What the Catholic Church Teaches and Why the Reformation Still Matters

The Gospel of Grace Versus Faith Plus Works

Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast. But the Roman Catholic Church declared that if anyone believes he is saved by faith alone, let him be anathema, or let him be damned.

Listen to this clip from the documentary, American Gospel.

The Roman Catholic Church actively was opposing and cursing those who were holding a biblical gospel.

It is often called the plus religion because Catholicism teaches that you are saved by faith plus works, by grace plus merit, by Christ plus other mediators, according to scripture plus tradition, and for the glory of God as well as the glory of Mary and other saints.

The Roman Catholic Plan of Salvation

When you look at the Roman Catholic plan of salvation, it is a salvation of works and sacraments.

In the Roman Catholic plan of salvation, baptism cleanses an infant from original sin.

And that is the sacrament of regeneration as well as justification.

That it starts them off on this plan, on this track. Along the way, however, they can commit these small sins, venial sins, which plunges them back down, and heaven forbid they commit a mortal sin which knocks them completely off the plan of salvation.

And he must now receive sacraments. He must confess his sins to a priest, which is the sacrament of penance. And then he must be re-justified by doing good works, by doing penance. And once he is re-justified, then he must maintain his salvation through sacraments.

And if, in the end, if they have enough people praying for them, and if they do enough time in purgatory, they might possibly get to heaven.

Justification by Faith and the Assurance of Salvation

How they get to heaven is based on what they do rather than what Christ has done. But the Bible teaches,.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. That when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the work has been done. He saves you totally, completely, perfectly. And even though, yes, we sin and can repent, the sacrifice of Christ has paid for those sins.

And so there is assurance that He has saved you, He has plucked you out of the world, you're in the palm of His hand, and nobody can pluck you out of His hand.

The Five Solas and the Reformation

And so that's why the Reformers cried the five solas, that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, all for the glory of God alone.