THANK GOD FOR PURGATORY!
If it weren't for purgatory I don't know what I would do. According to
the Second Vatican Council, I "may attain to salvation through faith,
baptism and the observance of the commandments."1 I was baptized as a
baby, so I have that one down, but I can't say that my faith is always
strong, and about keeping the commandments, well ... sometimes I take the
Lord's name in vain and I do not always keep the sabbath holy. The
priest told me one time that I need to love my neighbor as myself as
Jesus told us to do in the Bible, but that is pretty hard to do. I
don't think that I can love my foreman at work, and that old girl friend
of mine ... no way! So that is why I am so glad there is purgatory,
because if I try to live a good life and don't quite live up to God's
standards, I will still make it to purgatory, and later heaven. Heck,
the way I understand it, even if I don't try to live a good life but have
been baptized and believe in God, I still do not have to worry about hell
because of purgatory. It's a no lose situation. Thank God for purgatory!!
YOUR RIGHT!
You're right on one account and that is the fact that you are not able
to keep the commandments (the Law). The Bible tells us that "whoever
falls into sin on one point of the law, even though he keeps the entire
remainder, has become guilty on all counts."2 So what is being said here
is that if you are going to try and live your life by the ten
commandments, which are a part of the law of God, you are then
responsible for the whole law of God in which there were 613 laws or
commandments (like not eating port or shellfish, making sacrifices for
your sins, etc.). Can this be done? Well, if we look throughout the
Catholic Bible, it can be seen that keeping the law cannot be done,3 but
I suppose that doesn't really matter because there is always purgatory.
Right? Well friend, let's look at what the Bible says happens after
death. The Bible tells us that "it is appointed that man die once, and
after death be judged."4 So if after death man is judged by God, that
leaves no room for time in purgatory.
WHAT THEN?
If you're judged, that means you will be required to pay for your
sins. What will your payment be? The Catholic Bible tells us that those
who were judged according to their conduct on earth were the ones whose
names were not found in the book of the living, and "anyone whose name
was not found inscribed in the book of the living was hurled into the
pool of fire"5 for eternity. So as you can see, those who are judged
will be punished for eternity.
DOESN'T EVERYONE GET JUDGED FOR SIN?
That is a good question, and the answer to that is no. Anyone's name
who was not found in the book of the living was judged, but the people
whose names were in the book were not judged. Why? Because these people
made a choice that you also can make, and that choice was to accept the
payment that Jesus Christ made for every person's sins from Adam and Eve
up to the last person that will ever be born. How did they do that?
Well, these people realized that they were sinners and that after death
would come judgment for their sins. Because of this they needed a Savior
which was Jesus, because Jesus Himself said that God did not send Him
into the world to condemn the world, but through Him the world might be
saved.6 Jesus also said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through me."7 So they knew that Jesus was
the only way.
HOW CAN YOU BE SAVED?
By accepting Jesus' payment for your sins. Just go to God in prayer
and tell Him that you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior and that
you are accepting His payment for your sins. Do this with a sincere
heart and you to will be saved.
Flannery, Austin, ed. Vatican Council II. Boston:
St. Paul Editions, l975. pg. 378
2James 2:10
3Romans 2:17-3:10
4Hebrews 9:27
5Revelation 20:11-15
6John 3:17
7John 14:6
References taken from New American Catholic Bible.
Copyright 1987 by Randy Hillebrand
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