Posted on 11/02/2015 6:56:55 AM PST by Salvation
All Souls’ Day by Jakub Schikaneder, 1888
I have blogged before on Purgatory. Here is a link to one of those blogs: Purgatory – Biblical and Reasonable. I have also written more extensively on its biblical roots here: PDF Document on Purgatory.
On this Feast of All Souls, I want to reflect on Purgatory as the necessary result of a promise. Many people think of Purgatory primarily in terms of punishment, but it is also important to consider it in terms of promise, purity, and perfection. Some of our deceased brethren are having the promises made to them perfected in Purgatory. In the month of November we are especially committed to praying for them and we know by faith that our prayers are of benefit to them.
What is the promise that points to Purgatory? Simply stated, Jesus made the promise in Matthew 5:48: You, therefore, must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. In this promise is an astonishing declaration of our dignity. We are to share in the very nature and perfection of God. This is our dignity: we are called to reflect and possess the very glory and perfection of God.
St. Catherine of Siena was gifted by the Lord to see a heavenly soul in the state of grace. Her account of it is related in her Dialogue, and is summarized in the Sunday School Teacher’s Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism:
The Soul in the State of Grace– Catherine of Siena was permitted by God to see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace. It was so beautiful that she could not look on it; the brightness of that soul dazzled her. Blessed Raymond, her confessor, asked her to describe to him, as far as she was able, the beauty of the soul she had seen. St. Catherine thought of the sweet light of that morning, and of the beautiful colors of the rainbow, but that soul was far more beautiful. She remembered the dazzling beams of the noonday sun, but the light which beamed from that soul was far brighter. She thought of the pure whiteness of the lily and of the fresh snow, but that is only an earthly whiteness. The soul she had seen was bright with the whiteness of Heaven, such as there is not to be found on earth. †My father,†she answered. “I cannot find anything in this world that can give you the smallest idea of what I have seen. Oh, if you could but see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace, you would sacrifice your life a thousand times for its salvation. I asked the angel who was with me what had made that soul so beautiful, and he answered me, “It is the image and likeness of God in that soul, and the Divine Grace which made it so beautiful.†[1].
Yes, this is our dignity and final destiny if we are faithful to God.
So, I ask you, “Are you there yet?†God has made you a promise. But what if that promise has not yet been fulfilled and you were to die today, without the divine perfection you have been promised having been completed? I can only speak for myself and say that if I were to die today, though I am not aware of any mortal sin, I also know that I am not perfect. I am not even close to being humanly perfect, let alone having the perfection of our heavenly Father!
But Jesus made me a promise: You must be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. And the last time I checked, Jesus is a promise keeper! St. Paul says, May God who has begun a good work in you bring it to completion (Phil 1:6). Hence, if I were to die today, Jesus would need to complete a work that He has begun in me. By God’s grace, I have come a mighty long way. But I also have a long way to go. God is very holy and His perfection is beyond imagining.
Yes, there are many things in us that need purging: sin, attachment to sin, clinging to worldly things, and those rough edges to our personality. Likewise most of us carry with us hurts, regrets, sorrows, and disappointments. We cannot take any of this with us to Heaven. If we did, it wouldn’t be Heaven. So the Lord, who is faithful to His promise, will purge all of this from us. The Book of Revelation speaks of Jesus ministering to the dead in that he will wipe every tear from their eyes (Rev 21:4). 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks of us as passing through fire in order that our works be tested so that what is good may be purified and what is worldly may be burned away. And Job said, But he knows the way that I take; and when he has tested me, I will come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10).
Purgatory has to be—gold, pure gold; refined, perfect, pure gold. Purgatory has to be, if God’s promises are to hold.
Catholic theology has always taken seriously God’s promise that we would actually be perfect as the Father is perfect. The righteousness is Jesus’ righteousness, but it actually transforms us and changes us completely in the way that St. Catherine describes. It is a real righteousness, not merely imputed, not merely declared of us by inference. It is not an alien justice, but a personal justice by the grace of God.
Esse quam videri – Purgatory makes sense because the perfection promised to us is real: esse quam videri (to be rather than to seem). We must actually be purged of the last vestiges of imperfection, worldliness, sin, and sorrow. Having been made perfect by the grace of God, we are able to enter Heaven, of which Scripture says, Nothing impure will ever enter it (Rev 21:27). And again, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the souls of the just made perfect (Heb 12:22-23).
How could it be anything less? Indeed, the souls of the just made perfect. How could it be anything less if Jesus died to accomplish it for us? Purgatory makes sense based on Jesus’ promise and on the power of His blood to accomplish complete and total perfection for us. This is our dignity; this is our destiny. Purgatory is about promises, not mere punishment. There’s an old Gospel hymn that I referenced in yesterday’s blog for the Feast of All Saints that says, “O Lord I’m running, trying to make a hundred. Ninety-nine and a half won’t do!â€
That’s right, ninety-nine and a half won’t do. Nothing less than a hundred is possible because we have Jesus’ promise and the wonderful working power of the precious Blood of the Lamb. For most, if not all of us, Purgatory has to be.
I accept that some people are righteous at the time of their death, like Abraham and like the Good Thief, and some people aren’t. The latter may, even though not all, be purified by the grace of Christ in Purgatory. This is why what happened to Abraham has nothing to do with the existence of purgatory.
I wondered if you would step over " Verily I say unto thee"
Jesus is here giving teaching about living humbly and at peace with others.
No, your first problem is context. The immediate preceding verse gives that context. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verse twenty,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
boldness mine
Back in the preceding verses Jesus is warning against a shallow, merely formal observance of the law against murder. He says unjustified anger will produce the same result, in terms of judgment.
Which prevents one from entering the kingdom of Heaven, even though one believes in OSAS. The Messiah is extending the law, as He had been doing, and would continue to do. Witness the next verses about adultery, divorce, sin with one's eyes, sin with one's hands.
(BTW, in saying this, he is discrediting any notion of venial versus mortal sin. Here, anger, not even necessarily extreme, but unjustified, puts one in danger of the judgment, and just speaking with vile contempt toward someone (which happens here on FR all the time) can put one in danger of hell fire. There are sins that do less damage than others, but the payout on sin is always death.)
One can see the name calling on FR. OSAS makes no sense, so there must be another model.
So then, when he gets to the legal drama, a creditor and debtor on their way to the magistrate to duke it out in court, of course He is going to recommend settlement. Settlement, not a protracted legal fight, is the correct Christian model for resolving interpersonal disputes, even those involving serious property issues. The remainder of His advice is consistent with that. You don't want to end up with the misery of landing in debtor's prison. No hint of purgatorial sulfur in the air. Just great wisdom on keeping good relationships. Context context context.
Context indeed; the Torah forbade imprisoning Jews for debts. There was no forever in prison if you had no one on the outside to pay the debt for you. It was a Gentile practice, so he must have been referring to the Romans and other Gentile systems. If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
Exodus, Catholic chapter twenty two, Protestant verses twenty five to twenty seven,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
BTW, supposedly we don't have debtor's prisons anymore. But in fact we do.
Context, indeed, this is about the kingdom of Heaven, not the Gentile legal systems.
I've seen how it works live and in person. Child support. Get behind that eight-ball and watch out. The thing I never understood before I saw this in court was 1) how draconian the judge can be ("I don't care where you get the money, just get it." Seriously. It was that bad), and 2) the way the person who is in jail for non-payment gets the money is through friends, family, etc., who come to his rescue. He can't do it on his own. No way to earn anything in jail.
Stay with the scriptural context.
The debtor's prison of Jesus' day was of course even more draconian. If you ended up there, and you had no outside help, you were not likely to ever get out. It was NOT a matter of purgation. Your creditor doesn't care how much you suffer in there. He wants his money. That's what gets you out, payment of the debt. Nothing else.
Life and death were more draconian in Jesus' day. Scourging and crucifixion was common.
So while the passage could stand on it's own as simply being about avoiding prison by making peace and keeping good relationships, let's try a thought experiment. Let's say there was an analogy to divine judgment (again, not a necessary conclusion, but for the sake of argument).
Such as entering into the kingdom of Heaven, the immediate precedent of the parable ...
The essential legal question in all of this is who pays the debt, and how much do they pay. The debtor's only shot at getting a reasonably happy outcome is before judgment is passed against him. Solve this before you get to the judge. Otherwise, into prison you go, and no way to pay, so you won't be coming out until that last penny is paid, and that would normally be forever.
So the brethren can make peace and love each other without any penalty. The Second Greatest Commandment is fulfilled and the Messiah gives more grace to the sinners. There is no penalty. Rinse, lather, repeat. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
First Peter, Catholic chapter four, Protestant verses seven to eight,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
Forever in prison, that is, if you had no one on the outside to pay the debt for you. Thank God we sin debtors, stuck in our debtor's prisons of shame, guilt and condemnation, DO halve help on the outside, Jesus Christ, whom we learn from Scripture has indeed paid our entire debt, down to the last penny, leaving no legal basis for us to stay in that prison. We have been set free: ... Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12) Amen.
There is no forever in prison. There will be a judgment,
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Second Corinthians, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verse ten,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
Whether the passage speaks of people collectively or individually, the fact remains that these people are saved (verse 15) after that purification. No one by the way, is disputing that Purgatory is a kind of church, namely Church Suffering. It is, however, notable how pointedly St. Paul repeat words like "every one", "every man", "his own reward", "his own labor", "any man's work", -- I am counting 9 such qualifiers in the passage. So your theory how it only refers to the collective and, miraculously, not to any particular soul is not only irrelevant but textually wrong.
Read the Bible every once in a while and you will be, like me, Catholic.
Yeah. These are the imperfections, like stubble inside a brick wall, that are burned.
You make me laugh. Just read the passage. For example, in verse 15, what do you think happens?
“Whether the passage speaks of people collectively or individually...”
There is no doubt. It is not open to interpretation, since Paul is explicit. It is not talking about an individual’s sin:
“After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God s servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow...There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done. For we are partners working together for God, and you are God’s field. You are also God s building. Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build.”
That is the problem of Catholicism: It requires a Catholic to twist the plain meaning to fit an invented doctrine. There is NOTHING in this passage about an individual’s sin being only partially forgiven - which is also directly contrary to scripture:
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
- Hebrews 10
1 Corinthians 3 discusses Paula and others laboring to bring the Corinthian church to maturity, comparing the church to a field (first) and then to a building. And those who labor well will be rewarded, and those who labor poorly will not - although both will be saved.
But those who place tradition over scripture will also be dealt with:
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” - 2 Peter 2
43 He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind;
So Judas here collects a bunch of cash to send to the temple in Jerusalem so he can buy some atonement for these people who God killed because of 'mortal sin'...Now that's a good one
You might notice that there's no suggestion that such a thing could be accomplished...Perhaps Judas had no idea what the scriptures said about the issue but he heard about the resurrection and had good intentions, as the verse says...
45But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
And that's all it was, a holy and pious thought...No one else in the real scriptures prayed for dead idol worhipers...
46 Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.
Judas made atonement in his mind...So that big pile of cash and prayers for people who didn't even follow God was the required atonement??? Like the book of Maccabees says, it was a noble intention but no where in these unscriptural or in any of the scriptural books does it indicate that Judas' intentions could have been successful...
According to the real bible, those dead, unrepentant sinners were in hell, NOT Abraham's Bosom...
45But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
And there's no suggestion that these godly people waiting for their reward required any prayer or cash atonement for anyone...
Your religion has taken a verse, completely out of context, demanded it says something that it clearly doesn't say and claims it is proof of purgatory and praying for the dead...What a farce...
You have NOT read and UNDERSTOOD Romans 4. “Righteous at the time of their death”? The chapter explains how one is GIVEN the righteousness of God through faith in Christ...NOW. There is no lack needing to be cleansed in “purgatory”. You have the righteousness of Christ CREDITED to you through faith. Why won’t you accept this?
Amen. The Sermon on the Mount not only condemns our actions but what is in our hearts and minds (thoughts). We are all guilty as charged. Praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His spotless cloak of Righteousness.
Good post. So the conclusion is purgatory is a ‘good’ way for a church to get a pile of cash.
Some much needed exegesis. Thank you.
... stand amazed in the presencePeace,
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
I know what happens...
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
Every man's work...It shall be revealed...
You walk up to the judge...You hand him a journal or a diary, a list of all your works...NOT SINS...There are no sinners here...Our sins have since been forgive or we wouldn't be here at this judgement...
Rom_4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
This is a list of all the things we did for Jesus...Or what we thought was for Jesus (ie. we joined the church choir, teach false doctrine, etc.)...
This list of works are then subjected to fire...The fire dies down and what's left on the list are those things that were truly done for Jesus...That's what gets judged...The works, not the person...We have already been judged before we even get there...
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
We have everlasting life, right now...We will not be condemned for anything...
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:
And what loss will we incur??? Lose our salvation??? Nope...
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
Is that reward salvation??? Nope...Even Catholic doctrine claims that if you make it to purgatory you are on your way to heaven...So you can not apply this reward to salvation...Because that would imply that Catholics in purgatory who don't get rewards don't get salvation...They may still go to hell...
but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Does the verse say we shall be saved by fire...Absolutely NOT...It says, 'as by fire'...It's a picture of something...When this list reaches God the Father, the only thing he will see on the list is what has survived the fire...There will be nothing negative on the list...We are saved from God seeing anything negative by the fire which burned up the bad works...
It doesn't seem to be Catholic doctrine but the bible tells us we who are Christians are indwelt with the Holy Ghost...What happens to that Spirit when the Catholic is burning up in purgatory???
What if you die and no one prays for you?
And Catholics are still known to/for paying donating their life savings and property to the Church...
Which in turn shots holes in the Froman Catholic polemic of each Protestant Christian being their own Pope.
To see FRoman Catholics disagree with each other on their own doctrine is so ironic.
And when they act like they are more Catholic than their own Pope, well, it is down right hysterical!
No, he is extending the law, or restricting it, depending on your point of view. If you but say he is explaining it, then it was not given previously. (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. For example, look at all the contrasts between "Ye have heard" and "But I say unto you." Here are the relevant passages from the Law and here is what the Messiah said: The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. Thou shalt not kill. He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Romans, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verse thirteen,
Deuteronomy, Catholic chapter eighteen, Protestant verses fifteen to nineteen,
Exodus, Catholic chapter twenty, Protestant verse twelve,
Exodus, Catholic chapter twenty one, Protestant verse thirteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses twenty one to twenty six,
Exodus, Catholic chapter twenty, Protestant verse fourteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses twenty seven to thirty,
Deuteronomy, Catholic chapter twenty four, Protestant verses one to four,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses thirty one to thirty two,
Deuteronomy, Catholic chapter twenty three, Protestant verses twenty one to twenty three,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses thirty three to thirty seven,
Exodus, Catholic chapter twenty one, Protestant verses twenty two to twenty five,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses thirty eight to forty two,
Leviticus, Catholic chapter ninteteen, Protestant verses seventeen to eighteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses forty three to forty eight,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
boldness mine
No; believe and obey. There is no free pass here to ignore the commandments the Messiah gave. Are we not his bondservants ? If ye love me, keep my commandments. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
John, Catholic chapter fourteen, Protestant verse fifteen,
James, Catholic chapter four, Protestant verses four to six,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. [16] Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
TULIP, for example.
Even in that segment he is talking about "each one of us" doing the work "which the Lord gave him to do". These are the same individual works that are later found to be either noble (stone and metal) or inferior (stubble).
Note, too, that purgatory is not about mortal sin, just like this passage is not. It is about imperfections in our works that prevent us from entering heaven.
So no, no sale. When I see an interest in the Holy Scripture and not in sticking to Protestant theological fantasies I will pay attention to Protestant sniping at the Holy Church which you (collectively) left, to your (collective) shame.
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