Purgatory... WHERE IS PURGATORY IN THE BIBLE...contd.

The man’s soul is dirty. His actions have defiled his soul, but not the point where he has cuthimself off from God. Only mortal sins cut off a person from God’sgrace. So, the man, having been justified by the Lord, is destinedfor heaven, yet his soulis defiled by his sin (Matthew 12:36, 15:18). His soul is in need of cleansing because nothing defiled can enter heaven. This is the purpose of purgatory. Out of mercy and love God sends the man through purgatory on his way to heaven so that his soul can be purified to be able to join God in heaven. Remember, purgatory is not a second chance for conversion; the man is already justified. If there is no place of intermediate state of purification, the man would be damned to hell! Who would be saved? Thosewho teach against purgatory teach an unreasonable doctrine. Will Catholics go to heaven? So, why do non-Catholics reject a teaching so full of consolation? My guess is that they want to believe that the merits of Christ applied to the sinner who trusts in Him, will remove all sin past, present, and future abdicating all responsibility for sin after justification. Yet this is also unreasonable. Only Jesus’ death on the cross makes us worthy before God the Father. We cannot stand before him on our ownmerits. We need Jesus Christ . Yet we also havepersonal responsibility in our justification before the Lord. Luke 12:48: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more. If we accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, confess him as Lord, yet commit bad actions, God judges accordingly. Matthew 12:37: By your words you will be acquitted, and by yourwords you will be condemned. Our acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross does not abdicate our responsibility live the Gospel. Salvation is notassured. Salvation is not by faith alone for the Bible says that we will be held accountable by our words and that much will be entrusted to us! Nowhere in the Bible does it say salvation is by faith alone . This teaching is un-Scriptural. Rather the Scriptures say that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). While Jesus can be the only acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins, it doesn’t give us a license to sin. Nor does justification by the Lord preserve us from sin. Even a justified man can commit a sin. Therefore, even thoughChrist’s blood on the cross makes us right before God, God still requires much from us in return. He requires us to die to ourselves each day and to choosehim in everything we do. It simply doesn’t fit with God’s justice for aperson to be off the hook simply because atsome point in the past they became justified. We have a duty to God to obey him for if we do not obey God we will be punished according to his justice. Purgatory is part of God’s justice.