Always glad when we can have some agreement here.
My agree-to-disagree part with this point is that we don't "save" anyone, only Jesus Christ saves and that only comes when God has opened spiritual eyes and hearts to understand the truth of the gospel. What may surprise you is that I CAN agree that the Eucharist and Reconciliation are part of that process - just not in the way the Catholic church does. Jesus said we must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. I don't take him literally to mean, as Catholicism teaches, that this can only happen when a Catholic priest says specific words and calls down the Lord from heaven to inhabit bread/wafers and wine and that the receiving of these transmutated elements is what imparts eternal life. I agree with many of the early church fathers who recognized that this HAD TO BE figurative/metaphor and that when we BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, we ARE eating and drinking him. It is, after all, faith that brings salvation and not partaking of bread and wine. I think you would agree that without faith, the act of taking Communion imparts no benefit. Seeing that "eucharist" means thanksgiving, I believe that we demonstrate both our faith as well as out gratitude to God when we together with fellow believers partake of the Lord's Supper.
I also believe in "reconciliation" - though I disagree that a priest alone can impart forgiveness and absolution for confessed sins. Repentance is part of that process towards faith in Christ. It is us "changing our minds" about our lives and how we see God and being reconciled to Him through Christ. Scripture tells us that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for each other for healing. When we have sinned against someone, we should go to that person and confess and ask for their forgiveness. We should ask God for forgiveness and make amends for wrongs we have committed against another. The blood of Jesus Christ constantly cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness. The confession process restores both our relationship with others and with God. It also heals our hearts and that is always a good thing.
So, you see, we don't differ all that much except perhaps in the way we define terms. Where I doubt we will ever see eye to eye is justification by faith alone. This IS the basis for the rest of the doctrines. Without faith, there can be no Reconciliation nor a proper realization of the Eucharist. If I were trying to lead a loved one to salvation, that would be the starting point. Observing Communion and Confession are the TRUE "helper" doctrines and the truth of the gospel and salvation can be found outside of the Roman Catholic church. So that remains the obstacle to our full agreement. But I do appreciate your respectful answer.
Thanks for that post. All good.
I was trying to ask this question much earlier in this thread:
* Do Protestants believe that receiving the Catholic Eucharist is an evil act?
Why not allow us think of it as a “helper” (if non-distracting from the goal), and not attack us for it.
I admit I haven’t had the time yet to read all the answers. Some apparently think we’re evil for drinking human blood, despite the plausible and literal Scripture such as John 6, and the fact they themselves don’t even believe it’s blood.