This is probably something I should know as a Catholic, but I’m finding that I really don’t know: how does salvation (catholic perspective) work?
I recently told my baptist friend that Catholics believe this about salvation:
It’s a process that takes one’s whole life, and even beyond (purgatory).
Rather than being given ALL the grace at once to get to heaven at baptism, and no matter what we do in our lives we still go to heaven, God gives us little “shots” of grace constantly.
We literally become perfect. God doesn’t just look at us and see Jesus, as most baptists think; but we ourselves, thru God’s grace, literally become perfect. This means we can literally, thru responding to all of God’s grace, reach the point where we sin no more.
Did I correctly describe the Catholic view of salvation? From my understanding, God gives us grace every single day–every single moment–to choose Him over whatever sin we may be faced with. It is up to us to respond to His grace and choose Him over the sin. In other words, we have a very active role in our own salvation, as opposed to the baptist view that you accept Jesus, sit back and relax. Is that an accurate description?
2. Rather than being given ALL the grace at once to get to heaven at baptism, and no matter what we do in our lives we still go to heaven, God gives us little “shots” of grace constantly.
Yes, you are right. If one were in a mood to quibble, one could say that all the grace needed to get to heaven is given in baptism. If you die right after baptism, you go to heaven. The “little shots of grace” in the Eucharist and Penance and Matrimony etc. are ordered towards baptismal grace, i.e., they are given to help maintain and increase the grace received in baptism.
DISCLAIMER: Catholic Answers has turned over the archive to Catholic-Questions.org and no longer owns, manages, or moderates the forums. For additional apologetics resources please visit www.catholic.com.
