Why do Protestant believe Purgatory is a 2nd chance?

[ephesians2]

Interesting. I don’t know any protestants who have a belief in purgatory at all. At death it’s a yes or no proposition with no middle ground as it were.

The protestants I am familiar with do not believe in a purgatory b/c of the various verses in the old testament and new where it talks about judgment, death and what happens after. I do nonetheless think a lot of protestants are misinformed on the subject and don’t understand the complexity. Mainly due to the fact that a lot of Roman Catholics one comes in contact with (aside from this forum) do not know or understand what they believe, why and how to explain it. A handful I have come across actually contradict(ed) the doctrine of purgatory. Once informed by a knowledgeable catholic, some protestants may understand the tradition a little more and why it is believed to be true.

 

[Kal2012]

1. I think it’s partly limitations of language. We “love” our Cheeseburgers as much as we “love” our spouse/Jesus. There isn’t a different word to explain these two different kinds of “love,” but we know that these “loves” have different meanings. It’s like the makers of the Nova thinking that they could sell the car in Spanish speaking countries - even though it means that it won’t go. The car won’t run. This kind of thing happens all the time. I can’t say that I’ve heard purgatory explained this way, but I can see how it can happen.

Some people are just bad teachers and some are bad listeners. There are two parts of communication and just because the teacher taught it right doesn’t mean the student can explain it well to others.

1. Most Protestants don’t think about Purgatory at all. If they do, then it’s in the context of oh, it’s “some, weird Catholic thing.”

 

[rinnie]

It doesn’t matter how many times I explain it, they still come away with the thought that Purgatory is a second chance! WHY??? lol/QUOT

I guess its how you look at it I guess. It could be seen as a second chance in a way. I mean think about it you are waiting and receiving that final cleansing you did not achieve in this world.

 

[rinnie]

Where purgatory started??? and who said it? and would anyone explain me what purgatory is all about? Thanks…

Sure its actually real simple. Lets say your sin is overeating. You confess you sin, die in a state of grace so you are indeed forgiven for that sin.

Now here is where purgatory comes in, did you lose that urge to overeat? Did you actually truly overcome the want for overeating? If not thats what the final cleansing is.

Putting any sin, even the desire for the sin above God. So when you are completely cleansed the Desire is also gone.

Then you get to heaven its full of your desire food, like maybe big fat greasy cheeseburgers,and no calories in heaven, but now you don’t even want them. Just kidding!

By the way Jesus is who set it up. Its the state you are in when you receive that final cleansing into heaven. You know when you paid back every penny, Its in the bible!

 

[aidanbradypop]

aidanbradypop;10281643:

It doesn’t matter how many times I explain it, they still come away with the thought that Purgatory is a second chance! WHY???

lol[/QUOT

I guess its how you look at it I guess. It could be seen as a second chance in a way. I mean think about it you are waiting and receiving that final cleansing you did not achieve in this world.

True but many Protestants I converse with believe that one can be “saved” in Purgatory and then go to Heaven. That is a false belief. That is the “second chance” I am speaking about. If one dies and not in the Grace of God, then there is no second chance. You do not get to go to Purgatory and say “Ok I believe now since I do not want to go to hell.”
[/quote]

 

[aidanbradypop]

Jon,

Likewise…it’s interesting in a positive way. I thought before that we weren’t very far apart…your saying this makes me feel even more so. Somehow, ignorantly so, I thought the Lutheran belief is that our sin is covered and not simply cleansed from our souls. I’m confused as to why what I’ve heard is different that what you are saying. Most coming from Lutheran relatives and perhaps inaccurate Catholic view of Lutheran theology.

So I’m encouraged…

• you are saying that sin is actually cleansed and not covered.
• you are open to where & how…space and time being a mystery…

True?

If space and time are a mystery…why can’t prayers for the dead to decrease the “time”, speeding up this process. We Catholics can point to scripture in this … as I know you know…

Pork.

(ps…my 12 year old not feeling well today…please say a prayer for her… )

Pork or Pie lol

I believe it differs from Synd to Synd on what Purgatory is or if it even real or a made up doctrine. Jon, LCMS, is closer to Catholicism than LCMC would be. LCMC are the “Baptist” of the Lutheran Church and they do not believe in Purgatory at all. They actually think the whole doctrine of Purgatory is a false one.

 

[JonNC]

Pork or Pie lol

I believe it differs from Synd to Synd on what Purgatory is or if it even real or a made up doctrine. Jon, LCMS, is closer to Catholicism than LCMC would be. LCMC are the “Baptist” of the Lutheran Church and they do not believe in Purgatory at all. They actually think the whole doctrine of Purgatory is a false one.

It isn’t a matter of “believing in” Purgatory or not. Its a matter, for whatever Lutheran, what the confessions say. Lutheranism teaches that we are cleansed at the moment of death by the Grace of God for His son’s sake, in order to enter Heaven. I suspectthat our LCMC friends would agree, if they are truly Lutheran.

Jon

 

[aidanbradypop]

It isn’t a matter of “believing in” Purgatory or not. Its a matter, for whatever Lutheran, what the confessions say. Lutheranism teaches that we are cleansed at the moment of death by the Grace of God for His son’s sake, in order to enter Heaven. I suspectthat our LCMC friends would agree, if they are truly Lutheran.

Jon

I’m sure he would