Greetings.

It's often those that convert from Protestant to Catholic that are the most fervent and knowledgeable about Catholic teaching as compared to many cradle Catholics who slept through catechism classes and cannot articulate their faith. As a Catholic converted from evangelical Christianity, I've found it to be a reliable fact that nobody who has left the Catholic Church truly ever understood what the Church teaches to begin with and I have yet to be proven wrong on this. But many converts such as myself can articulate Protestant beliefs as well as Catholic and understand the differences and similarities. As such, I became Catholic in an "eyes wide open" decision.

Regarding your first question, salvation is couched in different terms for a Catholic. Rather than a sinners prayer, a Catholic is saved by the Sacraments, ordinances set in tradition by Christ himself beginning with baptism for the remission of sins and continuing with the holy Eucharist through which Christ promised we may have supernatural life. As oft stated in Hebrews, we must persist to the end, never giving up. The reason you won't hear Catholics being saved is because presumption of salvation is sinful in that it broaches upon the judgements of God and presumes what has not yet been uttered. As Paul said, we will be repaid according to our deeds, "eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality" (Rom 2:6,7) It's in the patient continuance that we find the hope of salvation.

Regarding salvation of works, I believe the error is in pitting one against the other. Ephesians 2:8,9 is a hallmark passage for both Protestant and Catholic that alludes us to something that is promised as a gift that cannot be earned. The point of controversy is that while the grace of God cannot be merited, salvation cannot be attained apart from good works. These juxtaposed realities, both well established by Scripture, paint a picture of salvation that is vouchsafed by the finished work of Christ and yet pursued by our own works. In Matthew 25:31-46, we see an inseparable correlation between works and salvation. Here salvation is granted to those who committed their lives to acts of charity and denied to those who saw the destitute and did nothing. This is not a contradiction that salvation is a matter of belief and confession, but rather an indicator that salvation is more than that.

Regarding your second question, regenerational baptism and the real presence of Christ in the holy Sacrament are both well documented teachings of the early church. The reason this is so important is because of their sheer proximity to the teachings of Christ through the Apostles. When you read the writings of Justin Martyr, Augustine, Tertullin, Pope Clement, etc, you are looking at the teachings of those only a few generations removed from the Apostolic age. The reason the Bible cannot be an arbiter of all Christian truth is because it was never designed to be as such. The teachings of the Apostles were never fully contained in the epistles any more than the teachings of Christ were fully contained in the gospels. Often epistles were written as a followup on what was taught orally. Eventually, all the teachings of the apostles would be committed to writing, but it would take a few centuries for this to occur. This is why we are told in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle." Such was the reliance on what was taught and passed down orally that there was no need for an official canon of Scripture until the synods of Rome and Hippo in 392 AD. Somehow the Church survived nearly 4 centuries without an official canon.

I can tell you this, my gravitation to the Catholic Church was gradual indeed, starting when I was 17 years old and consumating into full initiation when I was 31. For me, it wasn't a matter of salvation since I already had a deep and loving relationship to Jesus, but rather a matter of truth. My own family is all Protestant and my dad is a pentacostal pastor. I love them all dearly, but I had to go where I felt the Lord leading me. It's not every Christian's journey, but it was mine.

I hope this helps.

Liberalism -- Ideas so good, they have to be mandated.