Roman Catholic Issues

There are many issue that divide Lutherans and Romans Catholics, but the doctrine of justification and the role of good works in salvation is the key issue. Regarding justification, the Lutheran Reformation taught, based on Scripture (Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1; Galatians 2:16, 2:21; Philippians 3:9), that God imputes the righteousness of Christ to the sinner who, by faith receives the benefits. Rome teaches the infusion of the righteousness of Christ at Baptism as a deposit that must bring forth good works that are necessary for salvation. The  Council of Trent (1545-1563), meeting to deal with the issues of the Reformation, flatly rejected the truth of justification by faith without the works of the Law and condemned those who believed it. Canon XI of Trent states: "If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favor of God; let him be anathema." (anathema means one who is cursed by ecclesiastical authority)

In 1999, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification made headlines. The document was created and agreed to by the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation. As a result of extensive ecumenical dialogue, the document states that the churches now share "a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ.”

Agreement between Rome and Lutherans over the doctrine of justification, the doctrine by which the church stands or falls, as Luther put it, is not possible since there are two totally different systems whereby a sinner becomes righteous before God. While both Lutherans and Catholics will say that we are “saved by grace through faith,” the terms are defined differently. For Lutherans, grace is the undeserved favor of God who sent Jesus into the world to bear our sins in exchange for His perfect righteousness. We are righteous before God because of the forgiveness of our sins and perfect righteousness of Christ not because of any inherent righteousness or good works on our part that gain Divine merit. For Rome, grace is infused (gratia infusa) into the person at Baptism as an investment which produces good works that merit salvation if the person remains joined to the church, free of mortal sin, and participates in the Sacraments. Faith means to trust the merits of Christ, in addition to the merits of the Virgin Mary and the saint in heaven. The process whereby the person become holy before a holy God is completed in purgatory.    

The primary difficulty that arises when discussing issues with Romans Catholics is the issue of authority and the source of truth. No meaningful discussion can take place if each party begins with a different understanding of the source of truth.  Lutherans teach all truth is derived from Scripture Alone. Rome teaches that Scripture plus sacred tradition, church councils, and Pope are the source of truth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church #88 states: "The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these."

To prove their point, Romans Catholics quote 1 Timothy 3:15: “But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” By “church” they mean the Church’s Magisterium (Pope, Councils, etc.) while the Apostle Paul is referring to the fellowship of God’s people (Gk: ekklesia – the called out people of God) who gather around the Word of God which is the “ground of truth.” For Rome, the “Church” is the priests, cardinal and Pope which exists apart from the people. Luther taught the “priesthood of all believers” and defined the Church as the people gathering around Word and Sacrament.

Within Romans Catholicism there is a development of dogma, that which must be believed. Lutherans believe revelation ceased with the Scripture and there are no new truths that will emerge and must be believed. According to a Wikipedia article regarding Rome: "However, new dogmata can be declared through the ages. For instance, the 20th century witnessed the introduction of the dogma of Assumption of Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1950. However, these beliefs were already held in some form or another within the Church before their elevation to the dogmatic level. And a movement to declare a fifth Marian dogma for Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix is underway." Dogma cannot be changed and that is a DOGMA. Therefore, Rome does not nor cannot change.

Is the Pope the Anti-Christ? Luther stated:: "It is eminently true that all who preach human doctrine make a human being into a light, lead the people away from this light to themselves, and put themselves in the place of this true light, as the pope and his followers have done. For this reason, he is also the “Anti-Christ”; he is against this true light.” Luther, M. (1999, c1974). Luther's Works, Sermons II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Vol. 52, Page 69). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.  By these words, Luther is referring to the Office of the Papacy.

Rome teaches a Marian Theology (theology regarding Mary, the mother of Jesus) that is not based upon Scripture.

1)  Mother of God: Mary is the theotokos or “God-bearer.” Lutherans also acknowledge that Mary is the Mother of God because she gave birth to the Son of God according to both His human and divine natures which cannot be divided.

2)  Perpetual Virginity: While it is true that Martin Luther believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary and some Lutherans hold to that view, yet Scripture indicates that Jesus had brothers and sisters, Matthew 1:24-25: “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 13:55-56: “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” James, the head of the Church at Jerusalem is referred to as the “brother of our Lord.” (Galatians 1:19)

3)  Immaculate Conception: Pope Pius IX issued his Apostolic constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, in which the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the womb of her mother Anne was defined as a dogma on December 8, 1854. On December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated. Many Romans Catholics will mistakenly apply the immaculate conception to Jesus rather than to Mary. Jesus was not immaculately conceived. He was incarnated, meaning “the Word became flesh.”

4)  Bodily Assumption: On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly declared in his Apostolic Constitution titled  Munificentissimus Deus (Most Bountiful God): "By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

Lutherans respond to the Immaculate Conception and Bodily Assumption by accurately stating that these “truths” are not found in the Bible. For Rome, this makes no difference. The Pope has the authority to define dogma that must be believed.

5)  There are popular Marian teachings that are presently taught as traditions such as Mary is the Co-Redemptrix. She participated with Jesus in the redemption of the world. In time, this distortion of the Gospel will become a dogma of Rome.

The Romans Catholic Sacrifice of the Mass, or Sacerdotalism, claims that sacrifices for sin requires the intervention of a priest.   The Council of Trent taught that the Mass is the same as Calvary, "only the manner of offering being changed" from bloody to unbloody. On the altar, Jesus is again sacrificed for the sins of the world.  Luther wrote: “The Mass in the papacy must be regarded as the greatest and most horrible abomination because it runs into direct and violent conflict with this fundamental article. Yet, above and beyond all others, it has been the supreme and most precious of the papal idolatries, for it is held that this sacrifice or work of the Mass (even when offered by an evil scoundrel) delivers men from their sins, both here in this life and yonder in purgatory, although in reality this can and must be done by the Lamb of God alone.” Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Book of Concord (The Smalcald Articles: 2, II, 1). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.  

Purgatory is a necessary dogma for Rome. It is the state or place of purification or temporary punishment by which those who die with non-mortal sins and so in the state of grace are made ready for the Beatifici Vision in heaven. By rejecting justification by faith and believing that one must be purified before entering heaven, purgatory is a necessary addition to Rome’s understanding of the basis of salvation. Those who fail to attain purified righteousness here on earth, are doomed to purgatory. Luther wrote: “Consequently purgatory and all the pomp, services, and business transactions associated with it are to be regarded as nothing else than illusions of the devil, for purgatory, too, is contrary to the fundamental article that Christ alone, and not the work of man, can help souls. Besides, nothing has been commanded or enjoined upon us with reference to the dead. All this may consequently be discarded, apart entirely from the fact that it is error and idolatry.” Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Book of Concord (The Smalcald Articles: 2, II, 12). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

In Rome, sainthood is reserved for those who have entered heaven. There is a process leading to canonization or sainthood. Step one is to wait five years after the death of the potential saint. The individual must be defined as a “servant of God” or Venerable and his life must show proof of “heroic virtue.”  Finally, two verified miracles must be shown because of praying to the potential saint.

In 2019, Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890) an English theologian and Cardinal was canonized. Two miracles were ascribed to him. In 2001, Jack Sullivan, an American deacon from Marshfield in Massachusetts, attributed his recovery from a spinal cord disorder to the intercession of Newman. The miracle was accepted by Rome. The approval of a further miracle at the intercession of Newman was reported in November 2018: the healing of a pregnant woman from a grave illness. Thus, Newman was declared a saint, because he must be in heaven and thereby able to intercede for those on earth who pray to him. Luther responds to this definition of a saint by saying, “Scripture calls us holy while we are still living here on earth, if we believe. The papists have taken this name away from us and say: ‘We should not be holy; only the saints in heaven are holy.’ Therefore, we must get the noble name back. You must be holy. But you must be prepared not to think that you are holy of yourself or on the strength of your merit. No, you must be holy because you have the Word of God, because heaven is yours, and because you have become truly pious and holy through Christ. This you must avow if you want to be a Christian. For it would be the greatest slander and blasphemy of the name of Christ if we refused to honor Christ’s blood for washing away our sin or refused to believe that this blood makes us holy. Hence you must believe and confess that you are holy, but by this blood and not by reason of your own piety. Therefore, you must be willing to surrender life and all possessions for this and to face whatever may be your lot on this account.” Luther, M. (1999, c1967). Vol. 30: Luther's Works: The Catholic Epistles (1 Pe 1:3 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.).  Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Regarding the invocation of the Saints or trusting in the merits of the saints for salvation, Luther wrote: “Our opponents teach that we should put our trust in the invocation of the saints, though they have neither a Word of God nor an example from Scripture for this. They apply the merits of the saints in the same way as the merits of Christ and thus transfer to the saints the honor that belongs to Christ. Therefore, we cannot accept either their ideas about venerating the saints or their practice of praying to them. We know that we must put our trust in the intercession of Christ because only this has God’s promise. We know that the merits of Christ are our only propitiation. Because of them we are accounted righteous when we believe in him, as the text says (Rom. 9:33), “He who believes in him will not be put to shame.” We must not believe that we are accounted righteous by the merits of the blessed Virgin or of the other saints. Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Book of Concord: (Apology of the Augsburg Confession: 1, IX, 31). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.Luther:

The Sacraments:

What is a Sacrament?  The word “sacrament” is not in the Bible. It means an action or practice that has sacred and mysterious significance. Jesus mandated two such rites or practices that impart the forgiveness of sins and are defined as means of grace: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In each case, there are physical elements involved: water and bread and wine.

Rome identifies Seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Communion, Marriage, Ordination, Last Rites (Sacrament of the Sick).

There is a major difference between Roman Catholic and Lutheran theology regarding the efficacy of the Sacrament, particularly the Lord’s Supper. Roman Catholics believe the Sacraments are effective regardless of the condition of the recipients. This is defined in Latin as Ex Opere Operato (for the sake of the work performed.)

Lutheran theologian C.F.W. Walther writes regarding a worthy recipient of the Lord’s Supper: "He, therefore, who would receive the Lord’s Supper worthily and for his benefit must previously have come to repentance and faith, must previously have obtained grace and have become a true Christian. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is in and by itself not beneficial; rather the benefit depends on how one partakes. It does not work ex opere operato. It is not like a medicine which one need merely swallow to have the benefit. It is rather like a treasure house whose treasures can be taken, grasped and held only with the hand of faith." CFW Walther, Pastoral Theology, as quoted in Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, III: p.382,

Rome teaches that in Baptism original sin is removed but concupiscence, the tendency to sin, remains. Lutherans teach that after Baptism original sin remains but a new life in Christ has been imparted so that the Christian is simul justus et peccator (at the same time, a saint and a sinner). In the Council of Trent, Rome rejected this position since the righteousness acceptable before God is a personal and inherent righteousness, not the alien righteousness of Christ. The Lutheran significance of Baptism is that old sinful nature is daily put to death so that the new life in Christ is manifest. From the perspective of the Apostle Paul, his sinful nature remained even after Baptism. He wrote: “If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” (Romans 7:16-18)   

Regarding the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, Sacrament of the Altar, Eucharist) Rome teaches transubstantiation, the substance of bread changes into the Body of Christ and the substance of wine changes into the Blood of Christ.  This leads to the “adoration of the Sacrament.” The bread is actually the body of Christ and is to be adored as such. Lutherans teach Real Presence, that in, with and under the bread and wine the Body and Blood of Christ is present in the eating and drinking. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 the Apostle Paul indicates that the cup remains the cup and the bread remains the bread. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

Summary:

The differences between Lutherans and Roman Catholics are not merely cosmetic or of minor significance. While we believe that Roman Catholics who are informed by Scripture and believe in Jesus are Christians and may be surprised after death when they find themselves in heaven rather than in purgatory, the system of Roman Catholicism is opposed to and of a different nature than the theology that emerged in the sixteenth-century Reformation. The tragedy of Roman Catholicism is that the millions of adherents are ignorant of the Word of God, especially the Good News of the Gospel, and are trusting their membership and participation in “mother church” as the basis for their salvation.

Lutheran Christians should know and understand the distortions taught by the Romans Catholic Church and be willing and able to engage their Roman Catholic neighbors in friendly discussion.

I recall some years ago teaching an adult information class for prospective members of the congregation. After presenting a session on the significance of the Gospel with a specific emphasis on justification by grace through faith, I noticed that a woman in the back of the room was crying. Speaking with her after the session, she was relieved to hear the Good News of the Gospel since she had never been certain of her eternal salvation.

This is a typical response when Romans Catholics are confronted with the Good News of what Jesus accomplished for them through His shed blood and perfect righteousness.