Catholic vs. Protestant: The Real Differences, from Scripture

Catholics and Protestants both confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God. So what actually divides them? Many Protestants assume the answer is "Catholics add things to the Bible." Many Catholics can't explain the differences at all. Both deserve a clear, fair answer.

Short answer: The difference between Catholic and Protestant comes down to authority. Catholics receive God's word through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, faithfully interpreted by the Church Christ founded on St. Peter and the apostles. Protestants hold that Scripture alone is the final authority. Almost every other difference grows from that root: how we are saved, how many books are in the Bible, what the Eucharist is, the papacy, Mary, the saints and purgatory. The Catholic Church was founded by Christ; Protestantism began with the Reformation in 1517.

Key verses on the Church and her authority

• "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18)
• "the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15)
• "hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thessalonians 2:15)
• "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:24)
• "so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" (John 17:21)

Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Catholic vs. Protestant at a Glance

"Protestant" covers many churches: Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and non-denominational, and they disagree with one another on several of these points. The right-hand column gives the most common Protestant view.

What Catholics and Protestants Share

The differences are serious, but they are differences between baptized Christians. Catholics and most Protestants profess the Trinity, the full divinity and humanity of Christ, His virgin birth, His saving death and bodily resurrection, His return in glory, and the inspiration of Scripture. Many Protestant churches still recite the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that those "justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians" (CCC 818). That shared ground is real. It is also the starting point for the rest of the way home.

The Real Differences, from Scripture

1. Authority: Scripture alone, or Scripture, Tradition and the Church?

The Protestant view: Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith. Traditions and church leaders can help, but every one must be tested by the Bible, and the Bible is clear enough for a sincere believer to understand what is necessary for salvation.

The Catholic case: Scripture never teaches "Scripture alone." It teaches the opposite. St. Paul commands, "hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He calls the Church, not the Bible, "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). Jesus told His apostles, "Whoever listens to you listens to me" (Luke 10:16), and made the Church the final court in disputes: "If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:17). When the first great doctrinal dispute arose, the apostles did not hand out Bibles; they met in council and declared, "It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us" (Acts 15:28). St. Peter warns that "there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20) and that the ignorant twist St. Paul's letters "to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).

The Catholic Church does not place herself above the Bible. "[T]his Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant" (CCC 86). Scripture and Tradition "are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other" (CCC 80), because both come from the same apostles. (More: Is Sola Scriptura in the Bible? and What Is Sacred Tradition?)

2. The Bible: 73 books or 66?

The Protestant view: The Old Testament canon should match the Hebrew Bible accepted by the Jews, so books like Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach and 1-2 Maccabees are "Apocrypha," useful but not inspired.

The Catholic case: The Bible did not come with a table of contents. The Church discerned it: "It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books" (CCC 120). The canon list traditionally attributed to the Council of Rome in 382, under Pope St. Damasus I, names the same 73 books Catholics use today. The councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) confirmed that list, and the Council of Trent defined it in 1546. The deuterocanonical books were in the Greek Old Testament the apostles quoted, and Hebrews 11:35 alludes to the martyrs of 2 Maccabees 7. Martin Luther moved them to an appendix in the sixteenth century. A Protestant who accepts the 27-book New Testament is already trusting the same Church councils that recognized the 73-book Bible. (More: Why Do Catholic Bibles Have 7 More Books? and Who Decided Which Books Are in the Bible?)

3. Salvation: faith alone, or faith working through love?

The Protestant view: We are justified by faith alone. God declares the believer righteous on the basis of Christ's righteousness, credited to him. Good works are the evidence of saving faith, never its cause.

The Catholic case: Catholics agree that salvation is by grace from start to finish; "no one can merit the initial grace" of justification (CCC 2010). But the only place in the Bible where the words "faith alone" appear says "not by faith alone" (James 2:24). St. Paul says what counts is "faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6), that God "will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works" (Romans 2:6-7), and that believers must "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), because God is the one working in them. Saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), we are created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Christ does not only cover the sinner; He makes him truly righteous. (More: Is Salvation by Faith Alone?, Does James 2 Contradict Paul?, Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?)

4. Baptism and the sacraments: symbols, or channels of grace?

The Protestant view: Most Protestants recognize two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as acts of obedience that signify grace already received by faith. (Lutherans and Anglicans hold a higher view of both.)

The Catholic case: In Scripture, Christ acts through physical signs. "This prefigured baptism, which saves you now" (1 Peter 3:21). "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). The risen Jesus breathed on the apostles and said, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (John 20:22-23). The sick are to "summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). The apostles laid hands on the baptized so they would receive the Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). That is why the Church counts seven sacraments: "Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony" (CCC 1113). (More: Are There Really Seven Sacraments?, Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?, Why Do Catholics Confess to a Priest?)

5. The Eucharist: a symbol, or Christ Himself?

The Protestant view: For most evangelicals, the bread and cup are a memorial that recalls Christ's sacrifice. Jesus also called Himself a door and a vine, so "This is my body" should be read the same way.

The Catholic case: Jesus did not soften His words when His hearers took them literally. He pressed harder: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" and "my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:53-55). Many disciples left Him over it, and He let them go (John 6:66). St. Paul warns that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27), which makes no sense if the bread is only a symbol. The Church teaches that in the Eucharist "the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained" (CCC 1374). (More: Is the Eucharist Really the Body and Blood of Jesus? and Is John 6 Just Symbolic?)

6. The Church and the pope: invisible fellowship, or one visible Church on St. Peter?

The Protestant view: The true Church is the spiritual body of all who believe, across many denominations. The "rock" of Matthew 16 is Christ or St. Peter's confession of faith, and no bishop holds authority over the whole Church.

The Catholic case: Jesus promised one Church, built on one man: "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). He gave St. Peter "the keys to the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19), echoing the royal steward's office in Isaiah 22:22, an office with successors. He prayed for St. Peter's faith and told him to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32), and three times commanded him to feed and tend His flock (John 21:15-17). A Church that can be told to settle disputes (Matthew 18:17) has to be visible. Today the pope is "the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful" (CCC 882). (More: Was Peter the First Pope?, Is the Rock in Matthew 16 Peter or His Faith?, Is the Church Invisible?)

7. Priests: all believers, or an ordained priesthood too?

The Protestant view: All believers are "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9) with direct access to God through Christ, the one High Priest. A separate ordained priesthood is unnecessary.

The Catholic case: Catholics affirm the priesthood of all the baptized. But Israel was also "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6) and still had an ordained priesthood, and when Korah used the people's holiness to reject Aaron's office, God judged him (Numbers 16). In the New Testament the apostles appointed presbyters in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), and they handed that ministry on to successors, as St. Clement of Rome records within the first century (see below). The ministerial priesthood shares in Christ's one priesthood; it does not compete with it. (More: Is the Catholic Priesthood Biblical? and What Is Apostolic Succession?)

8. Mary, the saints and purgatory

The Protestant view: Praying to Mary and the saints takes honor from Christ, the one mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), and purgatory denies the sufficiency of His finished work on the Cross.

The Catholic case: Every Catholic honor given to Mary and the saints points back to Christ. Mary herself prophesied, "from now on will all ages call me blessed" (Luke 1:48), because of what God did in her. The saints in heaven are alive in Christ and offer "gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones" (Revelation 5:8). Asking their prayers is like asking a fellow Christian's prayers, since "The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful" (James 5:16). Purgatory does not add to the Cross; it is the Cross completing its work, because "nothing unclean will enter" heaven (Revelation 21:27). St. Paul describes one who "will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15), and Judas Maccabeus "made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin" (2 Maccabees 12:46). (More: Does 1 Timothy 2:5 Say There Is Only One Mediator?, Is Praying to Saints Biblical?, Where Is Purgatory in the Bible?)

Objections Answered

(a) "Denominations don't matter, as long as you love Jesus."

At its strongest: Sincere Christians in many churches love Christ, pray, and live holy lives. Arguing over church membership seems to distract from the gospel.

Answer: Jesus did not treat division as harmless. On the night before He died, He prayed "that they may all be one" (John 17:21) and asked the Father, "Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). St. Paul begged "that there be no divisions among you" (1 Corinthians 1:10) and taught "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). Christ said "my church," singular (Matthew 16:18). Loving Jesus means loving what He founded and believing what He taught, not just what we prefer. (More: Why Are There So Many Protestant Denominations?)

(b) "The Catholic Church added man-made traditions."

At its strongest: Jesus rebuked the Pharisees: "You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition" (Mark 7:8). Protestants see Catholic doctrines like purgatory and the papacy as the same kind of human addition.

Answer: Jesus condemned human traditions that cancel God's commandment. He never condemned the apostolic Tradition He Himself entrusted to the apostles. St. Paul praises the Corinthians because they "hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2) and commands the Thessalonians to keep them (2 Thessalonians 2:15). The question is not "tradition or no tradition." Every church has traditions. The question is which tradition comes from the apostles. (More: Did Jesus Condemn All Tradition?)

(c) "The early Church was Bible-only until Constantine corrupted it."

At its strongest: Some Protestants believe the first Christians were simple believers, and that bishops, sacraments and Roman authority crept in after Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 313.

Answer: The writings of the first Christians say otherwise, and they come long before Constantine. Around 107-110, St. Ignatius of Antioch called the Church "Catholic," obeyed bishops, and believed the Eucharist is Christ's flesh. Around 155, St. Justin Martyr described the Eucharist as the flesh and blood of Jesus. Around 180, St. Irenaeus said every church must agree with the Church of Rome. Around 251, St. Cyprian wrote on the unity of the Catholic Church. (See the quotations below.) The Church of the second and third centuries already looked Catholic. (More: Did Constantine Create the Catholic Church? and Who Founded Your Church?)

The Early Church Agrees

• St. Clement of Rome (First Letter to the Corinthians 44, c. AD 96, approximate) records that the apostles appointed ministers and "afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry" (1 Clement 44). Apostolic succession, in the first century.
• St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 107-110, approximate): "Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." He also warns against those who "confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7-8).
• St. Justin Martyr (First Apology 66, c. AD 155, approximate): "the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word... is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh" (First Apology 66).
• St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 3.3.2, c. AD 180, approximate), on the Church of Rome founded by Sts. Peter and Paul: "it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its pre-eminent authority" (Against Heresies 3.3.2).
• St. Cyprian of Carthage (On the Unity of the Catholic Church 6, c. AD 251, approximate): "He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother" (On the Unity of the Church 6).
• St. Augustine (Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus 5, c. AD 397, approximate): "I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church" (Against the Fundamental Epistle 5).

Conclusion

The difference between Catholic and Protestant is not that one group loves Jesus and the other doesn't. It is the question of where Christ's authority is found. Scripture points to one visible Church, built on St. Peter, guarding the apostles' written and spoken teaching, feeding Christ's people with His own Body and Blood. The first Christians knew that Church by name: the Catholic Church. Every other difference, from faith and works to Mary and purgatory, flows from receiving the whole apostolic faith or only part of it, and every part of that faith is about Christ: His word, His grace, His Body, His Mother, His friends.

Come home. If you are a Protestant, everything true you believe about Christ, you received through the Church He founded, including the Bible itself. Christ did not found many churches. He founded one, on St. Peter and the apostles (Matthew 16:18), and "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). Your baptism already joins you to her in "a certain, although imperfect, communion" (CCC 838). Christ is calling you to the fullness of that communion in His Catholic Church.

Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet, and Confession is also for those who have entered the Church. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.

Keep reading: Are Catholics Christian? · Did the Catholic Church Change the Ten Commandments? · 18 Common Protestant Objections, Answered

FAQ

What is the main difference between Catholic and Protestant? Authority. Catholics receive God's word through Scripture and Tradition, interpreted by the Church (CCC 80-82, 86). Protestants hold to Scripture alone. Most other differences follow from this.

Are Catholics Christian? Yes. Catholics confess Jesus Christ as Lord, God and Savior, and the name "Catholic Church" was used by Christians within a generation of the apostles. (More: Are Catholics Christian?)

Which came first, Catholic or Protestant? The Catholic Church, founded by Christ on St. Peter and the apostles. Protestantism began with Martin Luther's 95 Theses in 1517. (More: Why Did the Protestant Reformation Happen?)

Do Catholics and Protestants have the same Bible? They share the same 27-book New Testament. The Catholic Old Testament has seven more books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees) plus longer Esther and Daniel, for 73 books in total.

Can Protestants receive Communion at a Catholic Mass? Not yet. Communion is the sign of full unity in faith with the Catholic Church. (More: Why Can't Protestants Receive Communion at Mass?)

Can a Protestant become Catholic? Yes. A validly baptized Protestant is not rebaptized; he or she is received into full communion, usually through OCIA at a local parish. (More: How Do I Become Catholic?)

Sources

Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Exodus 19:6; Numbers 16; 2 Maccabees 12:46; Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 18:17; Mark 7:8; Luke 1:48; Luke 10:16; Luke 22:32; John 3:5; John 6:53-55, 66; John 17:17, 21; John 20:22-23; John 21:15-17; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 14:23; Acts 15:28; Romans 2:6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:2, 27; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 4:5; Philippians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Timothy 3:15; Titus 1:5; James 2:24; James 5:14, 16; 1 Peter 3:21; 2 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:16; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 21:27.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 80-82; 86; 120; 882; 1113; 1374; 816, 818, 838; 2010.

Church Fathers (newadvent.org): St. Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 44 (ANF vol. 1); St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7-8 (ANF vol. 1); St. Justin Martyr, First Apology 66 (ANF vol. 1); St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.2 (ANF vol. 1); St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Church 6 (ANF vol. 5); St. Augustine, Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus 5 (NPNF1 vol. 4).