Catholics and Salvation?

Question

How exactly does the process of salvation work in the Catholic church? What I mean is how does one go about getting saved in it. I know in most protestant churches a sermon is preached and an altar call is given. Those who are lost and want to get saved will come and pray. I have seen people literally run to the altar. How is this done in the Catholic church?

Answer 1

It is usually best to go to an appropriate Catholic source for questions like this. With all respect to my sister Kait, that source would not be Ron Rhodes. Works and works and more works is not Catholic doctrine.

The quote below from Catholic Encyclopedia addresses adult salvation (conversion). I have also included links to search results for salvation, justification, and regeneration in the Catechism.

"The Council of Trent describes the process of salvation from sin in the case of an adult with great minuteness (Sess. VI, v-vi).

"It begins with the grace of God which touches a sinner's heart, and calls him to repentance. This grace cannot be merited; it proceeds solely from the love and mercy of God. Man may receive or reject this inspiration of God, he may turn to God or remain in sin. Grace does not constrain man's free will.

"Thus assisted the sinner is disposed for salvation from sin; he believes in the revelation and promises of God, he fears God's justice, hopes in his mercy, trusts that God will be merciful to him for Christ's sake, begins to love God as the source of all justice, hates and detests his sins.

"This disposition is followed by justification itself, which consists not in the mere remission of sins, but in the sanctification and renewal of the inner man by the voluntary reception of God's grace and gifts, whence a man becomes just instead of unjust, a friend instead of a foe and so an heir according to hope of eternal life. This change happens either by reason of a perfect act of charity elicited by a well disposed sinner or by virtue of the Sacrament either of Baptism or of Penance according to the condition of the respective subject laden with sin. The Council further indicates the causes of this change. By the merit of the Most Holy Passion through the Holy Spirit, the charity of God is shed abroad in the hearts of those who are justified."

Boiled down: We see salvation as a process instead of a one-time event called "getting saved", a process in which we cooperate through faith with the unmerited grace we are given -- and continue to do so to our last day. The sacrament of baptism is no more a "work" than the public profession of faith one makes in a Protestant setting; the "work" of baptism (and indeed all of the sacraments) is done by the Holy Spirit.

If you're looking for a Catholic equivalent to the Protestant "getting saved" moment, normally speaking the closest thing would be the sacrament of Confirmation. However, adult converts often receive baptism, confirmation and first Holy Communion all at the same Mass, and so they'd be correct in considering it their "born again" moment!

We do believe that one "works out" one's salvation ... but this does not equal a doctrine of salvation by works alone. Just as "faith without works is dead", works without faith are empty. And grace is absolutely necessary.

Answer 2

Hi, Edge. Catholicism is full-gospel Christianity. Catholics don't take a single requirement, like repentence or faith, and ignore all the other requirements Jesus taught.

Salvation requires baptism (Mark 16:16; John 3:5), believing Christ and putting faith in him (e.g., Luke 7:50, 8:12), self-renunciation (e.g., Matt 5:3, 10), repentance (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 18:8-9; Mark 9:42-48), obedience to God, doing what is right and just (e.g., Luke 10:25-28; John 12:50), adopting the humility of a child (Matt 18:3-4; 19:14), eating the bread of life (John 6:51, 53-54), and endurance to the end (Matt 10:22, 24:13; Mark 13:13, Luke 21:16-18).

Because Catholics understand that salvation requires a sustaining friendship with God that endures to the end, we don't say that we are saved, period. As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like St. Paul, we are working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

With the truncated, oversimplified gospel of evangelical Protestantism, the promulgators have to patch over the obvious incongruities with elaborate rationalizations.

For instance, when the fact of recidivism exposes the flaws of "once in grace, always in grace," we are told that a return to sin implies that no conversion actually took place.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 3

There is no 'process' for salvation. People have often come to a belief in Christ before an altar call and it is a public demonstration of their belief. Only God can open the eyes of a person to see the truth and you then respond to that in a variety of ways - usually by acknowledging it and being baptised. The main problem is that Protestants believe that God gives you the faith and you are saved. The Roman Church teaches that you need works as well (the sacraments) to be saved.

Answer 4

The way so many Protestants have managed to transpose works and grace never ceases to amaze me. Let's examine what a sacrament *actually* is, and especially, who performs a sacrament. A sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace, which actually achieves what it signifies. In other words, it is in the sacraments that we ordinarily receive grace. But who performs a sacrament? A sacrament is not the work of the recipient; it is the work of the Holy Spirit, performed through the outward actions of a person *other than* the recpient. No person who receives a sacrament is working for it; it is a gift from God. Without the sacraments, we have the spectacle in Protestant churches of people getting up and giving testemonies to the congregation to show how they repented and "got right with God." Think about that for a moment. Salvation for most Protestants has become a mental exercise on the part of the Christian. Wouldn't such mental exercises be, um, *works*??? "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of ourselves,it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast." We are saved by grace. That grace is received in the sacraments, which are a gift from God. The important thing to understand about the sacraments is that they are *external*. I can't perform a sacrament on myself; the sacrament must be administered to me by a person acting as God's ambassador. Therefore, I have nothing to boast about. I didn't baptize myself. I didn't forgive myself. I didn't give myself the Eucharist. It all comes from outside of me. Which part of this don't you people get?

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic Church states that Christians are saved by meritorious works (beginning with baptism) and that salvation is maintained by good works (receiving the sacraments, confession of sin to a priest, etc.)

Answer 6

We are saved by the sacrifice, mercy and grace of God. There does not need to be an altar call...only the call of the creator to those he loves and the acceptance of those he calls to love him back.

Catholics know that they are brought to God by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins. That is the beginning of the journey Christ calls us too. He tells us to take up our cross and follow him. As we do that, we are led deeper and deeper into the heart of God, into his divine mercy and to salvation.

Answer 7

Well, we believe that if you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the key to salvation that's the first part. Then you have to live you life accordingly. Believing in Jesus gets you to the gates. Striving to live as Jesus gets you in.

There isnt a service for people to shout 'I BELIEVE!' in, but there is confirmation. Thats kinda similar. I'll have mine the night before Easter

Answer 8

In the Catholic Church, we have the Sacrament of Confession(AKA Reconciliation). We confess all our sins to the priest & he gives us Absolution.

And yes, this is Biblical(The Gospel according to St. John, chapter 20, verse 23).

In addition, we say prayers of repentance for our sins. The most well known one is the Act of Contrition:

"O My God, I am heartily sorry for having Offended Thee. And I detest all my sins because of Thy Just Punishments: The Loss of Heaven and the Pains of Hell. But, most of all, because they Offend Thee, My God, Who Are All Good, and Deserving all my love. I firmly resolve with the Help of Thy Holy Grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."

We also pray for one another, & we ask the Saints in Heaven to pray for us all, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, because she is the Mother Of God, & therefore, her prayers are by far, the most Powerful in intereceding with Him.

Answer 9

catholic mass is 1 hour

starts with some prayers, a couple of passages (gospel)...then the priest talks for a while to tell anecdotes on the passages read to help people understand the passages better (homily). then, communion (transubstantiation and such) followed by a couple more prayers and church is done.

no rushing to the alter...no one moves besides standing/sitting/kneeling and going up for communion.

throw in some singing here and there...and then we go home and watch football.

Answer 10

well they do a bunch of rituals & you give them money & they tell you your saved, I'm an excatholic

to the lady who was confirmed at easter, can you tell me where in the Bible easter is found? that is not a christian celebration. there is only ONE CELEBRATION that christians are to observe

(1 Corinthians 11:20-22) . . .Therefore, when YOU come together to one place, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s evening meal. 21 For, when YOU eat [it], each one takes his own evening meal beforehand, so that one is hungry but another is intoxicated. 22 Certainly YOU do have houses for eating and drinking, do YOU not? Or do YOU despise the congregation of God and make those who have nothing ashamed? What shall I say to YOU? Shall I commend YOU? In this I do not commend YOU.