Detailed Doctrine-by-Doctrine Comparison
Scripture & Authority
RomeThe Bible, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium (teaching authority of the Pope and bishops) together constitute the supreme rule of faith. No one may privately interpret Scripture.
GraceThe Scripture alone is the inspired, infallible Word of God and the only rule of faith and practice. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).
The Nature of God
RomeAffirms the Trinity, but in practice attributes to Mary and the saints roles that belong to God alone — intercession, mediation, and veneration that is functionally worship.
GraceGod is absolutely sovereign, entirely self-sufficient, and shares his glory with none. He alone is to be worshipped, feared, and trusted. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another (Isaiah 42:8).
The State of Man
RomeMan is wounded by original sin but retains a free will capable of cooperating with divine grace. Baptism removes the guilt of original sin. Man can merit grace through his works.
GraceMan is dead in trespasses and sins, entirely unable to seek God, believe the gospel, or do anything spiritually good. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God (Romans 3:11). Salvation must begin entirely with God.
Election & Predestination
RomeGod foresees who will freely cooperate with his grace and elects them on that basis. Election is conditioned on foreseen human response. All men have the possibility of salvation.
GraceGod chose a specific people in Christ before the foundation of the world, not on the basis of foreseen faith or works, but according to his own sovereign good pleasure alone. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).
The Atonement
RomeChrist died for all men universally, making salvation possible for all. His sacrifice is perpetually re-presented in the Mass, which is itself a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead.
GraceChrist died as the substitute for his elect people, bearing the full wrath of God in their place and securing their salvation certainly and completely. It is finished (John 19:30). The atonement is particular, perfect, and unrepeatable.
Justification
RomeJustification is a process of moral transformation begun at baptism, increased through the sacraments and merit, and capable of being lost through mortal sin. It is not the imputation of Christ’s righteousness but the infusion of grace that makes a man inwardly righteous.
GraceJustification is a once-for-all legal declaration in which God pronounces the believing sinner righteous on the sole basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness, received by faith alone, with no admixture of human works. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
The Sacraments
RomeSeven sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, Matrimony) are necessary means of grace that actually confer saving grace when properly administered. Baptism regenerates; the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ.
GraceBaptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances for believers only — outward signs of inward realities already received. They do not confer grace or save. Baptism is for those who have already been regenerated. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved (Mark 16:16) — faith precedes baptism.
Death & Purgatory
RomeMost souls go to purgatory after death, where they are purged of remaining sin and temporal punishment before entering heaven. The living can shorten this suffering through prayers, Masses, and indulgences offered for the dead.
GraceAt death the soul of the believer passes immediately into the presence of Christ. There is no purgatory. Christ’s blood is the only purging. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Prayers for the dead have no Scriptural warrant.
Mary
RomeMary is the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces. She was immaculately conceived without original sin, remained perpetually virgin, and was bodily assumed into heaven. Prayers to Mary are central to Catholic devotion.
GraceMary was a godly woman, highly favoured and blessed among women, the human mother of the Lord Jesus. She was a sinner who needed a Saviour: my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour (Luke 1:47). She is not to be prayed to, worshipped, or venerated. Scripture names her sons and daughters (Matthew 13:55–56).
The Pope & Church Government
RomeThe Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, the visible head of the Church, and speaks infallibly when defining doctrine ex cathedra. The bishops in union with him constitute the Magisterium, whose teaching all Catholics are bound to accept.
GraceChrist alone is the head of the Church. No man is infallible. The church is governed by elders/bishops and deacons according to the pattern of Scripture. Every believer has direct access to God through Christ alone, requiring no earthly mediator. One is your Master, even Christ (Matthew 23:8–10).
Assurance of Salvation
RomeThe Council of Trent declared it a mortal sin of presumption to claim certainty of one’s own salvation. Because justification can be lost, no man can know in this life that he is saved. Humility requires uncertainty.
GraceAssurance of salvation is the birthright of every true believer, grounded not in personal merit but in the finished work of Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
Worship & Images
RomeImages, statues, relics, and icons are venerated as aids to devotion. The Mass, the rosary, and the liturgical calendar of saints’ days form the structure of worship. The second commandment’s prohibition on images is suppressed in the Roman catechism.
GraceGod is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, according to his Word alone. No images are to be made of God or Christ. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (Exodus 20:4). The Regulative Principle: only what God has commanded in Scripture belongs in worship.