Protestant beliefs?

[Syele]

Well I totally believe in God’s mercy. I also believe he despises sin. Do you believe if you died before you were unable to repent you would have to be sanctified pure before meeting God or do you believe your soul is already pure upon accepting Christ?

I believe that when I die I will face God’a Judgement. It is very hard to face someone you love but that you’ve wronged, and this is God we are talking about!! The Judgement is not so much, “You have sinned in all of the following ways!” but instead a determination of weather my life was characterized by sin. In other words where was my heart? Was it mainly on God with some mistakes here and there or was it mainly about looking like I was following God but really had no true love and Faith in him?

We are Justified in by grace through Faith in Jesus. Only Jesus merited heaven, all the rest of us have souls that are so unpure they are filthy. Jesus’ gift is what makes up pure. But we still have to accept the gift and never throw it away.

 

[jonfan]

I believe that when I die I will face God’a Judgement. It is very hard to face someone you love but that you’ve wronged, and this is God we are talking about!! The Judgement is not so much, “You have sinned in all of the following ways!” but instead a determination of weather my life was characterized by sin. In other words where was my heart? Was it mainly on God with some mistakes here and there or was it mainly about looking like I was following God but really had no true love and Faith in him?

We are Justified in by grace through Faith in Jesus. Only Jesus merited heaven, all the rest of us have souls that are so unpure they are filthy. Jesus’ gift is what makes up pure. But we still have to accept the gift and never throw it away.

Right. So don’t you think there would be a sancitifcation process between death and facing God?

St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:

“For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every man’s work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.”

 

[Syele]

can you define ‘point of no return?’

This is the point where the person no longer has any desire to follow God.I believe very few who truly accepted the Gift Jesus Gave us on the Cross will reach this point.

who decides that?

Only the Sinner can reach this point.

if i sin once, or 10 times…it’s still considered ‘sin’ in God’s eyes. A white lie compared to adultery…no comparison…but adultery begins as a decline in our conscienceness. A decline in our moral thinking. People who commit big sins, typically started with smaller sins…

I agree completely whit this. it is still considered sin and God will allow us to reap what we sow. You push God away and you won’t have protection from the consequences or that sin here on the earth.

if we wait until someone is to the point of no return…will they ever return, then?

No, but why wait that long??

 

[Syele]

Right. So don’t you think there would be a sancitifcation process between death and facing God?

St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:

Yes there will be a judegemnet, butit is not the same as purgatory.

 

[jonfan]

Yes there will be a judegemnet, butit is not the same as purgatory.

How does one purify themselves before coming in front of the Lord?

 

[TheGarg]

Ok. So the more you act to the will of God the more sanctifed you become yet nothing can break your intial santification even though sin can lead into backsliding. And where can backsliding lead?

Thanks and God bless,
Jonfan

Hell

also to clarify, i was really tired on some of these posts, which explains the atrocious spelling and flat out leaving out of letters and dyslexia

 

[Syele]

How does one purify themselves before coming in front of the Lord?

No one can purify themselves. Only Jesus can do that for you. Nothing you do would be good enough.

 

[jonfan]

No one can purify themselves. Only Jesus can do that for you. Nothing you do would be good enough.

Let me rephrase that how does the Lord purify you before you face him?

 

[Will_Pick]

why are Catholics and Protestants separated then…we agree!!! (I know, it’s not so cut and dry)

“For God is not unjust that He should forget your works.” Hebrews 6:10 Those who are doubtful about the place of good works in the plan of Redemption should read the Epistle of St. James, Chanter 2:

14)“What will it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but does not have works? Can the faith save him?”(17)“So faith too, unless it has works, is dead in itself.”(18)“But someone will say, ‘Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without works, and I, from my works, will show thee my faith’.”(20)“But dost thou want to know, O senseless man, that faith without works is useless?”(24)“You see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”(26)"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith also without works is dead."Likewise, in I Corinthians 13:2

“And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, yet do not have charity, I am nothing.” Therefore, although a man is not SAVED by works, yet works are pleasing in the sight of God, and HAVE VALUE since they are done for Him. They thus help the individual to preserve in the state of grace or friendship with God.

 

[Syele]

Let me rephrase that how does the Lord purify you before you face him?

The GIft of God is eternal life. How about I offer you a gift, but you can only have it if you Suffer for a set amount of time? That’s not recieving a Gift, it’s working for a payoff. Purgatory denies God’s ability to clense us from all stain of sin without our own personal suffering for it. Why do you think Jesus Died?

*1 Corinthians 6
*
*9Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? ****You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. *Therefore honor God with your body.

*Ephesians 1
*
*4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. *

• 11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.*

I am not my own. I am not in charge of myself. God is in charge of me. Jesus Paid for me, like a slave is purchased from a former master(sin). But rather than treating me like a slave, making me work for my spirtitual food, God adopted us as His Children!

So what happens when we have not been perfect? We must face our Father and answer for ourselves. That sounds pretty hard to do but guess what? “Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

 

[jonfan]

The GIft of God is eternal life. How about I offer you a gift, but you can only have it if you Suffer for a set amount of time? That’s not recieving a Gift, it’s working for a payoff. Purgatory denies God’s ability to clense us from all stain of sin without our own personal suffering for it. Why do you think Jesus Died?

."

Hi Syele,
Thank you for your answer. I think this is where most Protestants might get confused. Purgatory is showing God’s love rather than a tool to blasphamene Jesus sacrafice. It is because we are in God’s good graces he purifies our soul before Judgement. Just because your soul’s sin is covered by Jesus sacrafice does not mean your soul is not guilty of sin and thus must be pure.
As we see in (Rev. 21:27) “nothing unclean shall enter heaven” .

However this does not imply that ones sanctification can not be immediate. It could be 1 second or it could longer.

Also God does discipline us so we might know the fruits afterwards as Paul said in Heb. 12:1–12
‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" .

1 Corinthians 3:14–15: “If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” You see, the Latinate word purgatory means a purgation or burning by fire. Paul in these verses refers to a purgation process whereby a man is saved even though his works are burned away. This is precisely what the Catholic Church teaches. A person at death who still has personal faults is prevented from entering into heaven because he is not completely purified. He must go through a period of purgation in order to be made clean, for nothing unclean will enter heaven (cf. Rev. 21:27).
catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0511sbs.asp