The ProtestantsI explained to Reverend Pelletier that I was going to be including in my chapter on Christianity an interview with two Roman Catholic priests and that I would like to have a clarification about the nature and definition of the Protestant church in general. "Well," he replied, "Protestantism was a label given to us by those with whom we differed because in the early days the so-called Protestants conflicted with the Roman Catholic hierarchy in emphasizing, ‘for by grace are you saved through faith.' Salvation is a 'gift of God, not of works, lest any man shall boast, for we are created by God unto good works.’ (Ephesians 2:8,9) "So, salvation by faith was one of the great doctrines that impressed Luther, that it wasn’t a matter of storing up benefits, and other things, before a holy God, but rather that initially there is this inner state and grace — because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — that we (Protestants), accepting his sacrifice in our behalf, may be presented to God as righteous. Dressed in his righteousness, not our own. That is the inner state and grace. We differed with the Roman Catholic hierarchy on this point." |
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