Where in scripture is this taught?
Scripture does not “teach” ja4. People teach. Jesus commissioned His apostles to teach, not to write books that would teach apart from their authority.
In the book of Galatians, the Apostle writes about how it is possible, through our own actions and error (falling into sin) to cut oneself off from Christ - fall from Grace. Since there is no salvation apart from Christ, if we cut our selves off from HIs grace, there remains no sacrifice for sin.
Gal 5:4-5
4 You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
He also states clearly here, as he does in other places, that our hope lies ahead, and not behind. We have been made righteous by the blood of Christ, but we can step outside of that righteousness and fail to attain our hope.
If what you say is true then what am to make of Romans 5:1 where it says --Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul is saying “we are justified” now. How can a person become more justified?
This is indeed a divine mystery. However, it is clear from the Aposotlic Teaching that there are various levels of justification, and that some are in a greater state of grace than others.
It seems that if the catholic position is correct this is exactly what happened.
It seems this way to those who have been erroneously taught that salvation happens at one point in time, for all time.
Once you are saved you don’t become “more saved”.
I agree. This is why we understand salvation as something that we are working out in the present, and that we can be more or less in a state of grace, depending upon our choices.
Being a member of the Catholic church saves no one. Only faith in Christ does that… See I Corinthians 15:1-4 for example.
You are setting up a dichotomy that does not exist. Jesus identifies Himself completely with the Church, which is His Body. He is not separated from it. If one is a member of Christ, then one is a member of HIs Body, the Church.
When a catholic sins does she stop being a child of God and when she goes to confession is she then a child of God again?
No. Refusal to live according to one’s adopted status does not change the status. This is clear from the parable of the prodigal son. He never stopped being the son of his father. However, if he had not repented, and returned home, he would have died in the pig stye, and never reunited with his father. He would have died a rebellious son, who squandered his birthright.
