What are the main differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism?
Catholic refers generally to the RCC. “catholic” means the entire Christian church, the church universal. 1. The authority of Scripture. Lutherans believe that Scripture alone has authority to determine doctrine; the Roman Catholic Church gives this authority also to the pope, the church, and certain traditions of the church. 2. The doctrine of justification. Lutherans believe that a person is saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The Roman Catholic Church, while at times using similar language, still officially holds that faith, in order to save, must be accompanied by (or “infused with”) some “work” or “love” active within a Christian. 3. The authority of the pope. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, Lutherans do not believe that the office of the papacy as such has any divine authority, or that Christians need to submit to the Pope’s authority to be “true” members of the visible church. 4. Differences remain about both the number and the nature of the sacrame
