Objective Righteousness

When discussing the Catholic teaching on justification, it is important to consider the different categories being used. In the Protestant community, justification is typically understood as involving the bestowal of only legal righteousness and behavioral righteousness. However, Catholics also believe in another form of righteousness called objective or metaphysical righteousness. This type of righteousness recognizes that sin changes the condition of our souls, depriving them of holiness. When God justifies us, He changes this and gives us the object of holiness that we had lost. This inward transformation is not just a legal fiction but a real and objective change. This objective righteousness is also known as sanctifying grace and it grows throughout the process of ongoing justification.