It is evident from the teaching of the Church of Rome, that there is a fundamental difference between their understanding of “Salvation by Grace alone”, and that of the Reformed Protestant Churches. This is clearly demonstrated, not only by the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, but also by their inclusion of a “secondary Grace” merited through observances and good works. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church para. 1997 the Roman Church teaches, “Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ…”. In para. 1999, they teach, “The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification”. Then in para. 2010 it adds to “Sanctifying Grace” and says “ Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life” (italics as original, bold emphasis mine). Thus the Church of Rome introduces a two-tear system of Grace, Grace bestowed freely through the sacraments and Grace merited through works, both being needed in order to receive eternal life.

ROME DENIES SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE IN ITS DEFINITION OF JUSTIFICATION

Rome's gospel is a confused combination of faith plus works, grace plus sacraments, Christ plus the Church. It redefines grace to include works. It confuses justification with sanctification. It views justification not as a once-for-all legal declaration whereby the sinner is declared righteous before God and is granted eternal life as the unmerited gift of God, but as a process whereby the sinner is gradually saved through participation in the sacraments. There is no security in the Roman gospel because salvation allegedly depends on mans participation in the sacraments and upon upon a man's works. According to Roman Catholic theology, Christ purchased salvation and gave it to the Catholic Church to be distributed to men through its sacraments. This is not only a false gospel; it is a blasphemous usurpation of Christ's position as only Lord, Savior and Mediator.

In it’s most formal and authoritative statements since Trent, Rome continues to deny that salvation is by faith alone through Christ's atonement without works or sacraments.
Consider the following statements of Vatican II Council of the mid-1960s, called by Pope John Paul XXIII and attended by more than 2,400 Catholic bishops—

"…As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out" (bold emphasis mine)

Rome denies salvation by faith alone in many other ways. Not only in most authoritative declarations nor by its definition of justification, but in so many other ways Rome denies the once-for-all sufficiency of Christ's atonement, His sole mediator ship, and the doctrine of salvation through faith alone by grace alone without works.

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMAL REGENERATION

The ‘New Catholic Catechism’ declares: "Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are 'reborn of water and the Spirit.' God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments" para 1257(italics original, bold emphasis mine).

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS

"The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. ... The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the Saviour." Para 1129 (italics original).

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY

The Catechism teaches that "All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” Para 1030.

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF CONFESSION

The is teaching that “One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the un-confessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience." Para 1493. "Individual and integral confession of grave sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church." Para 1497.

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF MARY

"’In a wholly singular way she co-operated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Saviour's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.’" Para 968. “Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation…” Para 969.(bold emphasis mine)

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS

"In the communion of saints, ‘a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things. In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin." Para 1475.

BY IT’S DOCTRINE OF INDULGENCES

"’An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.’ ‘...Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead." Para 1471.

CONCLUSION

Rome has not changed her doctrinal position nor her claim to be the one, true, holy, apostolic church. Rather, she is engaged in a clever ploy. She is using the ecumenical movement to bring the Protestant Churches back into full communion with her doctrines and authority, and she seems to be gaining great success. The amazing fact is that Rome has not hidden her goal in ecumenical relations.