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In short, the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a gift from God, and the normative way we receive that gift is through the seven sacraments, beginning with baptism (see the Catechism 1113ff.). Sacraments are sensible signs Jesus Christ instituted to confer grace, i.e., divine life (CCC 1131; 1114-16). The sacraments are made possible, first of all, by God’s becoming man in Jesus, and their saving effectiveness is derived from Jesus’ one paschal sacrifice, i.e., his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension (CCC 613, 1085).
Jesus established the Catholic Church as his instrument of salvation through which the faithful are able to receive the sacraments. As a consequence, the Church also teaches that because of God’s saving plan, there is no salvation without the Church Jesus established, and that salvation can include non-Catholics (CCC 846-48).
The Church also teaches that we must freely accept the gift of salvation and persevere in it, for, as St. James teaches, justification is by faith and works and not by faith alone (CCC 162, 1814-16; see also 1854-64). For more on the Catholic Church and God’s plan of salvation, see the Catholic Answers booklet Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth.