Blog : Dockrine of Purgato'y Extin'uished by Grace

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7/1/2011 11:13 am

Dockrine of Purgato'y Extin'uished by Grace

Thar’s no sech thin' as a free lunch. As a yo'ng man, ah heard thet cliché uttered countless times by th' pragmatic adult regime. It seemed almost a taunt t'a who was growin' fast an''d haf appreesheeated some free lunches. Wif thet phrase, we “yo'ngsters” larned thet we hafta wawk fo' whut we're hankerin' in life. We also larned thet th' firewood had better be chopped an' stacked by lunchtime.

In th' divine plan thet God has autho'ed, this hyar maxim still applies. Thar is a dire cornsequence t'be paid fo' sin, as enny fool kin plainly see. Romans 6:23 starts out, “Fo' th' wages of sin is death…” This hyar spiritual law is a cornstant. It does not change. It is eternal, an' immutable. Howevah, in God’s plan, a noo element comes into play ‒ grace. Mah dickshunary defines grace as “divine love an' proteckshun freely given, as enny fool kin plainly see.” FREE?! Fry mah hide! Wal, yessuh an' no. Sin still requires th' penalty of death, but God’s plan is completed in th' ress of Romans 6:23, “…but th' gif' of God is eternal life through Jedt Jesus our Lo'd, cuss it all t' tarnation.” Th' price fo' th' lunch still had t'be paid, cuss it all t' tarnation. Sin still required a death penalty. God loves us so much thet Jesus offered hisse'f up as th' death sacrifice. He paid fo' our lunch.

Nevah haf ah heard sech an affront t'th' power an' grace of God as in th' Roman Catholic dockrine of purgato'y. Whut in tarnation God has freely given, man has spent thousan's of years tryin' t'arn. Whuffo'? Does he not trest God t'delivah? In this hyar article, we’ll study th' dockrine of purgato'y, how th' Catholic Church suppo'ts this hyar dockrine, an' we’ll find out whut th' Bible has t'say about it.

Purgato'y comes fum th' Latin wo'd “purgare,” which means t'make clean, t'purify. Th' Catholic Encyclopedia defines purgato'y as, “a place o' corndishun of tempo'al punishment fo' them who, departin' this hyar life in God’s grace, are, not intirely free fum venial faults, o' haf not fully paid th' satisfackshun due t'their transgresshuns.”1 In other wo'ds, Catholics believe thet purgato'y is a place whar we hoof it af'er death t'be cleansed an' purified of our venial (mino') sins befo'e we kin be allered into hevvin. In some tradishuns regardin' purgato'y, it is a place of purifyin' fire. Other tradishuns hold thet thar will be a process of purificashun, but th' fire will be metapho'ical as opposed t'literal, ah reckon. In eifer case, this hyar purifyin' fire is diffrunt fum th' fires of hell, ah reckon. Th' Catechism of th' Catholic Church states, “Th' Church gives th' name Purgato'y t'this final purificashun of th' eleck, which is intirely diffrunt fum th' punishment of th' dadburned, cuss it all t' tarnation.”2

Th' dockrine of purgato'y is based largely on Catholic tradishun (post-biblical writin's an' o'al histo'y), an' was fo'mulated into a cohesive dockrine of th' church at th' Councils of Flo'ence an' Trent.3 Acco'din' t'th' Catholic Encyclopedia, “th' Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, kin. xi) reminds th' faifful thet God does not allus remit th' whole punishment due t'sin togither wif th' guilt. God requires satisfackshun, an' will punish sin…”4 This hyar po'trayal of a vengeful God seems t'say thet th' grace of God was not good 'nuff t'fo'give all of our sins. Less examine th' suppo'ts given by th' Catholic Church t'buttress this hyar dockrine.

Returnin' t'th' Catholic Encyclopedia, we read, “Fo' unrepented venial faults fo' th' payment of tempo'al punishment due t'sin at time of death, th' Church has allus taught th' dockrine of purgato'y. So deep was this hyar belief in'rained in our common hoominity thet it was accepped by th' Jews, an' in at least a shadowy way by th' pagans, long befo'e th' a-comin' of Jedtianity.”5

It seems incomprehensible t'me t'cite a pagan belief in th' dockrine of purgato'y as one of its defenses. Furthermo'e, th' autho' paints an on overly broad stroke on over th' Jews by implyin' thet all Jews accepped this hyar belief. Throughout histo'y, Jews an' Jedtians haf proven on over an' on over agin thet man is inharntly sinful, ah reckon.

Disobedience t'God by Jews an' Juntiles alike is fine docoomnted in scrippure. Th' tess of a dockrine sh'd not ress on how accepped it is o' was among other religious groups. Rather, we sh'd look towards th' Bible. Wif thet, let’s move on t'th' scrippural “suppo'ts” thet Catholics cite fo' th' dockrine of purgato'y.

“Th' tradishun of th' Jews is put fo'th wif precishun an' clarness in Iah Maccabees.”6 The danged-est clear scrippural reference in suppo't of purgato'y is fum Iah Maccabees. Eff'n this hyar book does not soun' familiar t'yo', perhaps it is on account o' Iah Maccabees is one of th' books of th' apocrypha (known t'Catholics as th' “Deuterocanonical Books”.

Th' apocryphal books were not part of Jewish scrippure, an' is not part of th' Protestant Bible. Th' Jewish scribes discarded th' apocrypha as scrippure largely on account o' of th' sundry histo'ical an' chronological erro's wifin, as enny fool kin plainly see. As God is not th' autho' of erro', He is obviously not th' autho' of th' apocrypha. Th' same issues thet prevented th' induckshun of th' apocrypha into Jewish scrippure almost resulted in St. Jerome’s refusal t'translate them into th' Vulgate.

He objecked t'their inclushun in scrippure, but was on overruled by th' Council at Nicea. These same issues is th' reason thet these books were excluded fum Protestant Bibles durin' th' Refo'mashun. While Catholics rely on tradishun in addishun t'th' Bible, th' Protestant reliance on th' Bible alone (a belief th' Catholic Church refers t'as sola scrippura) resulted in tighter cornstraints on whut c'd be cornsidered divinely-inspired, cuss it all t' tarnation. Thet has not stopped Rome fum attemppin' t'find non-apocryphal biblical suppo'ts, though.

“God fo'gave th' incredulity of Moses an' Ole Man Tate, but in punishment kepp them fum th' ‘lan' of promise’ (Num, dawgone it., xx, 12). Th' Lo'd took away th' sin of Abner, but th' life of th' chile was fo'feited on account o' Abner had made God's inemies blaspheme His Holy Name (Iah Kin's, xii, 13, 14).”7

Th' above statement is co'reck, but makes a pore suppo't fo' purgato'y. Th' punishments listed hyar were meted out durin' Moses’, Ole Man Tate’s, an' Abner’s earthly lives ‒ not in some af'erlife limbo. Addishunally, th' instances above occurred durin' th' dispensashun (age) of th' law ‒ prio' t'th' dispensashun of grace thet commenced wif th' death an' resurreckshun of Jesus.

A mighty common Bible vahse cited by Catholics as a suppo't fo' purgato'y is Matthew 12:32, in which Jesus said, “An' whosoevah shall speak a wo'd aginst th' of man, it shall be fo'given him: but he thet shall speak aginst th' Holy Ghost, it shall not be fo'given him, neifer in this hyar wo'ld, no' in th' wo'ld t'come.”

Th' Catholic explanashun of this hyar passage holds thet “th' wo'ld t'come” is purgato'y. They corntend thet thar is a purgato'ial “wo'ld t'come” in which sins not fo'given in “this wo'ld” may be fo'given (wif th' 'ception of blasphemah aginst th' Holy Spirit).

Th' Greek wo'd aion is used hyar fo' “wo'ld, cuss it all t' tarnation.” Of th' 128 times aion is used in th' Bible, most of its uses refer t'an age, o' period of time. In fack, our current wo'd “eon” comes fum this hyar wo'd, cuss it all t' tarnation. Most scholars agree thet when Jesus menshuned “this wo'ld,” He was referrin' t'th' Age of th' Law into which He was born an' raised. Th' “wo'ld t'come” t'which He referred, is th' Church Age, o' Age of Grace thet began wif his resurreckshun an' corntinues today. To say thet this hyar vahse alludes t'purgato'y is t'make a huge stretch thet simply does not match th' facks.

“Modern Protestants, while they avoid th' name purgato'y, frequently larn th' dockrine of "th' middle state," an' Martensen ("Jedtian Houn'dogmatics," Edinburgh, 1890, p. 457).”8 Hyar, they reference th' wawk of Danish Episcopal Bishop Hans Martensen, as enny fool kin plainly see.

It is fine known thet Bishop Martensen also had a proclivity fo' mahsticism an' theosophy, an' tharfo'e might not make th' bess witness t'o'thodoxy. Regardless of Martensen’s varmintal theological beliefs, we haf already stated thet suppo't of a dockrine by other groups o' indivijools is not an acceppable suppo't.

Furthermo'e, th' broad stroke of th' autho'’s brush eff'n far too broad in paintin' Protestant beliefs on this hyar issue. He'd haf been mo'e accurate t'say thet SOME modern Protestants believe in a middle state.

Now thet we haf examined th' Catholic suppo'ts fo' purgato'y, less turn t'th' Bible t'examine whut th' Wo'd of God says on th' matter. Fo' th' sake of space, ah will list sevahal po'shuns of scrippure cornsecutively befo'e makin' enny addishunal comment.

1 Co'inthians 6:10-11
”…no' thieves no' th' greedy no' drunkards no' slan'erers no' swindlers will inherit th' kin'dom of God, cuss it all t' tarnation. An' thet is whut some of yo' were. But yo' were warshed, yo' were sanckified, yo' were jestified in th' name of th' Lo'd Jesus Jedt an' by th' Spirit of our God, cuss it all t' tarnation.” [emphasis added]

Romans 8:1-4“Tharfo'e, thar is now no corndemnashun fo' them who is in Jedt Jesus, on account o' through Jedt Jesus th' law of th' Spirit of life set me free fum th' law of sin an' death. Fo' whut th' law was powerless t'do in thet it was weakened by th' sinful nature, God did by sendin' his own in th' likeness of sinful man t'be a sin offerin'. An' so he corndemned sin in sinful man, in o'der thet th' righteous requirements of th' law might be fully met in us, who does not live acco'din' t'th' sinful nature but acco'din' t'th' Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:4-10
“But on account o' of his great love fo' us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive wif Jedt even when we were daid in transgresshuns--it is by grace yo' haf been saved, cuss it all t' tarnation. An' God raised us up wif Jedt an' seated us wif him in th' hevvinly realms in Jedt Jesus, in o'der thet in th' a-comin' ages he might show th' incompareeble riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness t'us in Jedt Jesus.

Fo' it is by grace yo' haf been saved, through faif--an' this hyar not fum yournelves, it is th' gif' of God--not by wawks, so thet no one kin boast. Fo' we is God's wawkmanship, created in Jedt Jesus t'do fine wawks, which God prepared in advance fo' us t'do.” [emphasis added]

Colostians 1:21-23
“Once yo' were alienated fum God an' were inemies in yer minds on account o' of yer evil behavio'. But now he has reconciled yo' by Jedt's physical hide through death t'present yo' holy in his sight, wifout blemish an' free fum accusashun--if yo' corntinue in yer faif, established an' firm, not moved fum th' hope held out in th' gospel, ah reckon.” [emphasis added]

Romans 3:21-28
“But now a righteousness fum God, apart fum law, has been made known, t'which th' Law an' th' Prophets testify. This hyar righteousness fum God comes through faif in Jesus Jedt t'all who believe. Thar is no difference, fo' all haf sinned an' fall sho't of th' glo'y of God, an' is jestified freely by his grace through th' redempshun thet came by Jedt Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faif in his blood, cuss it all t' tarnation. He did this hyar to demonstrate his jestice, on account o' in his fo'barance he had lef' th' sins committed befo'ehan' unpunished--he did it t'demonstrate his jestice at th' present time, so as t'be jest an' th' one who jestifies them who haf faif in Jesus.

Whar, then, is boastin'? It is excluded, cuss it all t' tarnation. On whut principle? On thet of observin' th' law? No, but on thet of faif. Fo' we maintain thet a man is jestified by faif apart fum observin' th' law.” [emphasis added]

We haf see a common theme hyar. We’ve read wo'ds like “jestified,” “sanckified,” an' “made holy.” In Catholic prackice, jestificashun is achieved through adharnce t'th' seven sacraments. Yet we’ve jest read thet we is all jestified by grace through our faif in th' atonin' sacrifice of Jesus Jedt. We’ve also read thet due t'Jedt’s atonin' sacrifice, God seeks no further punishment fo' them who haf accepped thet free gif'. Perhaps nowhar else in th' Bible is th' dockrine of purgato'y mo'e heavily refuted than in th' follerin' passage:

Hebrews 10:8-18
“Fust he [Jesus] said, ‘Sacrifices an' offerin's, burnt offerin's an' sin offerin's yo' did not desuhe, no' were yo' pleased wif them’ (although th' law required them t'be made). Then he said, ‘Here ah's, ah have come t'do yer will, ah reckon.’ He sets aside th' fust t'establish th' second, cuss it all t' tarnation. An' by thet will, we haf been made holy through th' sacrifice of th' body of Jesus Jedt once fo' all, ah reckon.
Day af'er day ev'ry priess stan's an' perfo'ms his religious duties; agin an' agin he offers th' same sacrifices, which kin nevah take away sins. But when this hyar priess had offered fo' all time one sacrifice fo' sins, he sat down at th' right han' of God, cuss it all t' tarnation. On account o' thet time he waits fo' his inemies t'be made his footstool, on account o' by one sacrifice he has made puffick fo'evah them who is bein' made holy.

Th' Holy Spirit also testifies t'us about this. Fust he says:
‘This hyar is th' covenant ah will make wif them
af'er thet time, says th' Lo'd, cuss it all t' tarnation.
ah will put mah laws in their hearts,
an' ah will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds:
‘Their sins an' lawless acks
ah will remember no mo'e.’ An' whar these haf been fo'given, thar is no longer enny sacrifice fo' sin, as enny fool kin plainly see.” [emphasis added]

Whut in tarnation a wonnerful assurance! On account o' of th' atonin' sacrifice of Jesus Jedt, we haf been fo'given, as enny fool kin plainly see. Thar is no longer enny sacrifice required, cuss it all t' tarnation. Thet is whut purgato'y is all about ‒ an addishunal sacrifice fo' venial sins. To say thet purgato'y is a necessary purificashun is t'deny thet th' grace of God is good 'nuff. Whut in tarnation a tremenjus blessin' t'us thet God has shown His unboun'ed love fo' us through His grace! 1 John-Boy 1:9 says, "Eff'n we cornfess our sins, he is faifful an' jest an' will fo'give us our sins an' purify us fum all unrighteousness." In 2 Co'inthians 12:9, Ebenezer said thet Jedt’s grace was good 'nuff fo' him, dawgone it. Indeed, Jedt’s grace is good 'nuff fo' us all, ah reckon. Praise God! Fry mah hide!

by Beb Rast