How do I explain to my Mum (who is a Catholic) the difference between a Christian and a Catholic?
April 23rd, 2009
This is a really good question. The first thing I would ask is whether your Mum is someone who has just been brought up going to a Catholic church and goes occasionally to church or someone who actually lives out a personal relationship with God affecting every area of her life.
Faith alone, not by works
Being able to enter into a relationship with God is something that can only happen through placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone. Remember the problem is that we are dead in our sins (Eph 2:1), unable to do anything about the state we are in. Throughout the new testament we see that God restores us to relationship through this faith alone (John 1:12, 3:16, 18:36, Rom 10:9-10, 13, Eph 2:8-9) that he gives us.
Works will not get us anywhere with God. How could they? Even our best efforts the bible says are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Think how often our motives for doing good things are tainted by the desire to appear good before other men and women. God leaves no room for our pride in receiving salvation. We must join with the Apostle Paul in saying we will boast only in the cross of Christ (Gal 6:14).
What I am not saying here is that everyone going to a Catholic church is going to hell. There are certainly some genuine believers who continue to go to a Catholic church, perhaps out of a sense of tradition but yet have had a genuine experience of being saved through faith alone. Sometimes people stay in churches like this ‘as a missionary’ trying to help other Catholics realize that it is by faith alone that people are saved.
Salvation at the end of the day is a work of God in us, and sometimes it may be possible to have had revelation from God about Jesus without understanding the full theological reasoning behind this.
What you believe affects how you live
Two things we can say:
- Becoming a Christian is a work that happens by faith alone as already established (See paragraph 1), that leads to life change (James 2:14-18).
- Although it is possible to have a faulty theological understanding of why you are a Christian it will massively hinder your walk with God and effectiveness as a Christian. You will be pre-occupied with fulfilling rules, and being religious, thinking that God is very pleased with your duties. Actually, you have been declared righteous (in our legal standing with God) already (Romans 5:1) and are now living by the Holy Spirit which leads to actual life change (Gal 5:22-23) through his power rather than us gritting our teeth.
This is why Paul tells us to watch our doctrine as well as our life (1 Tim 4:16).
Conclusion
This is not an exhaustive list but here are some practical steps if your mother is not a Christian, but merely a bit religious.
- Is the person you know someone who says they have an ongoing relationship with God, which affects their life? Do they know why it is important that they have one?
- Does the person understand that salvation is by faith alone, not works? This is the perfect opportunity to talk about Jesus.
- LIVE IT OUT! Many people come to Christ through seeing a change in their friends or family.
- Be able to provide answers, but do it with gentleness and respect ( 1 Peter 3:15)
- Pray for them: people don’t merely become Christians through education, and discussion. (James 5:16). Prayer is powerful!!!