Sid
04-23-2007, 04:18 PM
Other than the worship of the Virgin Mary, the doctrine we most associate with the Roman Catholic church and her abuses is probably her doctrine of purgatory.
First of all, it is invention without a shred of biblical support. Rome's primary biblical support is in one of the Apocryphal books, of all things, II Maccabees 12. But even this is a doubtful reference. Another so-called proof is I Corinthians 3:12-15 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=I+Corinthians+3:12-15), which speaks of one's works being tested by fire. But this is a testing of one's works, not a burning of one's soul; and it refers to what will take place on the judgment day, not in some intermediate state. Every other passage used is as forced and misused as the one in I Corinthians.
Further, Rome's doctrine would deprive believers of the blessed Word of God that gives them (us!) that sweet assurance of glory directly upon the experience of death, passages such as John 5:24 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=John+5:24): "He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." Notice - "… and cometh not into judgment." As Paul declares, for the believer to be "absent from the body" is to be "at home with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=II+Cor+5:8)).
But centrally, as with all of Rome's major doctrinal errors, her teaching of purgatory is a direct assault upon the gospel of Christ crucified, and the power, value, and full sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice for sin. The "once for all" character of Christ's death and suffering is mutilated and slandered (cf. Heb. 9:12, 26-28 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:12,26-28) and 10:14, 18 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:14,%2018&version=9)). As the apostle John declares, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=I+John+1:7)). Christ Jesus died exactly so that we would not be as those characterized by a "… certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation" (Heb. 10:27 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+10:27)).
In the name of the gospel, and the full sufficiency of Christ's atonement for everyone who believeth, the dreadful fiction of purgatory must be denounced and dismissed. Rome ought to pay special heed to the scathing words of her first pope, the apostle Peter, to Simon the magician who also thought spiritual things could be purchased with money. "Thy money perish with thee…" (Acts 8:20 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Acts+8:20)).
Rome's Dreadful Doctrine of Purgatory (http://rsglh.org/romes.dreadful.doctrine.of.purgatory.htm)
First of all, it is invention without a shred of biblical support. Rome's primary biblical support is in one of the Apocryphal books, of all things, II Maccabees 12. But even this is a doubtful reference. Another so-called proof is I Corinthians 3:12-15 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=I+Corinthians+3:12-15), which speaks of one's works being tested by fire. But this is a testing of one's works, not a burning of one's soul; and it refers to what will take place on the judgment day, not in some intermediate state. Every other passage used is as forced and misused as the one in I Corinthians.
Further, Rome's doctrine would deprive believers of the blessed Word of God that gives them (us!) that sweet assurance of glory directly upon the experience of death, passages such as John 5:24 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=John+5:24): "He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." Notice - "… and cometh not into judgment." As Paul declares, for the believer to be "absent from the body" is to be "at home with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=II+Cor+5:8)).
But centrally, as with all of Rome's major doctrinal errors, her teaching of purgatory is a direct assault upon the gospel of Christ crucified, and the power, value, and full sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice for sin. The "once for all" character of Christ's death and suffering is mutilated and slandered (cf. Heb. 9:12, 26-28 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:12,26-28) and 10:14, 18 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:14,%2018&version=9)). As the apostle John declares, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=I+John+1:7)). Christ Jesus died exactly so that we would not be as those characterized by a "… certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation" (Heb. 10:27 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+10:27)).
In the name of the gospel, and the full sufficiency of Christ's atonement for everyone who believeth, the dreadful fiction of purgatory must be denounced and dismissed. Rome ought to pay special heed to the scathing words of her first pope, the apostle Peter, to Simon the magician who also thought spiritual things could be purchased with money. "Thy money perish with thee…" (Acts 8:20 (http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Acts+8:20)).
Rome's Dreadful Doctrine of Purgatory (http://rsglh.org/romes.dreadful.doctrine.of.purgatory.htm)