Do Reformed Protestants and Roman Catholics understand grace differently?

When Reformed Christians and Roman Catholics speak of grace, are we actually talking about two different things? From one of our live Ask Ligonier events, Sinclair Ferguson contrasts the Protestant understanding of grace with Roman Catholic theology.

[craigsherman]

The key here is when he says “Luther discovered.” The problem with that is the Bible specifically says that it is not up for one’s own interpretation and that if there is a disagreement, you take it to the Church. Well, this is what happened in his dialogue with Eck and Luther dismissed all of what Eck said against his position because that is not how Luther understood the Bible and thus refused to listen to the pillar and bulwark of truth found in the Catholic Church and was thus excommunicated.
Today there are more than 5000 Protestant denominations all claiming the same thing Luther did with no authority except themselves.

[jessyjonas]

Grace alone means that God loves, forgives, and saves us not because of who we are or what we do, but because of the work of Christ.

[denonjoka]

Hawayu Ligonier Ministries *& I Say Thanks 2 Pst. Sinclair Ferguson 4 Answering This Powerful, Blessful, Deep Question on "Do Reform Protestants & Roman Catholics Understand Grace Differently ?" Where I Agree 💯% With Pst. Sinclair Ferguson When He Says That Roman Catholics Made Grace Look Like Sacraments While Even Some Reform Protestants Don't Understand The Grace of Our Great Almighty God 4 Grace Is The Unmerited Favor of Our Great Almighty God Where We've Been Saved By Grace Thru Faith & It's Not Our Own That We Should Boast 4 Salvation Is The Gift of God & The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ & The Love of God & The Fellowship of The Holy Spirit Be With Us Now & Forever More. AMEN Written In Ephesians 2:8 & 2nd Corinthians 13:14 4 The Grace of Our Great Almighty God Is His Unmerited Favor Over Us & His Unmerited Favor Upon Us* & God Bless Yu Pst. Sinclair Ferguson & Ligonier Ministries So Very, Very Much 4 I Have Been Blessed.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️

[JoshAlicea]

Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostle John talked about the Eucharist as “the medicine of immortality.” That’s in the early 2nd century, not left over from the Middle Ages.

We are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are sanctified by the continuous grace poured out and offered through the Holy Spirit. We cannot conflate justification and sanctification. Sanctification is a fruit of justification, not an addition to justification. Therefore, when we receive the sacraments, we are being fed for our journey through the wilderness.

Being fed in the wilderness did not add to or take away from what had been done at the Red Sea. It merely sustained them as long as it was received in faith.

[jenJ-uqej]

Thank you ALL for bringing us closer to God!

[jessyjonas]

By grace are we saved through faith it it is the gift of God so man cannot boast

[terminat]

It doesn't matter what others think. It only matters what the Bible teaches.

Grace, by definition, is 100% undeserved. Salvation is of grace, not works, nor merit. God saves whom He wishes to, and He is sovereign (Romans 9:15-16).

[hamidrabiipour]

All I can say is that our beloved Dr. should have consulted a Catholic priest before making this video so he could give correct information. You can obtain correct info by checking "Catholic Answers"

[josephbarr]

Such an important distinction to make. Thanks Dr. Ferguson

[Greg-n]

"Roman Catholic theology tended to speak of grace as though it were a substance" This is just grossly false...
Question 110 Article 2 of the Summa clearly states that Grace "is not a substance"... the quote in full (reply to objection 2): "Every substance is either the nature of the thing whereof it is the substance or is a part of the nature, even as matter and form are called substance. And because grace is above human nature, it cannot be a substance or a substantial form, but is an accidental form of the soul. Now what is substantially in God, becomes accidental in the soul participating the Divine goodness, as is clear in the case of knowledge. And thus because the soul participates in the Divine goodness imperfectly, the participation of the Divine goodness, which is grace, has its being in the soul in a less perfect way than the soul subsists in itself"

Dr. Ferguson should be ashamed of his utter misconstrual of catholic theology with his claim of the contrary...error spoken with such smug confidence.

[dirtypatwalsh]

Grace is by faith alone…so simple a child can understand. Believe in Jesus, trust the Savior not the sinner! All of our “works”…of which we could never do enough, are filthy rags. God wants all of us in heaven to increase his glory! Believe and you are saved🙏✝️❤️‍🔥 Amen?

[BeatrizMartinez-dyoy]

According to Scripture, we can do nothing to earn salvation, nor are our best efforts good enough to elicit a gracious response from God so that He will make up the difference. All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even considering our best efforts, we have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23), and we deserve death (Romans 6:23). We are not commanded to “do our best” for God but to love Him perfectly and completely (Matthew 22:37). We fail in that. The command is not to “try” to love our neighbors but to actually succeed in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). In spite of our “best efforts, ” we fail—and who can honestly claim they gave it their “best effort” anyway?

[mwally]

You have not actually read what the Catholic Church truely teaches. There may have been discussion that grace is a substance. But the Church teaches that it is not a "thing" In short minus details, it is the Work of God Himself in you and through you (Phil 1:3-6). The sacraments, called mysteries in the eastern churches, says that God works through the sacraments in a sanctifying way. But actual grace, to come to know God and do God's will, is available to anyone.

[frederic]

The Biblical New Covenant narrative is that Grace can only be received in the Sacraments. I did not hear Ligonier give any Biblical verse or example of how Grace is received without a Sacrament. As a matter of fact, Biblically speaking, in the New Covenant Church, not one single person ever received Grace outside of the Sacraments. I sincerely pray that more people will read the Bible for themselves rather than listen to videos like this without checking the Biblical facts. Never be afraid to challenge what you hear, especially if you know that it is in opposition to the Bible.

[mikesturm]

Distinctions without differences! Westminster Confession of Faith indicates that only ordained ministers can oversee the two Sacraments. Further, both Mr Ferguson and Ligonier generally identify, in other videos and publications, that these Sacraments are a means of grace. Sounds like the Roman Catholic approach to me (albeit with different numbers of Sacraments though this is a separate discussion). Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic catechism is very clear that all grace comes from God with sacraments being but channels. The are difference between Roman Catholic teachings and Protestant teachings in many important areas but this isn’t one of them; videos like the above just perpetuate unnecessary walls and prejudices.

[stevenhooser]

Would God join a man and woman in marriage if they are not both regenerated?

[MistaSCARY]

GRACE is unmerited favor from God. Jesus Paid Our Sin Debt. A debt that we couldn’t pay. Believe on Jesus Christ as your LORD & SAVIOUR.
John 14:6

[stevenhooser]

Is it possible for the Holy Spirit to give you grace beyond what is shown in scripture? Can you through the Holy Spirit legitimately know more than what is in the bible?

[INRIVivatChristusRex]

Of course Grace is in the person of JesusChrist. We Catholics agree on this. Luther’s understanding is heretical and this explanation comes really short and misrepresents the Catholic Faith. Next time bring a Catholic Theologian to explain the Catholic view. Thanks.

[justfromcatholic]

In the Catholic Church grace is not limited only in Sacraments as Dr. Ferguson stated. There are actual and sanctifying grace. The former is given WITHOUT Sacraments - it is the grace that enables us to have faith and to obey His Commandments. Both Catholics and Protestants understand grace in the same way, that is it is favour from God or it is whatever God does for us that we do not deserve.  

According to the Reformers through faith alone justification we receive righteousness of Christ imputed on or credited to us, while our sins, past and future, are imputed on or credited to Christ. Reformers' concept of justification does not make us righteous but only makes us counted as righteous based on alien/external righteousness of Christ. In the same way while our sins are imputed on Christ, they do not make Him sinner either.  

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, teaches that through on-going justification we are made righteous as Scripture says in Rom. 5:19: "through Christ we are made righteous". Scripture says that we lose righteousness through sinning in Ezekiel 33:12: "the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins". There are deadly and non-deadly sins according to Scripture (1 John 5:16-17). That is why God gives us Sanctifying grace that comes through Sacraments, through which our sins, committed after having faith in Christ, are forgiven and returns our righteous state back. Under imputation concept of the Reformers, what Ezekiel 33:12 and 1 John 5:16-17 say become meaningless. If we never become righteous (and we don't need to) we cannot lose it. All out sins, be they deadly or non-deadly ones, are imputed on Christ, who bore them on the cross.