Roman Catholic Church teaching on justification
I once heard a Catholic say about salvation that “he has been saved, is being saved, and will be saved.” I didn’t know what to think about this. Is this an accurate thing to say? I guess in other words the Catholic is saying that salvation is a process. So what is it? Is salvation a process or a one-time event?
The person who spoke to you was expressing the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes the Council of Trent: “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.” That mixture of justification and sanctification is not what the Bible teaches.
This link will take you to the section of This We Believe that conveys our confession of what the Bible teaches regarding justification.
You may also be interested in A Lutheran Looks at Catholics. You may find it in your church library or through Northwestern Publishing House.