Justification
The chart below presents a comparison, and shows the contrast, between Roman Catholic doctrine and Bible doctrine on ten important aspects of the doctrine of Justification.
Justification
| Catholic Doctrine |
Bible Doctrine |
| Justification is God's act of making man righteous by good works and obedience |
Justification is God's act of declaring a sinner righteous by faith |
| Infused sanctifying grace through the sacraments makes the believer acceptable to God |
Christ's imputed righteousness makes the believer acceptable to God |
| Justification is achieved by faith plus good works |
Justification is received by faith alone |
| Justification is granted the sinner when he is actually made just |
Justification enables God to see the sinner as if he were just |
| Justification can be increased by receiving more sacraments |
Justification cannot increase since the ground is the perfect rightousness of Christ |
| Justification is affected by sin |
Justification is a permanent verdict and is not affected by sin |
| Final justification is not determined until death |
Justification comes at the moment of faith in Jesus Christ |
| The ground of justification is the righteousness of the person |
The ground of justification is the righteousness of Jesus Christ |
| Sanctification and justification are similar |
Justification precedes sanctification |
| Emphasis is on the sacraments |
Emphasis is on God's verdict |
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