Yes Catholics believe this as well because if one were to die upon obtaining faith not just a belief or consent to an intellectual knowledge of Christ but a belief that leads to good works, and immediately dies they will go to heaven.
However it is expected that they would have followed Christ obediently into baptism where the Holy Spirit would have come upon them in a special way which harkens to the Holy Spirit decending when Jesus was baptized.
However, what happens, in a baptist belief, if a person doesn't die and refuses to be baptized upon reciept of belief?
Or follow Christ obediently but decides rather to live in sin?
According to baptist soteriology one of two things can happen 1) they were "never saved" to begin with" or 2) they will go to heaven but have a spiritually miserable life. Catholics would disagree with both premises.
But say the man was given knowledge of Jesus Christ but chose the world over Christ.
I agree with the first part of this statement but the second I must question.
The faith one has in the begining must be of the sort that leads to evidence of faith or good works.
Not just an intellectual accent where good works are an option that can be taken or left behind.
This is the fundamental problem I see with Protestants.
Not all mind you but those of the baptist idiology.
Good works are optional or they don't have to be worked at.
One can believe in Jesus make great proclimation of faith but can continue in sin and God will turn a blind eye to their sin because one you have an intellectual assent to the faith then you are assured of heaven.
You cannot be made alive in faith then live in death you will starve and die.
Regeneration happens immediately at your conversion (receipt of faith) Ie made alive but you must then live else you'll starve and die.
Once alive you must then be live by seeking further regeneration or transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Whether you choose to live in sin or not is not an option Both Paul and James attest to this.
As James points out Justification isn't forensic. Its not a one time thing.
Faith and good works work together.
Both TS and SBM are teaching a false gospel. The former (TS) confuses Biblical justification as a completed forensic objective action with subjective
regeneration and progressive sanctification.
The latter (SBM) perverts the covenant of redemption by replacing the application work by the Holy Spirit with the provisional work of the Son for the elect.
He cannot discern the difference between the LEGAL BASIS for justification and the LEGAL APPLICATION for justification. He makes the Son usurp the office of the Holy Spirit and thus confuses the distinctive covenant work of the Son with that of the Spirit.
Moreover, SBM makes Paul a liar as Paul repeatedly denies that justifying faith is a work but rather is "by grace" (Rom. 4:16) and is a "gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). He simply is not able to comprehend that justifying faith is the inherent condition of the new heart given to the elect by God (Ezek. 36:26 as contrasted to Deut. 29:4).
Thus, justifying faith is inherently inseparable in the new birth as clearly taught in Ephesians 2:8 and in the words "for by grace are ye saved THROUGH faith" and is "the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus" BEFORE "good works" (which is where SBM wrongly places it).
Therefore, there is no such thing as either a unregenerated believer or a regenerated unbeliever.
You are one messed up dude!
A "gift" cannot be earned and works by definition are what a person does to merit something (Rom. 4:4).
Receiving a gift is not works "for its is a gift of God NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast" - Eph. 2:8
Receiving something is something you did, and obviously that is what made the difference for you in being saved or lost, what you did.
The person who is lost, is because he or she did not do what you were prudent or wise enough to do, and that was receive the gift, so you caused your self to differ from the one who did not receive something as you so wisely did, that is salvation by works all day long !