What is the difference between Christians and Catholics?

I have thought about this often because I have both family and friends that are Catholic.

First, I want to say that the Catholic Church is a Christian denomination. There are two important questions that we should look at when regarding other religions that help us understand their differences. The first question we should ask is “What does that religion think about Jesus?” The second question is “Is the Bible the final authority?” Catholics do read the Bible and do believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Who Jesus is and what He did for us is the most important issue in being a Christian and is what all Christians have in common.

The difference between other Christian churches and the Catholic Church is that the Catholic Church puts authority in the Bible and church tradition. It is in the church traditions that we differ. While we respect church tradition, we don't put authority in church tradition, meaning we don't consider the edicts (official statements) of the church equal with the words of the Bible.

We can talk about churches and our difference all we want but it all has to come down to a personal level. Each person must recognize that we sin and our need for a Savior in order to be right with God. Going to church every Sunday or following church traditions doesn’t make a person a Christian, it is that personal relationship we have with Jesus that makes us a Christian and make us right with God.