[Cronos]

You may disagree with my perceived problems of the doctrine of purgatory

The thing is that the problems you've stated are perceived, not real. Let me explain:

1. By adhering to Purgatory, the believer claims that Christ not finish his work on the cross. -- incorrect. Purgatory does not replace in any way Christ's work which was and is one-time. Let me explain -- take 2 cases:
a.Person who does not repent and accept Christ even until his/her death-bed. This person does not accept Christ's freely granted salvation, given by the grace of God. They are going to hell as we know it. There is no purgatory for them
b. Person who does repent and is Christ-filled. They are going to heaven. Christ's salvation is what saves them, nothing else. Christ's salvation has been working through them in life to sanctify him to raise him in holiness through Christ's blood to be ready for entry to heaven. final sanctification

2. It is not explicitly found -- not really -- you have Scripture says that "it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27). and Matthew 25:31-32: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." and also the most important is "I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper" (Luke 12:59). -- you can't get OUT of hell as we know it, and you don't have to get out of heaven right. So what is this then?

3. "does not cleanse from all sin." -- incorrect. It IS the righteousness of Christ that cleanses from sin, nothing else

4. James 2:24 is remarkably clear: "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." and Rom 6:23 " 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord." -- this is clearly stating that while salvation is from Christ's sacrifice alone, the justification as Christ says is not becoming a slave to sin. What does Jesus say saves us?

• Matt. 24:13

  13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

• Matt 25:31-46 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
  35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
  36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Jesus says that if you endure to the end you get salvation, that if you helped your fellow man you inherit the kingdom of God (you get salvation) --> note these are HIS own words

• 1 Pet. 3:20-21: " It (Baptism )saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"

• Note -- also in Acts 16:31 we are told to believe and you will be saved -- so Faith is definitely one of the things needed, yet as you see above, it is not ONLY faith. Remember -- James says "even the demons believe - and shudder" -- it is not faith ALONE that saves

  Jesus said it is not faith ALONE. We are saved by God's GRACE. Full-stop.

  James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. -- it's never faith ALONE. Note that

  1. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. (Mk 16:16)
  2. [U]nless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Lk 13:3)<,li> [H]e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:54)

  no one is denying that one MUST have faith to be saved by the freely given grace of salvation, however, it is not faith ALONE. As shown above, Jesus Himself said that

  He who believes and is baptized will be saved. (Mk 16:16)
  [U]nless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Lk 13:3
  [H]e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:54)

  So, do listen to the words of Jesus who said it is faith+ repentance+baptism+the Eucharist+endurance, not any of these in isolation. Of course, these don't "save us" per se, since it is Christ's sacrifice on the Cross that grants us our salvation that we can accept or reject

  The problem happens when one takes one section of the word in isolation.

  5. "implies that something we must do to be cleansed" -- no, in Purgatory you explicitly can't 'do'. you are being sanctified in readiness for heaven, through Christ's blood alone. Nothing else sanctifies or purifies

[OneVike]

What part of, “It is Finished”, do you not understand? The dead know nothing but what their fate is. There is no praying for the dead, and there are no more blessings to be brought for the dead that they did not gain while they were alive.

You come off like you are trying to educate me on the benefits of “Purgatory”, all the while admitting I am right, that it does not and never has existed.

All works do is prove ones faith. As James says, without works, ones faith is dead. So those of us who have faith are saved, but if we do not act upon that faith by advancing the Kingdom Of God by working, then chances are we truly are not saved.

Works are the proof of our salvation, just like the fruits on a fig tree is the proof the tree is healthy. Like the fig tree that Christ cursed and thus it withered and died, so to is the works of a Christian. They are dead in their faith if they do not desire to work for Christ.

As for Purgatory, there is no works one can do while alive that will effect any dead Christian. Other than bringing a sinner to Christ, and advancing the Kingdom of God on earth, the benefits one receives from their works for Christ can only be received by the one doing the works.

No dead Christian will ever be effected by the works of those who are still living in the world, because the dead know nothing of the world and the living cannot effect the blessing of the dead.