[5] Her doctrines are laid down in her six
Confessions, contained in the Book of Concord.
[Footnote 5: Since a particular Church is no older than her distinctive
confession, the Lutheran Church is more than thirty years older than the
Roman Catholic Church; for the Augsburg Confession was adopted in 1530,
while the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, which are the
Confession of the Roman Catholic Church, were not completed until 1563.
The ecumenical creeds are accepted by both Churches, and therefore prove
nothing as regards their _relative_ age.]
THE CHURCH OF THE PURE GOSPEL. The Lutheran Church receives the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the only rule and standard
of religious teaching. The Roman Catholic Church accepts the tradition
of the Church as of equal authority with the Holy Scriptures.
The Lutheran Church teaches the great central doctrine of the Gospel,
that we are saved by _faith alone_ without works. The Roman Catholic
Church teaches that we are justified by faith _and works_.
Pages:
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191