“Yes. You believe that you are a “dunghill covered in snow,” and that spring never comes, in Heaven. That God will be somehow fooled into thinking that you are pure snow through and through.”
Please read my latest post on this again…
"Did you get the point that I was trying to make? (That it’s summer in Heaven, and dunghills don’t get covered in snow there. We have to be perfected by the time we get there.) "
And the point I was trying to make is that by faith we ARE perfect here and now.
“By “putting faith in” we mean joining the Church and partaking of the Sacraments, right?”
No, I don’t. I mean “believing in what Christ did on Calvary”.
And no - I’m not downplaying the importance of Christian fellowship, and the
essential help that God gives us in Baptism and Holy Communion.
I’m just saying that your definition of “putting faith in Christ” is much, much too narrow.
“And that we are on the road to holiness - each day is better than the last, and each Confession has fewer sins, and less serious sins in it, than the last, right?”
No. Again - I’m NOT saying: “Don’t care about good deeds and growing in holiness!”. I’m saying:
Good works doesn’t save. Christians do good works not IN ORDER TO be saved, but BECAUSE we are saved.
Justification and growing in holiness are not the same proces from my view. Growing in holiness is what comes after Justification, and justification is a requisite for growing in holiness. Two distincts processes.
“Until finally, there is nothing left to confess.”
That day will never come for anyone that is not deluding themselves.
“When we participate in the Sacraments, the blood of Christ is applied to our souls, and our sins are washed off, yes. We also develop habits of holiness that will cause us to avoid sinning in the future.”
You’re missing my point here. I’m saying that atonement is not something that I have to achieve on a daily basis. I’m saying that atonement WAS achieved for me 2000 years ago.
"Where does Scripture teach “past, present, and future”?

"
I can start answering this question (could go on and on, but it’s 3.35 AM here) by saying:
Past sins + present sins + future sins = all sins.
“
Only if they are confessed and absolved. There is no such thing as “pre-forgiveness of sins.” Otherwise St. Paul would not have written 13 letters telling people to behave themselves, in case they lose the salvation that Christ so dearly bought for them.”
And lose that salvations how?
That’s right - by falling from the faith.