CathApol,<br><br>You have not been falsely accused of anything. You come here to a Protestant Bible believing message board with your Catholic heresy and dress it up in such a way as to make it sound almost like what we believe. You have been presenting yourself in a way that confusses the clear teaching of the Roman Catholic church. Jason, RefBap, Five_Sola, and Pilgrim have all pointed that out to you. <br><br>Now you write a lenthy message full of statements and verses that purport to be "Church teaching" or the final word. Well has anybody been confused by what you're saying now? NO... not one! They all conclude the same thing. You're message is understood to be "faith & works" and that lines you up with traditional Roman Catholicism. Which is a religion that denys the clear teachings of Scripture.<br><br>Many questions have been raised for you to answer by others. It seems as if you avoid them. I hope you'll take to heart that the questions are designed for you to come to know the Truth and that hopefully the Truth will set you free from false doctrine. <br><br>I read through your lengthy message. No matter how you phrase it and how many words you use you still keep saying the same thing. You're teaching that the "one sacrifice" of Christ Jesus on the cross at mount Calvary wasn't enough. Oh I know that you have said that it is enough but then you come back and say that venial sins still need some temporary punishment in purgatory. If Christ's death were sufficient you wouldn't need to teach about a purgatory. You wouldn't need to teach about anything needed to be added to His completed work. Especially after death how can someone in any way go through punishment that will purify them or have any further cleansing effect than what Christ has provided on the Cross once for all? The Bible tells us that after death comes the judgement. <br> <br>Heb.9:27-28<br>"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."<br><br>Hebrews 10:14 tell us... <br>"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."<br><br>According to your "final purification" doctrine called "purgatory" which is supposedly drawn from the following Scripture texts a careful examination of these text reveals that you are in serious error.<br><br>I Corinthians 3:15 <br>"If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."<br><br>Commenting on this verse Matthew Henry writes:<br><br>"It will be difficult for those that corrupt and deprave Christianity to be saved. God will have no mercy on their works, though he may pluck them as brands out of the burning. [color:red]On this passage of scripture the papists found their doctrine of purgatory, which is certainly hay and stubble: a doctrine never originally fetched from Scripture, but invented in barbarous ages, to feed the avarice and ambition of the clergy, at the cost of those who would rather part with their money than their lusts, for the salvation of their souls.</font color=red> It can have no countenance from this text, <br><br>(1.) Because this is plainly meant of a figurative fire, not of a real one: for what real fire can consume religious rites or doctrines? <br><br>(2.) Because this fire is to try men’s works, of what sort they are; but purgatory-fire is not for trial, not to bring men’s actions to the test, but to punish for them. They are supposed to be venial sins, not satisfied for in this life, for which satisfaction must be made by suffering the fire of purgatory. <br><br>(3.) Because this fire is to try every man’s works, those of Paul and Apollos, as well as those of others. Now, no papists will have the front to say apostles must have passed through purgatory fires." <br><br>Another verse you sighted in support of purgatory is:<br><br>I Peter 1:7<br>"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" <br><br>This trying of your faith is in this life while you're still alive and kicking. Dead men don't go through a trial by fire to prove their faith by testing nor suffer punishment to sancify them from venial sins. The end of good people’s afflictions is the trial of their faith in this life not after they're deceased. As to the nature of this trial, it is much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. The effect of the trial is this, that your faith will be found unto praise, honour, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. <br><br>Our Christianity depends upon our faith; if this be wanting, there is nothing else that is spiritually good in us. Christ prays for this apostle, that his faith might not fail; if that be supported, all the rest will stand firm; the faith of good people is tried, that they themselves may have the comfort of it, God the glory of it, and others the benefit of it. <br><br>The trial of faith is much more precious than the trial of gold; in both there is a purification, a separation of the dross, and a discovery of the soundness and goodness of the things. Gold does not increase and multiply by trial in the fire, it rather grows less; but faith is established, improved, and multiplied, by the oppositions and afflictions that it meets with. Gold must perish at last—gold that perisheth; but faith never will. <br><br>This verse doesn't say anything about a purgatory experience after this life to deal with venial sins but is talking about the trying of the believer's faith. It must prove to be a living and active faith. This is the kind of faith that caused Paul to say, "I don't consider this present suffering to be compared with the glory which is to come." <br><br>Wes

Last edited by Wesley; Thu Jun 06, 2002 6:56 PM.
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts