The Catholic Church has never denied that justification is by an act of God's grace. In fact, Catholic writers often sound perfectly biblical - and this is what leads to confusion. For example, consider the plain answer given to the question,, "How is the sinner justified?@ in Stephen Keenan's Doctrinal Catechism: "He is justified gratuitously by the pure mercy of God, not on account of his own or any human merit, but purely through the merits of Jesus Christ; for Jesus Christ is our only mediator of redemption, who alone, by his passion and death, has reconciled us to his Father."
    The problem here is not that Catholics teach that "justification occurs by grace." The problem is that the Catholic definition of "justification" and "grace" is different from what the Bible teaches. The Catholic Church teaches that justification is the infusion of sanctifying grace or supernatural ability which actually works to help make a person objectively righteous and pleasing in the eyes of God. If sustained until death, this grace permits one to merit entrance into heaven because of the righteous life he or she lived. One actually deserves heaven because one's own goodness, in part, has earned it. This explains why the basis for justification in Catholic theology is not the fact of Christ's righteousness being reckoned (imputed) to a believer by faith alone. Rather it is the fact that, through the sacraments, Christ's righteousness is infused into our very being so that we progressively become more and more righteous. And on that basis - the fact we have actual righteousness now - we are declared "righteous." Thus, in Catholicism justification occurs primarily by means of the sacraments and not exclusively by personal faith in Jesus Christ.
    Now, the Church argues that because this infusion of sanctifying ability is not merited by anyone, it is therefore entirely a free gift of God's grace. But what this really seems to say is that God gives the means by which individuals can help to earn their own salvation. In the end, what saves us is the work we do after conversion that have been energized by grace. Let's explain this more fully.
    In Catholic theology, infused grace is a spiritual power or strength given to believers that enables them to perform meritorious works. When believers cooperate with this grace and make good use of it, they gain the power to become just and righteous in themselves. If we have this "grace" (i.e., a power or substance) within us, we can then literally earn our way to heaven. How? By cooperating with the habitual grace within us, we can arrive at a state of actual righteousness. It is at this point only that we are then "declared" to be "just" because, in fact, we are objectively righteous. By further cooperating with God's grace and through individual performance of merit, we actually increase our grace and justification. Because "the soul becomes good and holy through the infusion of grace" as these are increased throughout life, a person naturally dies in a state of grace. Then he enters purgatory to pay the final penalty for his sins and to await his heavenly reward. In a very real sense, then, Catholic justification is simply God's recognition of human merit or goodness.
    Perhaps a review would be helpful at this point. In Catholicism, justification is an internal renovation and empowering of men - both a regeneration and sanctification. It comes through an infusion of God's grace and it means that people, in their own being, are made just or pleasing to God. The Catholic Encyclopedia offers the following as the definition of justification: "Primarily and simply justification is the possession of sanctifying grace . . . We are justified by Christ . . . and by good works . . ."
    According to Catholic teachings, justification is the gracious act of God whereby an individual - in cooperation with God - makes himself righteous. Another way of saying this is that justification is the work of grace within a man which assists in making him internally and externally holy:
 

. . . the Bile shows that justification is a rebirth. It is a generation of a supernatural life in a former sinner (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), a thorough inner renewal (Ephesians 4:23), and a real sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11). The soul itself becomes beautiful and holy. It is not just an ugly soul hidden under a beautiful cloak [a reference to the Protestant view of imputed righteousness]. Because it is beautiful and holy, it can be admitted to heaven where nothing unclean is allowed.
 

    Unfortunately, Catholicism has confused justification with sanctification and regeneration. As Catholic P. Gregory Stevens writes in The Life of Grace, "First of all, justification is a real and profound transformation of man [regeneration], a genuine gift of sanctification to him." But this is wrong because justification (Romans 3:28-4:6; Philippians 3:9), regeneration (John 3:6-7; John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15), and sanctification (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 3:18) are three distinct and separate biblical doctrines. To confuse them is to distort the very essence of biblical salvation.
    The Bible teaches that justification is God's work of grace in Christ declaring the believer righteous. It is not God's work of grace in man to actually make him righteous, which is sanctification. (See Romans 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:30).