How Catholics Understand Righteousness (Justification/Sanctification)
Catholic Unity Through Infused Righteousness: In Catholic teaching, justification and sanctification aren't separate processes because they both involve the same reality - infused righteousness. When God justifies someone, He actually infuses righteousness into their soul, and sanctification is simply the increase of that same infused righteousness over time.
What Infused Righteousness Means at Justification: At baptism, God doesn't just declare someone righteous - He literally infuses righteousness into their soul, making them actually righteous. This isn't legal fiction; it's ontological transformation. The Council of Trent taught that God "makes us just" through this infusion of righteousness, not merely declares us just.
Sanctification as Growth in Infused Righteousness: Sanctification is the ongoing increase of that same righteousness that was initially infused at justification. As we cooperate with grace through prayer, sacraments, and good works, the righteousness within us actually grows. We become more and more truly righteous - not just better at appearing righteous.
Why Infused Righteousness Explains Good Works: When righteousness is really present and growing in someone's soul, good works naturally flow from that reality. James's statement that "faith without works is dead" makes perfect sense - living faith demonstrates the presence of real, infused righteousness, while dead faith shows its absence. Works aren't added to righteousness; they're the natural fruit of infused righteousness.
The Sacramental System and Infused Righteousness: This understanding shows why the Catholic sacramental framework is so beautiful. Each sacrament actually increases infused righteousness:
Baptism provides the initial infusion of righteousness
Confirmation strengthens that infused righteousness
Eucharist nourishes and increases the righteousness within us
Confession restores infused righteousness when it's been damaged by sin
Marriage/Orders provide grace that enhances righteousness in specific vocations
Each sacrament works with the same reality - actual righteousness infused into the soul.
Merit and Infused Righteousness: Because we possess real, infused righteousness through grace, our good works performed in that righteousness actually have merit before God. We're not just producing evidence of an external declaration - we're acting from genuine righteousness within us, which God rewards.
Loss of Salvation and Infused Righteousness: Since righteousness is truly infused but can grow or diminish based on our cooperation with grace, this explains why mortal sin can destroy the righteousness within us, leading to loss of salvation. Conversely, growth in grace increases our infused righteousness.
The Beauty of Real Transformation: Infused righteousness means Catholics are actually becoming holy, not just being treated as if we were holy while remaining corrupt. The righteousness isn't a legal covering - it's a real quality of the soul that transforms us from within.
This understanding of infused righteousness as the foundation of both justification and sanctification provides a coherent framework that explains the necessity of good works, the efficacy of sacraments, the possibility of merit, and the reality of spiritual growth - all as part of God's unified work of making us truly righteous.