The critical and fundamental insistence that justification is a process like sanctification is entirely negated by the mouth of God as Jesus Messiah is entirely eradicated by the following Scriptural passage:
"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Lk. 18:10 -14 AV)
The response to a saving faith is instantaneous justification, and in this passage it is in the perfect tense: The repentant confessing faithful stands saved and justified instantaneously, with everlasting effect, while the works-doer cannot earn his way into Jesus' favor, and Jesus clearly points this out to his disciples.
So be it, and take heed. You can scratch out Post #24 on this.
I will be using this as an example of displaying false salvation doctrine to my students, actually today.
Here you are portraying a misunderstanding of Catholic teaching. Justification includes the process of sanctification, it is not dependent on it. It is not a question that we need to achieve a certain level of sanctification in order to be justified. As the Catechism states: "Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith." Justification opens us up to the grace of God which truly sanctifies us. Whatever is lacking in this process of sanctification God will complete after death. Through justification we become sanctified; it is not through sanctification that we become justified.
I know that Protestants like to throw around the charge that Catholics believe in works salvation but this is not true. Again from the Catechism: "Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ [emphasis in the original] who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men." No one earns his salvation, it is a pure gift from God.