Thread:The Bibliomaniac/@comment-142.165.218.38-20190527231203/@comment-37166538-20190530220742

If you aren't Catholic, you're most likely Protestant. It's pronounced PRA-tust-ent, meaning not Catholic. You may see "protest" in the word, but it's not like we're actively protesting the Catholic church. It''s simply that they are the church bodies that formed apart from the Cathoic church in the 1500s. This includes Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc. The main differences between me (Lutheran) and other Protestant churches are:

- We believe it closed communion, meaning that we don't take the Lord's Supper with those who we don't share the same doctrine as.

- We believe you can and should baptize babies.

- We believe that you don't have to do good works to go to heaven. However, we believe that if you are living in a sin, or something the Bible says not to do, and you don't repent of it, even when people point out your sin, that shows unbelief. In other words, we believe that sinners who, by the Holy Spirit, repent of their sins, go to heaven.

- We believe that you do not accept Jesus into your heart, but rather that the Holy Spirit plants faith in your heart. You can reject that faith, but you cannot bring it into your heart of your own accord. That's the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who hear God's Word.

- We believe that you are saved (rescued from the death we deserve because of sins and on our way to heaven) by God's grace alone, through faith alone. That's according to the words of  Ephesians 2:8-9, which are: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— by works, so that no one can boast.

I hope this helps! I'm happy to answer any questions, although I ask you kindly that you don't attack my beliefs. I'll respect yours as much as I'm sure you'll respect mine. :-)