What is the difference between Lutheran and catholic? The main difference between catholic and Lutherans is that catholic believe in the faith which is formed by love and work whereas Lutherans believe that grace and faith alone can save an individual.
Christianity is the oldest religion and has the highest population in the world. The teachings related to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Both Lutheran and catholic belong to Christianity since God is the center of their preaching during the service.
But many people find it confusing to tell the difference between catholic and Lutheran due to their close similarities. We wrote this article to help you understand the difference between these two Christian denominations with the largest following around the world.
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Difference Between Lutheran and Catholic
| Basic Terms | Lutheran | Catholic |
| Meaning | It is a religion where the followers believe grace and faith alone can save an individual | It is a religion where the followers believe faith is formed by love and work |
| Head of the Church | Elected councils | Pope is the supreme authority leader |
| Importance of the Bible | Bible alone is the only source of truth | Bible and church traditions are the main source of truth |
| Salvation | It is achieved through faith | It is achieved through faith and good works |
| Sacraments | Believe in two sacraments | Believe in seven sacraments |
| Traditions | Followed based on the bible | Followed based on the church traditions |
| Holy Communion Requirement | Everyone is welcomed to receive | One must be in full communion with the catholic church |
| Mass Intention | Offer prayers to those who have gone before us into the eternal life | Offer mass for those who have died |
| Eucharist | Consubstantiation | Transubstantiation |
What Is a Lutheran Church?
It is the largest Protestantism that believes grace and faith alone can save an individual. The religion came into existence with the aim of transforming the Roman Catholic Church.
Lutherans tend to believe more in the bible and they tend to condemn Pope. Besides that, the Lutheran faith is based on the principles set by Martin Luther.
The literal places of Lutherans are Hell and Heaven. Hell tends to refer to the place of punishment and heaven is the place of God.
That’s not all. Lutherans tend to practice baptism but they do not believe in sin cleansing. They believe that humans are saved by grace through faith in God along with the bible.
What Is the Catholic Church?
It is the first denomination under the religion where followers believe that faith is formed by love and work. The church received a lot of criticism from Martin Luther.
Besides that, they believe the son of God forms the Christian community with the twelve disciples. The church leaders in Roman Catholicism are the successor of the twelve disciples.
The followers believe that Jesus appointed St. Peter to be the head of the church. The appointed Pope is the sole successor of St. Peter.
Roman Catholics have a strong belief in baptism since every human is born with sin and baptism is the only method to eliminate it.
The bible and mother Mary are deeply worshipped. However, Catholics do not worship statues but they do worship God.
Lastly, catholic tend to believe in the resurrection and not in reincarnation. Roman Catholics tend to preserve the original scriptures of the bible.
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Main Difference between Lutheran and Catholic Church
- Lutheran believes grace and faith alone can save an individual whereas catholic believe faith formed by love and work can save.
- Lutherans have elected councils as the head of the church while catholic have Pope as the head of the church
- Catholic believe the bible and church traditions are the main source of truth whereas Lutheran only trust the bible as the source of truth
- Catholic salvation is achieved through faith and good work whereas Lutheran salvation is achieved through faith
- Lutheran believe in two sacraments whereas catholic belief in seven sacraments
- Lutheran church traditions are based on the bible whereas Roman catholic is based on the church traditions
- Lutheran bible has 66 books whereas the catholic bible has 73 books
- Catholic worship mother Mary and the bible whereas Lutheran worship the bible only
- Lutheran holy communion is received by everyone whereas catholic holy communion is received only by those who are in full communion with the denomination
- Catholic offers a mass prayer for those who have died whereas Lutheran offers mass prayers for those who have gone before us in eternal life.
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Similarities between Catholicism and Lutheranism
- Both belief in God
- Both authorities originate from the Bible
- Both perform holy mass communion
- Both receive sacraments
- Both belief in the existence of Jesus as the son of God
Catholic vs Lutheran FAQs
Is Lutheran Considered Catholic?
No. It is a branch of Christianity that interprets Christian religion based on the teachings of Martin Luther.
Do Lutherans Believe in the Virgin Mary?
Lutherans believe that the person Jesus is God the Son who was incarnated in the womb of his mother Mary. Lutherans have always believed that Mary is the Theotokos, the God-bearer.
Can a Lutheran Marry a Catholic?
Yes. But the Lutheran will not be allowed to receive Holy Communion in a catholic church. The couple must attend prenuptial classes if they are going to be married by the Catholic priest.
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Conclusion
Both Lutherans and catholic are Christian religions. However, they tend to have a lot of issues relating to their belief and practices.
The core difference between catholic and Lutherans is that catholic have 73 books in the bible whereas Lutherans have 66 books in the bible.
More Sources and References
- Catholic and Lutherans. American Magazine
- Human and Divine Agency. Google Classroom
- European Journal of Sociology. Cambridge Journal