Heb 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
The concept of purgatory contradicts Heb 9:27.
The time to KNOW if you are saved is NOW... while you are still alive. There is NO purification of that which is corrupt after death... Death IS the purification of that which is corrupt. We are made perfect IN HIM through HIS sacrifice ALONE when we receive Him... and you cannot receive Him after death.
To make an answer to this thread which addresses all that is wrong with it would take days. Instead I will try to make a few simple points.
Personally, I do believe that when we die we go to a world of spirits, we are not resurrected until Christ comes again. That time of spiritual existence is the condition of the souls that Christ visited during his time between His death on the cross and His resurrection, where he preached to those who were disobedient. If you want to call this spiritual prison purgatory then go ahead.
I do believe that we can learn there else why would Christ bother to preach to us there.
Just because we can continue to learn and grow in righteousness doesn’t mean we can be perfected there, we can’t. There is only one who has been perfect and it is only by His Grace that our imperfection will be overlooked and we will then indeed be perfected by the love and Grace of Christ Jesus.
I do believe that some will be spared the worst of spiritual existence and be immediately placed in the bosom of Abraham so to speak. There they will happily await the reunification of their spirits and their bodies. I believe that this is the state of the soul for the thief on the cross who was promised Paradise. I hope that this is also the state of Christians who try to live as they understand Christ would want them to live. If there are wonderful people from other religions who through no fault of their own didn’t know about Christ and therefore couldn’t follow Him but would have had they known then perhaps they will be there too. I don’t know these things, I’m not sure anyone KNOWS these things but the hints in scripture lead me personally to believe that is the way it will be.
People always talk about works not having anything to do with salvation, a few thoughts. First, perfect is perfect. There can be no difference in degrees of perfection it either is or isn’t. So in one way that says that works don’t determine where you end up in Heaven. However, if there is a “Purgatory” or spirit world and I do believer there is, then perhaps your works will make a difference. Mother Theresa will likely be in the bosom of Abraham and I will be lucky to even see the place she is in and be near to it I will feel fortunate. Some day however I do feel that I will be perfected by the love and Grace of Christ, in that day Mother Theresa and I will be on the same plane. “In My Fathers House there are many mansions”, Christ said; perhaps mine will be on the same street with hers.
To make an answer to this thread which addresses all that is wrong with it would take days. Instead I will try to make a few simple points.
Personally, I do believe that when we die we go to a world of spirits, we are not resurrected until Christ comes again. That time of spiritual existence is the condition of the souls that Christ visited during his time between His death on the cross and His resurrection, where he preached to those who were disobedient. If you want to call this spiritual prison purgatory then go ahead.
I do believe that we can learn there else why would Christ bother to preach to us there.
Just because we can continue to learn and grow in righteousness doesn’t mean we can be perfected there, we can’t. There is only one who has been perfect and it is only by His Grace that our imperfection will be overlooked and we will then indeed be perfected by the love and Grace of Christ Jesus.
I do believe that some will be spared the worst of spiritual existence and be immediately placed in the bosom of Abraham so to speak. There they will happily await the reunification of their spirits and their bodies. I believe that this is the state of the soul for the thief on the cross who was promised Paradise. I hope that this is also the state of Christians who try to live as they understand Christ would want them to live. If there are wonderful people from other religions who through no fault of their own didn’t know about Christ and therefore couldn’t follow Him but would have had they known then perhaps they will be there too. I don’t know these things, I’m not sure anyone KNOWS these things but the hints in scripture lead me personally to believe that is the way it will be.
People always talk about works not having anything to do with salvation, a few thoughts. First, perfect is perfect. There can be no difference in degrees of perfection it either is or isn’t. So in one way that says that works don’t determine where you end up in Heaven. However, if there is a “Purgatory” or spirit world and I do believer there is, then perhaps your works will make a difference. Mother Theresa will likely be in the bosom of Abraham and I will be lucky to even see the place she is in and be near to it I will feel fortunate. Some day however I do feel that I will be perfected by the love and Grace of Christ, in that day Mother Theresa and I will be on the same plane. “In My Fathers House there are many mansions”, Christ said; perhaps mine will be on the same street with hers.