[NYer]

Ping!

[Gargantua]

And Jesus replied, "By their fruits shall you know them."

;-\

[Swashbuckler99]

The concocted; unBiblical idea of "Purgatory" is just another of man's inventions in his quest to try to save himself. If "Purgatory" is real, why isn't it mentioned specifically in the Bible? If "Purgatory", the idea that man can finally be made perfect, is real ... then why did Jesus need to die on the cross for our sins? I suggest you go back and re-read Ephesians 1 to understand God's plan. Man cannot save himself. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away ." Isaiah 64:6 (Emphasis mine) Any attempt by man to justify himself with his own acts of righteousness is a slap in the face to a Holy God who sacrificed His own Son so that He could re-establish fellowship with His fallen creations. Jesus is either all-sufficient, or the Bible is only a clever compilation of stories, and we can make up what we want as long as it makes us feel good about ourselves. May God illuminate our hearts and minds to His true Word.

[dangerdoc]

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in Paradise.

[tired&retired]

After years of working to heal and release earthbound spirits that no longer have a physical body, I am convinced that purgatory is right here.

[Vendome]

Thanks for posting this.

Many people are confused about what it is and think it is a sleeping period before being resurrected.

I have a friend who is Catholic, I am not, and I have attempted to explain this many times. For some reason, she is stuck on this head thought that as a Baptist(Protestant) we are completely different.

I of course see us all as part of the larger part of the body of Christ and since I was young and having gone to missionary school I probably read and understood quite a bit more of Biblical intention than many.

Not that I am any thing close to a theologian.

I am going to forward this to her and since it’s fairly concise perhaps it will be informative.

It is interesting that the Mormons have a similar process in their belief system but, it extends to all who are dead and will be given the opportunity to convert to Mormonism. Also interesting in that they have a “prayers for the dead” ritual which makes the unliving Mormons.

[Biggirl]

I have a few questions.

Can you do your purgatory here on earth? Could dealing with personal sufferings be that of illness, job loss, grief, etc, be a form of purgatory?

It sure feels like it.

[boatbums]

Purgatory has to be – Yes, gold, pure gold, refined, perfect and pure gold. Purgatory has to be if God’s promises are to hold.

Since we know from Scripture that our place of "purgation" is the cross of Jesus Christ, and that by his offering we are forever perfected, then, NO, Purgatory does NOT have to be. When Jesus said, "Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.", he could not possibly have meant a perfection that can be attained BY a human - we were born in sin and come from the womb already at enmity with God. We must have the righteousness, the perfection OF God, to be in His presence. The doctrine of Purgatory says that the blood of Jesus Christ is insufficient to completely cleanse us of all sin - contradicting God's word which says it DOES. We are made perfect through faith IN Christ and it is HIS righteousness that is imputed to us when we receive God's gift of eternal life.

To believe in Purgatory one must also believe that he merits salvation by his works and Scripture clearly teaches it is either GRACE or WORKS, not both. It is really too bad that the Catholic Church allowed this insipid dogma to creep into the Gospel. It totally negates the Gospel - the GOOD NEWS that Christ has died for us and by believing in Him we are saved.