In this post-modern era when plurality and inclusiveness are exalted at any cost, it’s considered distasteful and offensive to be adamant about religious beliefs. This attitude is even infecting the evangelical church. But beliefs DO matter. Greatly. As an example, Roman Catholics’ notions of justification and sanctification are quite different from Bible Christians. To put it succinctly, Catholics believe a lifetime of striving to become increasingly sanctified (holy) will hopefully merit for them justification and a place in Heaven at the moment of their death. Bible Christians, in contrast, believe we are justified only by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone and receiving His imputed perfect righteousness, and we will be increasingly sanctified as we follow the Lord in obedience, albeit imperfectly. The difference in the two beliefs is huge and irreconcilable.
Most Catholics who are technically aware of the difference in belief between Catholicism and Biblical Christianity regarding justification and sanctification would term Biblical salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone as “easy believism,” but would probably view debates with Protestants over the issue as distasteful. The prevailing attitude among most Catholics is, “to each, their own” and “whatever works for you.” However, conservative Catholic apologists have no such reservations and regularly ridicule the Gospel of grace in their appeals to Protestants and wavering Catholics.
I regularly listen to the Catholic talk-radio show, “Called to Communion.” The stated purpose of the show is to try to convert Protestants to Catholicism. At some point during almost every episode, host, David Anders (above photo), disparages the Gospel of grace. Here’s an illustrative example from the 10/17/18 podcast, which begins at the 34:30 mark with moderator, Tom Price, reading a question from a listener followed by Anders’ response:
TP: This is a text we received from Sara. She says, “I’m Catholic, my roommate is a Southern Baptist. We’ve been talking about faith and theology and one of the topics we come back to is sanctification and justification. What are the differences between Catholic and Protestant understandings of sanctification and justification and where do they come from?”
DA: Great question. Here’s the main difference. Your Southern Baptist friend, more than likely, holds to the standard Protestant position, which is this: God will bring you to heaven even if you hate His guts as long as you have notional faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s what it boils down to. God will bring you to Heaven kicking and screaming, so to speak, even though you are at enmity with Him in your will as long as you have the conviction that you have been saved because of what Jesus did and not what you did.
In the above segment, apologist Anders GREATLY distorts and ridicules the Gospel of grace, but as I said, he does this regularly in an effort to draw his audience to Catholicism’s false gospel of sacramental grace and merit. His last comment is very revealing. Although Catholics often refer to “grace” and “faith,” their bottom line is, did THEY do enough to merit Heaven?
That was a gross misrepresentation of the Gospel, and what it means to be saved and follow our Lord. He is using the bludgeon of antinomianism to attack the truth. Sadly, many Protestants have distorted it to the point where the accusation is often founded in just enough truth to make his accusation sound plausible.
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Thanks, Wally. Unfortunately, you are quite right. There are several under the banner of “evangelicalism” who have muddied and distorted the Gospel
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Hi brother Happy Reformation Day! Praise God we are saved by Grace through Faith Alone in Christ Alone!
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Thanks, brother, and Happy Reformation Day to you! Praise God the Lord freed me from the chains of works-righteousness religion!
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Your welcome brother. Thank you Praise God He brought you out of that religion!
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Thanks, BG!
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Your welcome Tom.
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Tom, it’s hard to forgive people who are so vocal, so wrong, and who have so much influence over others. But we must pray for them too – I know you pray for them. It is so upsetting to hear lies and deception!
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Thanks, Maria. Yes, it’s very troubling to listen to him mock the Gospel. We must certainly pray for him and other influential Catholics who lead so many astray. What I appreciate about Anders, although “appreciate” is the wrong word, is that he vigorously differentiates between the Catholic gospel of sacramental grace and merit and the Gospel of grace (although he obviously distorts the latter). Far too many evangelicals these days think Catholicism also teaches the Gospel of grace.
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Good point, Tom!
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It is a sad thing to see the hatred of the Gospel by Catholic advocates and apologists
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Yes, it’s upsetting for any believer to listen to. I wish some ecumenical evangelicals would listen to this guy.
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Hopefully some of these Evangelicals would change for the better…but some would just say these Catholic apologists are just “extreme.”
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Right. A William Lane Craig would be offended by the bluntness of Anders, but can easily swim in the same waters as a more accommodating apologist such as bishop Robert Baron, even though Baron believes the same core doctrines as Anders.
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That’s true. I am very concern for WLC
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Does this guy really believe what he says? How sad he is leading to many to hell. The Lord use your blog to set the captives free.
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Thanks, Crissy. Oh, yes, he really believes it. He says something similar almost daily. He claims to be a former evangelical, but he never genuinely accepted Christ by faith alone. It’s impossible for someone who genuinely accepted Christ to then desire the shackles of Egypt.
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Wow, thank you for listening and commenting on this for us. I can’t imagine how much it grieves you to hear this beautiful Gospel deliberately misrepresented and ridiculed. I’m praying for you daily, brother, for strength to continue this ministry!
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Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement, sister! Yes, it surely grieves my soul to hear the Gospel trampled underfoot, but it’s so important to make Catholics and evangelicals aware of the great differences between Catholicism and Biblical Christianity. These days so many are trying to minimize or dismiss those differences.
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