Replies

You wrote:

“You’re making a logical fallacy - false comparison. You’re attempting to equate non-Doctrinal terms with a Doctrinal term”

False. Purgatory is no more a doctrinal term than Trinity - less so in fact.

“While the Trinity (as a doctrine) is not called “the Trinity” in scripture, we see its definition over and over again in the term “Godhead” (Acts 17, Romans 1, Col 2).”

False. We see no definition at all in scripture. All we are told in scripture is that there is a Father, Son and Holy Spirit and all are divine. The rest we surmise, deduce. The same with purgatory. 2 Maccabees 12 gives us plenty to deduce from. As does 1 Corinthians 3.

“(sigh) You do realize that Jesus’ death and resurrection is what NEGATES THE POSSIBILITY of “Purgatory”, right?”

No, nor can you show that either. The idea that there’s no possibility of purgatory is bizarre. Jesus makes purgatory possible and our own nature makes it necessary.

You then make the same mistake as before. You forget that Jesus’ grace works in purgatory.

“The last one was, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and not “I’m done here, but you still need to atone for your sins to be made perfect.””

And if you would think you would realize that Jesus being finished with His sacrifice in no way meant WE WERE FINISHED receiving its benefits. It is amwazing to me how Protestants can always be so shortsighted as to think Jesus’ death meant the end of the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice for men and yet still believe - at the same time - that they recieve those benefits 2,000 years later. The illogic of that stance is stunning. Clearly, when Jesus was finished, we were not. He still helps us now.

“This is, essentially, the same old ‘Catholic vs. other Christian beliefs’ argument that has existed since the the years after Christ’s ascension and the church began to spread.”

No. Catholic and Christian are synonymous. This is a johnny-come-lately Protestant rebellion against the truth of Christ and the power of His grace.

“Christ is either God (i.e. part of the triune Godhead) or He is not. Therefore, His death was either all-sufficient, or it was not.”

And there you go. What is most frustrating about these “discussions” is the outright stupidity of Protestants. I’ll explain this again for your benefit: Christ’s sacrifice was ENTIRELY SUFFICIENT. Its sufficiency is what makes purgatory possible. Just as Jesus’s sacrifice was so sufficient that you and I can be saved by it 2,000 years later, it is so sufficient that those souls which need final theosis after death can receive it. For you to say this:

“”Christ is either God (i.e. part of the triune Godhead) or He is not. Therefore, His death was either all-sufficient, or it was not. [and therefore no purgatory can exist]”

is just as stupid as if someone said this:

“Christ is either God (i.e. part of the triune Godhead) or He is not. Therefore, His death was either all-sufficient, or it was not. Thus, it can only save people in Jesus’ own day”

“Man, however, keeps wanting to add to this - hence the idea of Purgatory, because salvation by the remission of sins apparently doesn’t clean us up enough to stand before a Holy God. Guess what? NOTHING that we attempt to do, no “pennance”, no amount of time to correct our wrongs, no matter how sorry we are ... nothing can ever be enough to get us to a point where our righteousness is enough to stand in God’s presence. It is ONLY through Christ that we can accomplish this. Christ alone.”

Exactly, hence purgatory. Christ’s grace powers purgatory. Not me, not you, only Christ’s grace. I don’t mind that you oppose the doctrine. What is frustrating is that you oppose a doctrine that exists only in your head and the heads of other people who also have no idea what they are talking about. Christ’s grace makes purgatory possible. Christ’s grace powers purgatory.

“Clearly, I know all about what Purgatory is and what it isn’t”

Clearly you don’t. Again, you keep claiming - falsely - that it is WE who make purgaory. Nope. It’s God. Christ’s grace. You’re insisting something is when it isn’t. You’re insisting we believe something we don’t actually believe. How can you now claim to know what you’re talking about? The hubris is stunning.

“I know that it is an idea concocted by man, and I know that there is no scriptural basis for it.”

You’re wrong on both counts.

“I pray that God continues to grant me more humility, and also more wisdom. I also pray that He continues to embolden me to confront unBiblical doctrines, and to encourage others to hear what the Bible says without seeking to add to it or to take away from it.”

It isn’t God who is leading you to oppose true doctrines by making your own false claims as to what they are.