize our view, we believe that baptism is a symbolic ordinance for believers, not a sacrament that imparts grace. We believe in what is called believer’s baptism, meaning that baptism is reserved for those who have consciously professed faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That is why we do not baptize infants because they could not have repented and believed in Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism is to be by immersion because that is the literal meaning of the word and that is what is demonstrated for us in Scripture.

-We believe that baptism is symbolically significant in several different ways. First, it is a public declaration of faith in Christ. Second, it is a symbol of the believer’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Third, it is an act of obedience to Christ’s command, because according to the Great Commission we make disciples including baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And finally, it is a symbol of the covenant that we have through Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection ratified the new covenant of God for those who believe.

-The Roman Catholic Church believes something different. In order to understand their stance, I need to touch upon another theological concept, and that is the idea of original sin. While most Christian denominations believe in a form of original sin, they hold to different nuances of the concept. We all know that Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden messed up the human race and introduced sin, but there is a differing of opinion on exactly what is passed down to their descendants.

-Roman Catholics (and several other denominations) believe that original sin is an inherited guilt received from Adam and Eve. Meaning that every human born is already guilty before God, and therefore that guilt needs to be taken care of immediately—hence the need for baptism which we will get to in a second. On the other hand, we hold more to the idea that Adam and Eve’s sin definitely had a severe impact on all of humanity, but it is more to the effect that humans inherit a nature and environment that is inclined to sin. Their guilt is not passed along, but their corruption is passed along.

-{From this you can see why when you speak with people from other religions or even denominations that it is important to define your terms. You might speak with someone and they believe in the need for justification, but what they mean by justification and what you mean are two totally different things. Or you both agree that there is original sin, but you mean something different by it.}

-But this does lead to the Roman Catholic view of baptism. They believe that babies are born with the guilt of Adam already upon them, and something needs to be done about that guilt ASAP. They do believe that Christ’s death does something about the guilt, but how do people receive the credit for what Christ did in order to clear up that guilt? According to Roman Catholic doctrine, an infant receives the benefits of Christ’s death through baptism which they call a sacrament—to them a sacrament is a sacred sign and symbol, instituted by Christ, through which divine grace is given. And this concept of baptism is given through their Catechism, where it says:

Catechism of the Catholic Church Article 1: The Sacrament of Baptism

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit...), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.”

-According to James McCarthy they teach that through baptism a child is rescued from the power of Satan, freed from original sin, made innocent and stainless before God, born again, given the gift of divine life, made a partaker of eternal life, etc. Now, they do believe that when the child grows, that they can lose their salvation (lose their state of grace) through mortal sin (but that will be a discussion for another day). This is in contrast to what we believe, as summarized in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000:

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.

-Now, those who hold to Baptismal Regeneration believe that there is Scriptural warrant for their beliefs. However, it is usually based on a misinterpretation or misreading of those verses, and I want to touch upon some of those so that we are strengthened in what we believe and equipped to have the conversations with anyone whose background believes that baptism is necessary for salvation. So, for example, they will cite:

Mark 16:16 LSB

16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

-They say: Look, see, believe and be baptized will be saved. Right there. However, the second half of the verse clarifies the intended emphasis. Those who do not believe will be condemned. It does not say that those who are not baptized will be condemned. Or they’ll look to:

Acts 2:38 LSB

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

-And they’ll say: Look, be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. However, it is not baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the emphasis is on the repentance. It is repentance for the forgiveness of sin—faith is assumed because it is the other side of the coin. Repent and believe. As Jesus called in:

Mark 1:15 LSB

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

-We can further see what Peter meant just a few verses later in Acts:

Acts 2:41 LSB

41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

-The people received the word, meaning they repented and believed in Christ as Peter had preached in the gospel, thus they were saved. And then they were baptized. Peter, telling the Jews who had just recently crucified the Savior, that they could be saved if they repent and believe.

-And that is the truth for all people—not just Jews; not just church people; not just good people. Anybody who repents (turns from sin toward God) and believes in Jesus (not works, not baptism) is saved. All who call on the name of the Lord is saved. And any who preach a different gospel are anethema, but they could be saved if they repent and believe.

-So, we want to pray that all people will come to true beliefs...