Yes, Catholics believe that one is SAVED by Grace through faith in Jesus. But it goes far deeper than Luther's view from the 1500's of faith alone.
According to the dictionary, a misnomer is a wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term. I think the Protestant use of the word SAVED whether it's OSAS ( once saved always saved ) or that one can lose their salvation could be a misnomer with the question: ARE YOU SAVED? Well, that could be a Yes, Maybe ( I hope to be if I endure to the end ) or No depending whether one feels that there is absolute assurance of salvation because of the Once Saved Always Saved belief.
Coming from an evangelical background, I believe the question "ARE YOU SAVED?" is meant to be tied to another evangelical question "If you died right now, do you know that you'd go to heaven?"
A Catholics response to "Do you know you'd go to heaven if you died right now?" may cause an evangelical to want to get the Catholic BORN AGAIN and truly SAVED because the Catholic appears to not be able to answer the question with a 100% YES. However, SAVED, from an evangelical view and how it's used, can be a misnomer.
I do agree with the Catholic view of salvation that crosses over with Protestants that believe that one can lose their salvation. The Catholic view of "ARE YOU SAVED?" looks more like this:
1) I have been saved.
Ephesians 2:8 " For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God"
2) I am being saved.
Philippians 2:12 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" - I am being saved.
3) I hope to be saved.
Matthew 24:13 "But he who endures to the end will be saved." - I hope to be saved.
Protestant - Once Saved Always ( OSAS )
With the once saved always saved message, one can never lose his or her salvation after putting their faith in Jesus Christ. I remember meeting with an Associate Pastor of a large Protestant church that I was a member of and him saying something along the lines of, "Salvation is a free gift and you cannot give it back."
It's a very common question in the evangelism efforts of many Evangelical churches to ask "Are you saved?" Depending on how one answers that question will depend on what happens next because if one is SAVED, they should be able to answer without hesitation, "Yes, I'm SAVED!" However, I do feel that based on Matthew 24:13 "But he who endures to the end will be saved" that this is a misnomer. However, I stand on the interpretation of the Catholic Church and not my own private interpretation that once saved always saved which I have never believed in is not an accurate BIBLICAL view of salvation. I personally know MANY Protestant Christians who do NOT believe in OSAS.
Protestant - Salvation Can Be Lost
Now concerning those Protestants who believe one can lose their salvation, they still often say, "Yes, I'm SAVED!" But I think it's also a misnomer because if you think about it "Yes, I'm SAVED, but I can lose my salvation" is one really SAVED? Replying "I'm SAVED" is affirming that "I know I'm going to heaven."
My sister told me that during my Catholic transition that in a conversation that she told our father, "David is SAVED!" If I asked my sister, "Are you SAVED?" - "Are our parents SAVED?" The answers would be "Yes, I'm SAVED" - "Yes, our parents are SAVED?" However, my sister, like me, believes that one can LOSE their salvation and end up in HELL. In other words, if one doesn't ENDURE to the end, heaven is not promised.
So if one can lose their Salvation and end up eternally in hell, is one really SAVED? That's why I think SAVED as most Protestants use it is a misnomer because at the end of the day, I think when pressed to consider the Catholic stance that many Protestants may agree with the base statements..."have been" - "am being" - "hope to be" ...
"I have been saved." - Through God's grace, I have accepted Christ by faith as my Savior. I have been properly baptized. I have confessed my sins and asked for forgiveness. But as a Catholic Christian, I am in the continual process of now being saved.
"I am being saved." - I am living out my faith as a faithful Catholic Christian. I am working out my salvation as Paul mentions.
"I hope to be saved." - If I endure to the end, I hope to spend eternity in heaven. However, if I turn my back on God and embrace a life of sin. I believe that hell is real. Purgatory is not a license for a Catholic to sin. Mortal sin sends one to hell.
What's interesting is that without knowing it, I have really believed "have been" - "am being" - "hope to be" all my Christian life that started in childhood. However, prior to my Catholic journey, I took the Protestant view of a one time event. "Yes, I was SAVED as a child." However, that really was/is just a statement that "I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was a child." So do you see why I think, "Yes, I'm SAVED" is a misnomer?
