By Lewis Loflin
This article, sourced from Bob Jones University, contrasts Roman Catholic doctrine with what they term Biblical Christianity. It reflects BJU’s perspective during Bob Jones III’s tenure (1971–2005), focusing heavily on Paul’s teachings rather than Jesus’ words. As of 9:15 PM EDT, March 31, 2025, no significant updates to BJU’s core beliefs are noted on their site (https://www.bju.edu/). The Catechism citations align with the 1994 English edition. My Deist view, emphasizing reason, differs from both sides’ reliance on revelation.
Bob Jones illustrates why Paul is the true founder of Christianity, particularly Protestantism. Why does Bob rarely quote Jesus?
Often, when Protestants criticize Roman Catholic doctrine, apologists claim that the Catholic Church has updated its positions in recent years. Defenders of Catholicism argue, for example, that the canons and decrees of the Council of Trent (1545–1563) are no longer relevant.
For this reason, the following citations of Catholic teaching are drawn from the most recent official summary of Catholic belief, the Catechismus Ecclesiae Catholicae (Catechism of the Catholic Church). The numbers in parentheses after each citation refer to paragraph numbers in the English version: Catechism of the Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1994).
Given the media attention on differences between Bible-believing Christians and Roman Catholicism, it may be helpful to outline some key distinctions in belief.
The Bible and Tradition are equally authoritative sources of God’s revelation. "Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence" (82). "‘Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God,’ in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches" (97). "We believe all ‘that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed’" (182).
Scripture alone is the authority and guide for salvation and all aspects of Christian life. In II Timothy 3:15–17, Paul tells Timothy that "the holy Scriptures . . . are able to make thee wise unto salvation." He adds that the inspired Scriptures are "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," equipping the Christian "thoroughly furnished" for "all good works." No additional revelation is required.
Justification, the process of being made righteous before God, involves both faith and good works. "Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man" (1989). "With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted to us" (1991). "Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy" (1992).
Justification is God’s act of declaring—not making—the sinner righteous by crediting Christ’s righteousness to them, independent of their works. Paul cites Abraham (Romans 4:1–8), who "believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Abraham trusted "him that justifieth the ungodly." "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
Good works are essential to maintain and enhance salvation. "No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods" (2027). "The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation" (1129).
Salvation is entirely by grace through faith, apart from works. Paul wrote to Titus that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, "that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs" (Titus 3:5–7). He also states, "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8–10).
Purgatory is an intermediate state where Christians are purified by paying the temporal penalty for sins not addressed through confession and penance on earth. "All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect" (1030–1031).
The Bible does not mention any afterlife state beyond heaven or hell. It asserts that Christ’s sacrifice fully frees believers from all condemnation. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth" (Romans 8:33). Christ "is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Paul adds, "to be absent from the body" is "to be present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8).
The pope, when speaking officially on faith or morals, is infallible. "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful—who confirms his brethren in the faith—he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals" (891).
The response mirrors the stance on Tradition: Scripture alone contains all truth needed for salvation and Christian living (II Timothy 3:15–17). No papal pronouncement binds a Christian’s conscience unless it aligns with Scripture.
Mary and the saints intercede for believers and share in Christ’s mediation. "Taken up to heaven she [Mary] did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix" (969). "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . [T]hey do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus" (956).
Paul states, "there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). God hears Christians directly: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us" (I John 5:14). All believers are saints, "sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints" (I Corinthians 1:2), not a special class.
Mary was preserved from original sin at her conception. "Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, ‘full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: ‘The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin’" (491).
The Bible teaches universal human sinfulness (Romans 3:10–18, 23), excepting only Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15).
The Mass is the literal offering of Christ’s body and blood as a sacrifice under the forms of bread and wine. "Because it is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: ‘This is my body which is given for you’ and ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.’ In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he ‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’" (1365). "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: ‘The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different’" (1367).
Christ’s sacrifice was a one-time, complete act. "So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many" (Hebrews 9:28). "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . . [B]y one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10–14).
These positions are mutually exclusive; they cannot both be held. One is correct, the other incorrect. The Protestant Reformation, sparked by Luther in the 1500s, arose from these and other differences with Rome. At Bob Jones University, we uphold the Bible. We hope every person—Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, or otherwise—comes to trust Christ alone through the revelation of Scripture, God’s Holy Word. We recognize no other authority.
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Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.
