The Protestants considered this a serious distortion of the Gospel message, likened to the Galatian error. This distortion, argued the Protestants, arose in the late Middle Ages with the rise of the sacramental system, in which congregants were told that Mass, confession, baptism, and other sacraments were the necessary means of divine grace. The Protestant reformers believed that justification was through the faith of the individual alone, and that works did not contribute in any way. Otherwise, it was believed, grace is not really grace, but a reward for good deeds. Justification, to the Reformers, was an event, not a process. It was a "forensic" or legal act in which the believing sinner was declared righteous by having Christ's righteousness imputed to their account. There was nothing believers could do to add to or detract from their justification before God. Any attempt to work for justification (including time spent in Purgatory) was perceived as a diminution of the value of the cross, an implicit failure to trust in the sufficiency of the saving work of Christ. Also, Protestants, unlike Catholics, believed that we could have assurance of our ultimate salvation.
This is why the second battle cry of the Reformation was sola fide. Justification is by faith alone, not by any works man can do.
Other issues also caused strife during the Reformation, but they paled in comparison to these two central problems. While the tension and the heat that immediately accompany a fight have cooled, recent events have not changed with these two issues. Most Protestants and Catholics still believe that these are hills upon which we should die, even if neither side conclusively believes the other is going to hell.
We must bear in mind, however, how much the two sides actually agree. When it comes to the person and work of Christ, conservative Protestants and Roman Catholics (along with their Eastern Orthodox counterparts) all believe that Jesus Christ is the God-man (fully God and fully man) who died on the cross and rose bodily from the grave as an atonement for sin. All believe that salvation is purely by the grace of God and that faith is necessary for salvation. And, significantly, all believe that Christ is the only way to God.
Was the Reformation necessary? I believe it was. The communication and purity of the Gospel was at stake. Amidst all the conciliations going on today, we need to remember: theologically, things have not changed that much. We can love one anther and appreciate the common heritage we share. We can learn much from one another. But there is still a serious divide and Protestants should dare not compromise the Gospel by sweeping the Reformation under the rug. The Gospel is too important.
C. Michael Patton blogs at Parchment and Pen. He earned his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and served as a pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. His latest project is the Credo House of Theology, the headquarters for Reclaiming the Mind Ministries.
See the Evangelical Portal for more such articles.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In