Expert: J.M.J. West - 10/27/2008

Question
Salvation: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by baptismal regeneration and is maintained through the Catholic sacraments unless a willful act of sin is committed that breaks the state of sanctifying grace. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace which is received through simple faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that good works are the result of a change of the heart wrought in salvation (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17) and the fruit of that new life in Christ (John 15)....what is your interpretation of the doctrine of salvation, and if it disagrees with this please explain why, in comparing both views with scripture. thank you for your time. God bless


Answer
All salvation is by Grace, and the Church teaches precisely that.  There are two kinds of Grace given to men, "Actual" and "Sanctifying".  Sanctifying grace is the very life of God dwelling in us, and it is precisely what is needed to get to heaven (and is, infact, what heaven is - being completely, fully graced).  Actual grace is the grace we are given to complete a certain act.  The Church says "Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God's call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God's interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification." (CCC #2000)

As such the Sacraments act as CONDUITS of Sanctifying grace, and our reception in them is our participation in Actual grace.  

“Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace. The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions) accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.” (CCC #1084)

“Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies.” (CCC #1127)

So, ultimately, there is no contradiction, one simply needs to understand what Grace is and how it works.  We are indeed saved by Grace, through faith, and this faith is made manifest via works (though some actions which are participations in grace can merit for us other graces).

SeeAlso: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a2.htm

Peace of Christ,

-J.M.J. West