Salvation

The Old Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a work of divine grace in cooperation with human free will and sacramental participation. This soteriology follows the Catholic tradition while rejecting certain post-Tridentine definitions and papal infallibility claims. Justification by faith is affirmed—faith is essential and foundational—but it operates through charity (love) and is inseparable from sanctification and works of righteousness.

Baptismal regeneration is affirmed: through baptism, original sin is cleansed and the person is reborn in Christ, becoming a member of the church. Salvation is not a juridical declaration only but a transformative process through grace. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are genuine means of grace through which Christ's redemptive work is made present and appropriated by believers. Penance and reconciliation are integral to the Christian life.

Salvation requires cooperation: God's grace is offered to all, and individuals must respond through faith, repentance, and obedience. There is no predestined damnation; God desires the salvation of all. Perseverance requires ongoing cooperation with grace through prayer, sacramental participation, and moral effort. This synergistic model differs from both Calvinist determinism and sola fide Protestantism.