Question: "Are Catholics Christians?"

Posted by Dan C. on

Answer: “Some are. . .”

The question was asked of a teacher of systematic theology. The answer was his. Actually, you can substitute “Protestants” and the answer is the same, “Some are. . .” There might be a difference in percentages, but that’s God’s business, not mine.

The test of whether or not a specific individual is a Christian is a depends on which Gospel he/she believed, or are believing in for for salvation. Was it the gospel of grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, or was it a gospel of grace, through faith in Christ plus other stuff?

Even then, who is, or isn’t, a true Christian is still God’s business. He knows, I don’t.

If you ask however, “Is Catholicism, or Protestantism a “Christian religion?”, we have a slightly different issue. That would depend on the gospel that either adheres to and preaches, again grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, or grace and faith in Christ plus other stuff?

Paul had some very specific things to say about ‘other’ gospels. See Galatians 1:8-9. Even better, read the entire chapter, maybe the whole book.

9 responses to “Question: "Are Catholics Christians?"”

  3. Hi Andrew!

    Well, water baptism neither causes a person to be ‘born again’, nor does adding it to ‘faith’, amount to even a small hill of beans, when eternity is at stake. I think that about covers Catholics and Protestants, doesn’t it?

    One might say that the ‘dividing line’ that must not be crossed is the gospel, at least the Apostle Paul seemed to think so.

    Perhaps the question about Catholic baptism’s salvific effect, or lack thereof, deserves a discussion all it’s own.

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  4. Hi Kit!

    Yes, they are different issues. I have learned to make a bee-line for the gospel when conversing with other Christians, and also when visiting local churches. to the Christian I would ask, “What gospel did you believe?”, and to the local church “What is the gospel you preach?”

    I am not judging people, I just want to get to a common baseline, if that is an adequate term. Whichever the situation, there needs to clarity of how we define the gospel. It all begins there. Whether there is great rejoicing and fellowship, or there needs to be a discussion of “what is the true gospel?”,depends on it.

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  5. I whole heartedly agree. I think I started really thinking about what this all means even within the protestants themselves…not just between catholics and protestants. I didn’t realize that some protestants believe in sacramental grace, this was something I just recently discovered. Luther believed in sacramental grace. That really broke my heart.

    We do need to know “which” gospel is being preached.

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  6. I wasn’t referring to RC baptism in the salvific sense. I was stating something completely different than the OP.

    If a former RC who was baptized as RC were to enter a Protestant church seeking membership and did profess faith in Christ alone for salvation. Would the RC baptism be seen as valid or not? So should they be baptized for the first time (RC baptism not valid) or not baptized at all (RC baptism valid)?

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  7. I’ve been struggling with Luther for a little while now…it has to do with the idea that justifies his belief by saying that he had just come out of Rome and was just learning as opposed to seeing this as a severe deviation from grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. Anyway, just thought I needed to clarify why I brought up Luther.

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  8. that’s a tough one, Andrew. Scripture seems to speak about ‘believers’ being baptized, so although sprinkled as a Lutheran baby, I was baptized as a believing adult. Most Protestants would, I think, not consider Catholic infant baptism as ‘believer’s’ baptism. I know protestant that would not consider as valid, another Protestant beleiver’s baptism. It has to be in ‘their’ specific local church.
    I am also aware of the ‘covenantal’ aspect of OT circumcision as compared to NT baptism, among those Protestants who practice infant baptism.

    Is this one of those areas where the Bible is not crystal clear?

    What a tangled web we can weave.

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  9. Having been catechised as a Lutheran, as well as having studied Luther more fully, I understand, Kit. the longer I study the more convinced I become to making a bee-line for the Godpel. I hope I am not running away, I just don’t want to get ‘carried’ away. It is difficult to understand Luther on Baptism and his standing on sola fide, because they seem a bit contrary to one another.

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