The Salvation Project

By: Laurence Gonzaga
Published on Faithful Answers

One of the most relevant and controversial topics among Christians is the issue of salvation. Many theological terms such as justification, salvation, sanctification, soteriology, atonement, propitiation, and expiation can easily confuse the untaught and unlearned. Other Christian communions also use these same terms but mean different things by them. So, I wanted to simply summarize this whole salvation business so you can get the facts down before you venture into a more in depth study of the issues.

Salvation is a team effort. It is a work in progress, a joint project between you and God. Because of Adam’s original sin, we have a fallen nature. We have a propensity to sin, always. This attraction to the world, the flesh, and the Devil is called concupiscence. We are not born “basically good” as the humanists believe. Apart from God, we can do no civil or moral good on our own.

Grace is the life of God operating in our lives, and there are different kinds of grace. God gives everyone, to a greater or lesser degree, actual grace. Actual grace enables us to do two things, do the good, and avoid evil. The unbeliever, before conversion, is given a prompting or preparing grace called prevenient grace. This grace orients man towards God, and now his free will is exercised, to either accept or reject God. When he accepts God, he is given the gift of faith. When he is baptized, he is then infused with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. He is now in a right or proper relationship with God, a state called justified. When a man is justified, he is righteous before God because he has been infused with Christ’s righteousness. The fruits of the redemption at the Cross are made effective in his life. At this point the life of growing in holiness begins, a process called sanctification.

The life of grace, or “state of grace”, is destroyed and communion with God is severed, when we commit a mortal sin. This state is restored, and justification received once more when we confess our sins to a priest and receive absolution. Sanctification begins once more. We can live an entire life of virtue, but if on our death bed we are not in a state of grace, our souls are lost. On the other hand, we can live an entire life of debauchery, but if on our death bed we are repentant, contrite, and seek the sacraments, we receive the grace of final perseverance and we may enter the gates of heaven, perhaps with some “time” spent in Purgatory, but we would be saved nonetheless.

In summary, the salvation project starts with God prompting, me responding, God justifying, me conforming, God nourishing, me persevering, and ultimately God saving and me cooperating.

That’s the salvation project, in brief.

+Pax tecum+