What is the Catholic model of Sanctification?

[firstmode]

Could you guys describe the Catholic Theology of Sanctification?

Here is how it is described within the Assemblies of God:

WE BELIEVE…Sanctification Initially Occurs at Salvation and is not only a declaration that a believer is holy, but also a progressive lifelong process of separating from evil as believers continually draw closer to God and become more Christlike.

1. Sanctification
   Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God.

Romans 12:1,2 [KJV/NIV]
1 Thessalonians 5:23 [KJV/NIV]
Hebrews 13:12 [KJV/NIV]
The Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Hebrews 12:14 [KJV/NIV]
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:15,16 [KJV/NIV]
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:1-11 [KJV/NIV]
Romans 6:13 [KJV/NIV]
Romans 8:1,2 [KJV/NIV]
Romans 8:13 [KJV/NIV]
Galatians 2:20 [KJV/NIV]
Philippians 2:12,13 [KJV/NIV]
1 Peter 1:5 [KJV/NIV]

 

[Murray1105]

I think we agree with what you said as far as salvation being a process. I would point out though that we believe that to be sanctified/justified it involves baptism, not faith alone but acting on that faith, using the sacraments like confession and the eucharist to keep us on the right course, and lastly that most of us will recieve the completion of sanctification in purgatory before we enter into heaven. The things that the church opposes are the beliefs like; once saved always saved, that god doesn’t actualy make you a new creation but just turns his head and pretends your new, that god has predestined who will and won’t enter heaven.

 

[DOShea]

Catholics don’t view salvation as a one-time, past event, as someone might mean when they ask, “Are you saved?”

Catholics, as the above poster noted, is an ongoing process. It starts with Baptism, when the Original sin (or all sins if adult) is removed and we receive sanctifying grace, which is a saving grace. That is why Catholics can say they “were” saved.

If we were all holy people, that would be enough, but we aren’t, we’re all sinners and if we commit a sin grievous enough to kill that sanctifying grace in our soul (i.e. Mortal sin), the grace is killed and all we are left with is sin. Dying in that state means forfeit of our eternal life.

To get it back, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), where with a contrite heart and honest confession of our sins we are absolved of those sins and restored to a state of sanctifying grace. This process goes on our whole lives, and is why Catholics can say we are “being saved.”

We have the Sacrament of the Eucharist that also brings us grace and makes our relationship with God and each other stronger, giving us, ideally, a stronger resistance to succumbing to temptations and falling out of grace.

When we die, in a state of grace, we have God’s promise of eternal life, but we may not be purified to that state of holy perfection needed to live in the presence of God, thus we may need to have the remnants of all those sins in our lives purged, in purgatory. This is not to say our sins were only partially forgiven by God - God does forgive all our sins and the guilt of those sins is removed, but that doesn’t mean His justice will demand no penalty for the rejection of Him every time of our own free will we chose to sin instead of keep His commandments. By our works of charity and other works throughout our lives we can help pay this debt off, but we can never be certain we’ve paid it in full at the time of our death. Thus the Catholic can say, “we hope to be saved.”

So the difference really is in the one-time event version vs. the ongoing, continual process.

I hope that helps.