Monsignor Pope Ping!
Another “totally out of context moment” brought to you by someone with an agenda.
“43-45 You have heard that it used to be said, You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy, but I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father. For he makes the sun rise upon evil men as well as good, and he sends his rain upon honest and dishonest men alike.
46-48 For if you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even tax-collectors do that! And if you exchange greetings only with your own circle, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do that much. No, you are to be perfect, like your Heavenly Father.”
In Matt 5, Jesus is showing that a superficial obedience to the Law is insufficient because the Law, correctly understood, goes so much further than ANY man can achieve.
It sets the foundation for what Paul wrote:
“No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law s demands indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are.
But now we are seeing the righteousness of God declared quite apart from the Law (though amply testified to by both Law and Prophets) it is a righteousness imparted to, and operating in, all who have faith in Jesus Christ. (For there is no distinction to be made anywhere: everyone has sinned, everyone falls short of the beauty of God s plan.)
Under this divine system a man who has faith is now freely acquitted in the eyes of God by his generous dealing in the redemptive act of Jesus Christ. God has appointed him as the means of propitiation, a propitiation accomplished by the shedding of his blood, to be received and made effective in ourselves by faith.”
It is the Blood of the Lamb that cleans us, not God torturing those who believe and have already been made clean. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” - Heb 10
Notice the tense: not “He will perfect”, but “He HAS perfectED”. Think about it.
He also said “today you shall be with Me in Paradise”, not “today you’ll enter the great spiritual washing machine and in a few millennia you’ll be with Me in Paradise”.
The concept of Purgatory pretty much nullifies Christ’s purpose. Eternity is a very long time, so if everyone’s soul can be cleaned up by a while in the great spiritual washing machine, the time required is negligible (however long) and a “savior” unnecessary.
I disagree with this take entirely. This is not a promise from Jesus but an imperative. This comes from the Sermon on the Mount which is Jesus sermon on what the "law" really demands. He is telling that if you wish to be saved by adherence to the law then you must keep it perfectly, just as the Father keeps it. He makes the same point later in the sermon when he says, "For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." The Scribes and Pharisees keep the law better than anyone and even that wasn't good enough - perfection is required if that is to save you. The Sermon on the Mount shows us that salvation by obedience to God's law requires a level of righteousness that no human can live up to. It shows us why we need a Savior.
Thank-you and God Bless!
I see that our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus who are Protestant are trying to beg to differ.
I Cor 3:12 On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw
13 but each person’s handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work.
14 The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages;
15 the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire.
Charles, you’ve missed it. Forget Catherine and her “angel” and get thee to ABRAHAM (see: Romans 4)!!!
Purgatory and all other additions to Christ’s work are blasphemous in that they’re works and make claim that more than the precious blood of God’s Son on the cross is needed.
What a blasphemous lie concocted from the deepest part of Hell itself that mocks the suffering and death of Christ Who laid down His own innocent life for all the guilty who would come to Him for salvation.
BLASPHEMY.
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Other than that, have a good day.
Today is All Souls’ Day, for all Catholics: remember to pray for our departed brothers and sisters and also if you didn’t know it, if you visit a church or cemetery today then a pleniary indulgence may be obtained (with all the usual conditions associated with indulgences.). Actually if you visit a cemetery until the Octave (the 10th) the indulgence can still be obtained, and applied to the souls in Purgatory.
The perfection God requires has been achieved for us by Jesus Christ. It is HIS righteousness not ours, we need to do nothing to attain it other than to believe and confess Him as Lord. Purgatory is not necessary and the concept is an insult to the finished work of Christ that will be revealed in us at His coming. Christ’s sacrifice on our part was sufficient and complete, nothing needs to be added.
What a stretch of Scripture! I will say I am perfect. I was given the perfection of Jesus, and he took all my sin upon him. He did not have to die on a cross just for this Roman Catholic scheme. He could have just as easily stayed in Heaven.
I also look at Purgatory like the washer machine that cleans up dirty clothes.
It would have to be "based on" because it sure wasn't stated by Jesus.
Nope...Jesus NEVER even mentioned such as place as “purgatory”. In fact, Jesus IS our place of purgation. It is His blood that cleanses us from all sin and God’s grace makes us the righteousness of God in Christ.
Either you are COMPLETE IN CHRIST, or not. There is no other choice. Either you are a child of God, or a child of disobedience, again there is no other choice. Either you are made alive in Christ and seated in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, or you are spiritually dead. You WERE in darkness, but now you are children of the Light! (Romans 8, Ephesians 1-5, Colossians 1-3)
How many more ways does Paul have to explain and contrast the before, and the after, for a Believer? Jesus has done everything that ever needs to be done to secure your place in God’s family. No amount of suffering, in this life or the next, will surpass what Jesus has already endured and accomplished for mankind. It truly is FINISHED for those who believe His Word.
So Catholicism with their Purgatory is similar to Hindu and Reincarnation where they accumulate more good karma than bad until they can eventually earn a person a higher place in the caste system in a future life, the ultimate goal of any Hindu adherent is moksha, or salvation from samsara. Moksha is the final of four primary Hindu goals.
This is a hopeless argument between Catholics and Bible based Christians.
What is the Bible verse that says you go to purgatory?