Protestants believe that both good deeds and faith in God are needed to get into heaven. Protestants believe that faith in God alone is needed to get into heaven, a tenet known as sola fide. Catholics believe that both good deeds and faith in God are needed to get into heaven.
Protestant Christianity shares a belief in life after death for everyone. Those who have made peace with God through acceptance and adherence to the teachings of Jesus will live forever in Heaven; those who do not will spend eternity banished from God in a place of punishment.
Generally speaking, Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers in the 16th century espoused the belief that salvation is attained only through faith in Jesus and his atoning sacrifice on the cross (sola fide), while Catholicism taught that salvation comes through a combination of faith plus good works (e.g., living a ...
Most Protestants believe that salvation is achieved through God's grace alone, and once salvation is secured in the person, good works will be a result of this, allowing good works to often operate as a signifier for salvation.
Often a service will be held at the grave site, usually attended by family and close friends. A brief service will be conducted by the pastor, reading a familiar passage of Scripture, like Psalm 23, and offering a few words and prayer for the final committal. The body may be buried before or after the funeral service.
Protestants believe that both good deeds and faith in God are needed to get into heaven. Protestants believe that faith in God alone is needed to get into heaven, a tenet known as sola fide.
One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), also known as the sin unto death, is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, and Luke 12:10, as well as other New Testament passages including Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–31, and 1 John 5:16.
Liberal Protestants believe that the soul lives on eternally after death in a spirit world. They believe that a person's afterlife will depend on how the person lived their life on Earth.
The funeral service is usually held in a church or funeral home under the direction of a pastor or minister. This rite centers on the transition to everlasting life and commonly consists of prayers, eulogies and remembrances, the reading of Biblical passages and music selections.
In the spirit of Vatican II, the Catholic Church has embraced a more open approach to Christian unity to both Protestants and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Roman Catholic Church reveres Mary, the mother of Jesus, as "Queen of Heaven." However, there are few biblical references to support the Catholic Marian dogmas — which include the Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and her Assumption into heaven. This is why they are rejected by Protestants.
Comparison of Protestants
For Calvin, humanity possesses "free will," but it is in bondage to sin, unless it is "transformed."
More than 7 in 10 mainline Protestants and Catholics say they believe in Jesus' physical resurrection, but that is fewer than the more than 9 in 10 evangelicals and Black Protestants who say they believe.
The Lutheran Reformers de-emphasized prayer for the dead, because they believed that the practice had led to many abuses and even to false doctrine, in particular the doctrine of purgatory and of the Mass as a propitiatory sacrifice for the departed.
Cremation is Accepted (But Not Mandatory)
In the Protestant Faith, cremation became a common choice after World War I. After cremation, it's common for the ashes to be buried in the ground with an upright monument. They may also go in a mausoleum or columbarium.
Some Christians, including many Protestants, believe Jesus could have been crucified and buried at a different place in Jerusalem known as the Garden Tomb. STEVE BRIDGE (Deputy Director, The Garden Tomb): The tomb was discovered in 1867.
Protestant Funeral Customs
An open casket viewing allows guests a final opportunity to say goodbye. A visitation may also be held with a closed casket, a cremation urn, or simply photographs of the loved one. While Protestants often expect family to stay throughout the entire viewing, this is not required.
They believe in one journey through earthly life which ends in death. By God's grace this may be a life that is lived by faith and through repentance in accord with God and God's promise of resurrection after death in certain hope of heaven.
Baptized Christians
In short, someone who desires a Catholic funeral can often receive one, but the wishes of the person should be respected. A funeral should not take place in a Catholic church if it would be contrary to the intention of the deceased.
In general, Protestant churches reject the Catholic doctrine of purgatory although some teach the existence of an intermediate state.
The Protestant Christian tradition does not have official customs or regulations about how often friends or family should visit the cemetery. The grave may be attended by family and friends to show honor and respect for the deceased.
The Protestant Reformation
It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin.
"If you say something like 'Oh my God,' then you're using His name in vain, but if you're saying something like OMG it's not really using the Lord's name in vain because you're not saying 'Oh my God.
In other words, the unpardonable sin is the refusal to accept salvation when it is offered by God at the time of death (i.e. final impenitence). Grace comes to us through the Holy Spirit and by rejecting that final grace, we sin against the Spirit. It is hard to imagine anyone refusing salvation, but it happens.
Many Protestants of a Calvinist orientation teach that, due to original sin, humanity has lost any and all capacity to move towards reconciliation with God (Romans 3:23;6:23; Ephesians 2:1–3); in fact, this inborn sin turns humans away from God and towards themselves and their own desires (Isaiah 53:6a).