6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1:6-8 NASB).Many have converted to Roman Catholicism because it is of the flesh or the sinful nature. The flesh demands us to have a different gospel. It wants to serve its former master. It wants to pay for the spiritual debt that only Jesus Christ can pay for at His awesome Cross. Surely no one in the New Testament knew of the description of purgatory, but I suggest to you that if you study the Cross you will find in Him your "all in all." The day you find in Jesus your "all in all" you will know Him as your Savior and Lord. However, purgatory is an addition to the gospel that makes it a different gospel. It disturbs the Christian mind as if there is a purgatory that offers a redemptive suffering that takes away sin when the Cross is the only all-sufficient fountain upon which we are forgiven and cleansed of our sins, transgressions and iniquities! Why do you want to add to the Cross when the whole Bible is silent on this subject? I suggest to you that it is your man-made thinking, invention and personal inference that has invented this foul doctrine that adds to the Cross of the all-efficacious, all-necessary and all-sufficient Lamb of God. I suggest to you that Rome has fallen for visions of the foul adversary of Jesus' kingdom. It is like the old prophet of the Old Testament that lied to the man of God about a word of knowledge about God's revelation and lied about the angel's visitation to him. I suggest to you that purgatory is a lie from the very pit of hell and it is "another gospel" that suggests there is "another way" besides Jesus and His holy Cross!
I believe preaching, teaching and apologetics all have an interaction. I have never posted false information on theological or apologetical doctrine but you see things through the idolatry of Romanism. That means we will disagree on doctrine! Jesus came to bring division not peace, and He is glorified when His divine truth from His Word exposes your falsehood. That is, you reject the all-sufficiency of the Cross and embrace the "muddled theology" of a system of thought that is completely contrary to the written Word of God. I pray for you, I really do. I pray that you reject Romanism not because I say so but because of the divine Scriptures. I suggest to you that you do not "understand" the written Word of God correctly nor the power of God because of your "man-made" traditions. You see things through your "infallible" tradition that is not "infallible"! I do not mean to change the subject but expose the very basis for your hermeneutical approach to the divine Word that is in serious question. Here is a clear example of the unholy rejection of the all-sufficient merits of Jesus Christ:
Christ’s redemptive activity finds its apogee in the death of sacrifice on the cross. On this account it is by excellence but not exclusively the efficient cause of our redemption....No one can be just to whom the merits of Christ’s passion have not been communicated. It is a fundamental doctrine of St. Paul that salvation can be acquired only by the grace merited by Christ (Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (Rockford: Tan, 1974), pp. 185, 190).And again we read,
What did Christ's suffering and death actually accomplish that allowed the Father to provide the human race with salvation? Did Christ take within himself the sin and guilt of mankind and suffer the specific punishment for that sin and guilt, as Protestants contend? The answer is no...Christ did not take upon himself the entire punishment required of man for sin. Rather, Scripture teaches only that Christ became a 'propitiation,' a 'sin offering,' or a 'sacrifice' for sins...Essentially, this means that Christ, because he was guiltless, sin-free and in favor with God, could offer himself up as a means of persuading God to relent of his angry wrath against the sins of mankind. Sin destroys God's creation. God, who is a passionate and sensitive being, is angry against man for harming the creation. Anger against sin shows the personal side of God, for sin is a personal offense against him. We must not picture God as an unemotional courtroom judge who is personally unharmed by the sin of the offender brought before him. God is personally offended by sin and thus he needs to be personally appeased in order to offer a personal forgiveness. In keeping with his divine principles, his personal nature, and the magnitude of the sins of man, the only thing that God would allow to appease him was the suffering and death of the sinless representative of mankind, namely, Christ (Robert Sungenis, Not By Faith Alone (Santa Barbara: Queenship, 1997), pp. 107-108).And we read on purgatory,
The doctrine of purgatory clearly demonstrates that even when the guilt of sin has been taken away, punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be expiated and cleansed. They often are. In fact, in purgatory the souls of those 'who died in the charity of God and truly repentant, but who had not made satisfaction with adequate penance for their sins and omissions' are cleansed after death with punishments designed to purge away their debt...Following in Christ’s steps, those who believe in him have always tried to help one another along the path which leads to the heavenly Father, through prayer, the exchange of spiritual goods and penitential expiation. The more they have been immersed in the fervor of love, the more they have imitated Christ in his sufferings. They have carried their crosses to make expiation for their own sins and the sins of others. They were convinced that they could help their brothers to obtain salvation from God who is the Father of mercies. This is the very ancient dogma called the Communion of Saints...The “treasury of the Church” is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy. This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body...God’s only-begotten Son... has won a treasure for the militant Church... he has entrusted it to blessed Peter, the key-bearer of heaven, and to his successors who are Christ’s vicars on earth, so that they may distribute it to the faithful for their salvation. They may apply it with mercy for reasonable causes to all who have repented for and have confessed their sins. At times they may remit completely, and at other times only partially, the temporal punishment due to sin in a general as well as in special ways (insofar as they judge it to be fitting in the sight of the Lord). The merits of the Blessed Mother of God and of all the elect ... are known to add further to this treasure (Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, January 1, 1967).I suggest to you that once someone is cleansed from sin, they can never lose their "state of grace" or "state of justification." No doubt it is surely theologically related. You come from a theological view point that says mortal sin can take away the state of grace and someone can die impurely. I suppose the "fires of purgatory" could not help that person. I suggest to you that you believe a false gospel, because once someone knows Christ, He cannot be unknown. I see you have invited me to a Catholic Debate forum; however, I am pretty sure I am unable to do that in light of my current appointments. Thank you anyway for your invitation.
The sorry state of Romanism is the fact that you claim "salvation" after death. In the past when I was a Roman Catholic I attended Mass everyday, but Jesus was not in my heart. I fear for you that you will not be ready to stand before a holy and just God who demands absolute perfection. I found in comparison with Rome's way of preaching (off to the left or to the right concerning the pulpit) to be insufficient and unprepared and thoroughly man-centered. I notice in Reformed preaching is about the centrality and supremacy of the written Word of God so it may change the stoney hearts of the sons and daughters of Adam. There is no one saved through purgatory because there is no purgatory. I know a Greek Orthodox monk who does not believe in purgatory. There is disagreement there. I suggest to you that the punishment for all sin was placed upon Jesus Christ at His Cross and not in the "fires of purgatory." God mercifully justifies sinners through Jesus my Lord and Savior,
Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:24-26).Justification is a gift of God through His blessed grace. Redemption is only through and in Christ alone. He propitiated the sins of all of the elect through His shed blood by faith. He gave us His righteousness through simple child-like trust in Him.
And again we read on His blessed atonement,
For as many as are the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law to perform them.’ Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith.’ However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘He who practices them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ (Gal. 3:10–13).
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. For the demonstration I say of His righteousness at the present time that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law (Rom. 3:21–28).Watson says nothing contrary to what your foul doctrine already states! You state that nothing pure can enter heaven but how do you become pure through man-made foolishness? Are you really suggesting to me that there is another way to be pure than the Cross of Jesus Christ? Why do you compromise the Cross? The Bible says it is a matter of the flesh. The flesh wants to suffer for sin to make satisfaction for our spiritual crimes, because it seeks to promote itself above that which God has written in His Word. I suggest to you in a careful reading of the written Word of God that you are simply ignorant of the power of the Cross. There is no Scriptural support for your thinking on "paradise" and "heaven." I disagree that the thief passage on the Cross meant that he would be with Jesus sometime in the future. I would like to point out that none of the early father interpreted the Bible in that particular verse like presently do (Leo the Great, Chrysostom, Origen, Prudentius, Ephrem the Syrian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome (Just and Oden, ACCOS, NT III, Luke, pg. 365-367). It is incredible that you would use the same argument that many Jehovah's Witnesses use against evangelical Christians, because they say ("since the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, it is not taught). Are you serious? I suggest to you that the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity is far greater and wider in its scope than purgatory. It is a outrageous to even equal the two, because the Blessed Trinity is found on almost every sacred page of the Bible while purgatory is a personal inference. The verses you cite do not support purgatory. I am not ignorant of the early fathers because I did my master's thesis on Peter and the fathers. I am well informed about them, but I suggest to you that you are thoroughly dumb (or ignorant) regarding the sacred Word. The fathers do not support purgatory and it is your prejudiced thinking that heaps the view upon them. Your view comes from a false understanding of religious and theological authority. That's the only reason why you support purgatory. I would like to ask a question on authority that is related to all doctrine for that matter. Tell me, who do you believe? Do you believe the Pope that someone redeemed and yet hates Christ can enter heaven if they do "good"? Or, do you believe the Vatican that only those in the Roman church are saved? Surely your allegiance does not lay with Jesus but a man-centered church that is against Christ!
The Bible teaches that the soul is sinless or clean but the body sins. I know in my personal testimony that I am covered with the divine covering of divine righteousness. That is, I am right with God through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now I am in sanctification that is the pursuit of holiness. You get your teaching from wrong books of the Bible, because there is nothing of it in the OT or NT. I will happily provide responses to the verses you have displayed elsewhere at another time. I am confident in the Scriptures interpreting the Scripture. That is, Scripture in light of Scripture. It is surely related to this subject and a good hermeneutic.
I have six degrees and two certificates, but I am learning more and more. I hope to go back to school if the Lord permits but if I don't get a chance to go back now or never do, I can always fulfill this wish in heaven and learn more there! However, I earned my doctorate at 24 at St. Andrew's Theological College and Seminary. It is a Doctorate of Theology (DTh) in Orthodox Studies with honors! Its run by the Orthodox Anglican church and they allowed me to do a study on the Reformed doctrines of the Bible. Here is their web site www.divinityschool.org. My dissertation was 531-pages and I enjoyed it with lots of coffee. :-) I want to go back and study again at the doctorate level but right now I do not have the money. I am praying to go back as a Reformed Baptist but I also hope to study various things at the graduate level elsewhere at a Reformed academy.
I surely understand redemptive suffering and only Jesus accomplished this! It is the flesh that promotes its extreme arrogance that it can contribute to spiritual redemption. This is why I call you to repentance, but your allegiance is to Rome now. I surrendered my soul to Jesus Christ and He will surely take me home to Himself. I do not need purgatory but the purging of the Cross alone in a redemptive sense. I wish you knew the far exceeding riches of the Cross of Jesus Christ like I do.
I do not believe according to the written Word of God that "imputation" is merely a word that can be interchanged with "infusion" and have it mean what "infusion" means in the theological doctrine of justification by faith alone. The Bible clearly teaches "imputation" and it is how God works freely to give His people His unified merit of Jesus Christ alone by faith alone.
I have also seen your post on the "Five Solas" but I believe my initial presentation of God's awesome doctrines of grace stand as it is and need no response. I will also write more on the divine doctrines of grace when I have the time.
May the grace and peace of my Lord Jesus be with you and help you!
