Why is there a Purgatory

[MariaG]

To Catholics and non-Catholics alike. This thread is about purgatory. While a worthwhile discussion, faith and works is deserving of its own thread.

I am still waiting for a response to my or many others many Scripture posts on why they are not about purgatory. Or maybe an glimpse of understanding on the ACTUAL Catholic teaching of purgatory instead of what one thinks purgatory is.

 

[Aaron_I]

NonDenom:

This scripture is very clear that if you take part in these things that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. It doesn’t say that if you do these things you will not immediately inherit or you will have to be purged of these sins to inherit the kingdom of God.

Yes, it says that they won’t go to heaven. This is no point of contention. Purgatory only leads to heaven. It removes concupiscence and makes us clean (nothing clean shall enter the kingdom of heaven). Those who do not enter the kingdom of heaven go to hell.

Robert in SD listed some great verses that have yet to be contested. The only attack on them is that they support Purgatory and that Purgatory leads people into sin. Needless to say this doesn’t exactly address the verses themselves. Also, the same could be said about “once saved, always saved”, but I described that in a previous post.

Alfie, a book that more or less comes from the website is called “the biblical basis for the catholic faith”. You could try that. The reason I advise the website is that it is well organized and easy to navigate.

Finally, MariaG, I will agree to leave the topic to include only purgatory to the exclusion of faith vs works, but please note that the two issues cannot be seperated. Purgatory is a necessary condition of faith and works. Disbelieving one can serve as a barrier to accepting the other. I really believe that the two should be argued at the same time, but I won’t bring it up again unless at someone else’s request.

 

[Aaron_I]

Most of what is listed is commentary, so you’ll have to use your own Bible to get the actual text.

Scripture

I. A State After Death of Suffering and Forgiveness

Matt. 5:26,18:34; Luke 12:58-59 – Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) is likely a reference to the devil (see the same word for devil in 1 Pet. 5:8) who is an accuser against man (c.f. Job 1.6-12; Zech. 3.1; Rev. 12.10), and God is the judge. If we have not adequately dealt with satan and sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state called a prison, and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God. This “prison” is purgatory where we will not get out until the last penny is paid.

Matt. 5:48 - Jesus says, “be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We are only made perfect through purification, and in Catholic teaching, this purification, if not completed on earth, is continued in a transitional state we call purgatory.

Matt. 12:32 – Jesus says, “And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” Jesus thus clearly provides that there is forgiveness after death. The phrase “in the next” (from the Greek “en to mellonti”) generally refers to the afterlife (see, for example, Mark 10.30; Luke 18.30; 20.34-35; Eph. 1.21 for similar language). Forgiveness is not necessary in heaven, and there is no forgiveness in hell. This proves that there is another state after death, and the Church for 2,000 years has called this state purgatory.

Luke 12:47-48 - when the Master comes (at the end of time), some will receive light or heavy beatings but will live. This state is not heaven or hell, because in heaven there are no beatings, and in hell we will no longer live with the Master.

Luke 16:19-31 - in this story, we see that the dead rich man is suffering but still feels compassion for his brothers and wants to warn them of his place of suffering. But there is no suffering in heaven or compassion in hell because compassion is a grace from God and those in hell are deprived from God’s graces for all eternity. So where is the rich man? He is in purgatory.

1 Cor. 15:29-30 - Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory. These verses directly correspond to 2 Macc. 12:44-45 which also shows specific prayers for the dead, so that they may be forgiven of their sin.

Phil. 2:10 - every knee bends to Jesus, in heaven, on earth, and “under the earth” which is the realm of the righteous dead, or purgatory.

2 Tim. 1:16-18 - Onesiphorus is dead but Paul asks for mercy on him “on that day.” Paul’s use of “that day” demonstrates its eschatological usage (see, for example, Rom. 2.5,16; 1 Cor. 1.8; 3.13; 5.5; 2 Cor. 1.14; Phil. 1.6,10; 2.16; 1 Thess. 5.2,4,5,8; 2 Thess. 2.2,3; 2 Tim. 4.8). Of course, there is no need for mercy in heaven, and there is no mercy given in hell. Where is Onesiphorus? He is in purgatory.

Heb. 12:14 - without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need final sanctification to attain true holiness before God, and this process occurs during our lives and, if not completed during our lives, in the transitional state of purgatory.

Heb. 12:23 - the spirits of just men who died in godliness are “made” perfect. They do not necessarily arrive perfect. They are made perfect after their death. But those in heaven are already perfect, and those in hell can no longer be made perfect. These spirits are in purgatory.

1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the “prison.” These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.

Rev. 21:4 - God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the passing away of the current heaven and earth. Note the elimination of tears and pain only occurs at the end of time. But there is no morning or pain in heaven, and God will not wipe away their tears in hell. These are the souls experiencing purgatory.

Rev. 21:27 - nothing unclean shall enter heaven. The word “unclean” comes from the Greek word “koinon” which refers to a spiritual corruption. Even the propensity to sin is spiritually corrupt, or considered unclean, and must be purified before entering heaven. It is amazing how many Protestants do not want to believe in purgatory. Purgatory exists because of the mercy of God. If there were no purgatory, this would also likely mean no salvation for most people. God is merciful indeed.

 

[Aaron_I]

Luke 23:43 – many Protestants argue that, because Jesus sent the good thief right to heaven, there can be no purgatory. There are several rebuttals. First, when Jesus uses the word "paradise,” He did not mean heaven. Paradise, from the Hebrew “sheol,” meant the realm of the righteous dead. This was the place of the dead who were destined for heaven, but who were captive until the Lord’s resurrection. Second, since there was no punctuation in the original manuscript, Jesus’ statement “I say to you today you will be with me in paradise” does not mean there was a comma after the first word “you.” This means Jesus could have said, “I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise” (meaning, Jesus could have emphasized with exclamation his statement was “today” or “now,” and that some time in the future the good thief would go to heaven). Third, even if the thief went straight to heaven, this does not prove there is no purgatory (those who are fully sanctified in this life – perhaps by a bloody and repentant death – could be ready for admission in to heaven).

Gen. 50:10; Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:8 - here are some examples of ritual prayer and penitent mourning for the dead for specific periods of time. The Jewish understanding of these practices was that the prayers freed the souls from their painful state of purification, and expedited their journey to God.

Baruch 3:4 - Baruch asks the Lord to hear the prayers of the dead of Israel. Prayers for the dead are unnecessary in heaven and unnecessary in hell. These dead are in purgatory.

Zech. 9:11 - God, through the blood of His covenant, will set those free from the waterless pit, a spiritual abode of suffering which the Church calls purgatory.

2 Macc. 12:43-45 - the prayers for the dead help free them from sin and help them to the reward of heaven. Those in heaven have no sin, and those in hell can no longer be freed from sin. They are in purgatory. Luther was particularly troubled with these verses because he rejected the age-old teaching of purgatory. As a result, he removed Maccabees from the canon of the Bible.

 

[Aaron_I]

And finally:

II. Purification After Death By Fire

Heb. 12:29 - God is a consuming fire (of love in heaven, of purgation in purgatory, or of suffering and damnation in hell).

1 Cor. 3:10-15 - works are judged after death and tested by fire. Some works are lost, but the person is still saved. Paul is referring to the state of purgation called purgatory. The venial sins (bad works) that were committed are burned up after death, but the person is still brought to salvation. This state after death cannot be heaven (no one with venial sins is present) or hell (there is no forgiveness and salvation).

1 Cor. 3:15 – “if any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” The phrase for “suffer loss” in the Greek is “zemiothesetai.” The root word is “zemioo” which also refers to punishment. The construction “zemiothesetai” is used in Ex. 21:22 and Prov. 19:19 which refers to punishment (from the Hebrew “anash” meaning “punish” or “penalty”). Hence, this verse proves that there is an expiation of temporal punishment after our death, but the person is still saved. This cannot mean heaven (there is no punishment in heaven) and this cannot mean hell (the possibility of expiation no longer exists and the person is not saved).

1 Cor. 3:15 – further, Paul writes “he himself will be saved, “but only” (or “yet so”) as through fire.” “He will be saved” in the Greek is “sothesetai” (which means eternal salvation). The phrase “but only” (or “yet so”) in the Greek is “houtos” which means “in the same manner.” This means that man is both eternally rewarded and eternally saved in the same manner by fire.

1 Cor. 3:13 - when Paul writes about God revealing the quality of each man’s work by fire and purifying him, this purification relates to his sins (not just his good works). Protestants, in attempting to disprove the reality of purgatory, argue that Paul was only writing about rewarding good works, and not punishing sins (because punishing and purifying a man from sins would be admitting that there is a purgatory).

1 Cor. 3:17 - but this verse proves that the purgation after death deals with punishing sin. That is, destroying God’s temple is a bad work, which is a mortal sin, which leads to death. 1 Cor. 3:14,15,17 - purgatory thus reveals the state of righteousness (v.14), state of venial sin (v.15) and the state of mortal sin (v.17), all of which are judged after death.

1 Peter 1:6-7 - Peter refers to this purgatorial fire to test the fruits of our faith.

Jude 1:23 - the people who are saved are being snatched out of the fire. People are already saved if they are in heaven, and there is no possibility of salvation if they are in hell. These people are being led to heaven from purgatory.

Rev. 3:18-19 - Jesus refers to this fire as what refines into gold those He loves if they repent of their sins. This is in the context of after death because Jesus, speaking from heaven, awards the white garment of salvation after the purgation of fire (both after death).

Dan 12:10 - Daniel refers to this refining by saying many shall purify themselves, make themselves white and be refined.

Wis. 3:5-6 - the dead are disciplined and tested by fire to receive their heavenly reward. This is the fire of purgatory.

Sirach 2:5 - for gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.

Zech. 13:8-9 - God says 2/3 shall perish, and 1/3 shall be left alive, put into the fire, and refined like silver and tested like gold. The ones that perish go to hell, and there is no need for refinement in heaven, so those being refined are in purgatory.

Mal. 3:2-3 - also refers to God’s purification of the righteous at their death.

 

[Joseph_Kopsho]

There is no Purgatory. That is just a fairy tale. Believing that there is a Purgatory is just like stating that there is a second chance at salvation waiting in the after life. There is only one chance at salvation and that is in this life by receiving Christ as Savior.

When someone passes away Christ will not require of them that they had belonged to a particular church. If church membership guaranteed going to Heaven when someone passes away then every church member would go to Heaven when they pass away. But that is not the case.

When someone passes away the only thing that Christ will require of them is that they had received Him as their Personal Savior.

 

[NonDenom]

QUOTE=George Waters]YOU may not have said that, but what you did do was use scripture to prove your point and it backfired.

George

How did it backfire? scripture doesn’t say those who take part in these will have to thru a purging before they go to Heaven. It says they will not go to Heaven. Bullseye not backfire.

 

[MariaG]

NonDenom:

How did it backfire? scripture doesn’t say those who take part in these will have to thru a purging before they go to Heaven. It says they will not go to Heaven. Bullseye not backfire.

And neither does the teaching of purgatory. Purgatory is not a second chance at heaven. Your Scripture backfired because the Catholic Church does not teach that thieves will go to heaven, not unless they have repented BEFORE they die. Purgatory is only for those who are destined for heaven. Purgatory is so that the thief that repents seconds before death can enter heaven perfectly clean.

You still do not understand purgatory if you think those verses apply.

And other Scripture was posted that talked of the cleansing fire.

originally posted by NonDenom
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, no covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

This scripture is very clear that if you take part in these things that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. It doesn’t say that if you do these things you will not immediately inherit or you will have to be purged of these sins to inherit the kingdom of God.
Let face it purgatory is a scheme devised to bring money into the church.

That is not true. If you take part in those things and do not repent of them, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. God gives us a chance to repent of our sins BEFORE we die. After we die, purgatory makes us perfect for heaven, but does NOT give us a second chance at repentance. Repenting must be done BEFORE death to go to heaven and purgatory.

 

[George_Waters]

MariaG,

I could not have said it better myself! Thank you!

Peace,

George

 

[infabilly]

Purgatory is for disco dancers.

 

[MariaG]

infabilly:

Purgatory is for disco dancers.

Well, that was certainly a well reasoned and thought out rebuttal:thumbsup:

 

[Robert_in_SD]

Dear Alfie;

Alfie:

If there was no such thing as a mortal sin but only venial sins would Jesus still have died on the Cross? The answer is yes.

This is an impossible hypothetical. Both exist. But - for the sake of argument - if there were ONLY venial sins then, NO, God would not have had to send His Son to die on the cross. Genesis, however, confirms that we do need a savior because death entered the world because of Adam’s sin.

Alfie:

If there is a purgatory like you say then that is a great excuse to keep on sinning, isn’t it?

No. It is not. Purgatory is not a second chance. Only people who die in a state of grace go to Purgatory. And any sin will weaken a person and make them more inclined to commit greater sin. So, Purgatory is not an incentive to sin.

Alfie:

I have met plenty of Catholics that go to mass and then head to a local bar afterward to get drunk. But that is OK… its just a venial sin (but intentional). As long as you don’t commit a so called mortal sin, then you are in… like Flynn. Right?

Wrong. Sin that is less than mortal is still dangerous. Plus, from the example you give, it may just be the case that the people you know who intentionally run out to get drunk after mass are committing a mortal sin. It’s not as cut-and-dry as you suggest.

Alfie:

This tells me that there is no true repentance by the people who believe in purgatory or you would admit that the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover any present or future sins that you may commit. True repentence means you stop doing a certain sin.

And you know this because you can read the hearts of men and determine whether they are sincere in their repentence? I take claims like this with a grain of salt. You truly cannot know if a person is sincerely sorry for their sins. That is between the individual and God.

Alfie:

The Holy Spirit will help you not commit sin if you are sincere.I also think it is a convienent scape goat used by Catholics. When they stand before the judgement seat of God they can always use the excuse that, the church told me about purgatory.

No, the HS does not prevent a person from sinning - that would be an interference with free will. We are all free to turn away from God. We can ask God for strength and courage, but God is not the babysitter that you perceive Him to be. He lets us freely choose to sin, because if He did not our turning to him would not be free.

Alfie, you still misunderstand the nature of the doctrine. It is not an excuse for sinning, and Catholics who think that it is are not listening or accepting the Church’s teaching on the matter.

 

[Robert_in_SD]

Alfie:

When you talk about the mass in what way does that make you a better person?

The sacrifice of the mass does not make me a better person. Catholics don’t claim that this is so. The mass is an opportunity to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, which imparts God’s grace to those who receive it while in state of grace. This does not, however, make us “better people.”

Alfie:

Does that keep you from commiting sins?

Yes. Catholics believe that the more we conform our lices to Christ, the less likely we are to be inclined to commit sin. We are able to turn away from sin with the help of God - through prayer and the sacraments. But the ability to commit sin is always present in us - as part of free will.

Alfie:

I have watched the ETWN a number of times and heard people talk about how they are not able to overcome their sins.

This is true. Alone, we cannot overcome sin.

Alfie:

What I have read so far on this forum is mostly about rules and regulations. I haven’t read a whole lot of information dealing with sin. But that is OK… you will deal with it when you get to purgatory.

Um, no. That’s not what we believe. Purgatory is about making expiation for sins that are already forgiven. We cannot wait until purgatory to “work off our sins.” The Catholic who sins like crazy with the understanding that he “works” them off in purgatory will be unpleasantly surprised after his death - so we are taught. Again, I think you are misunderstanding purgatory. It’s not about replacing Christ’s completed sacrifice with our own acts of repentence, but it’s about the application of Christ’s sacrifice to us as forgiven sinners who are on our way to Heaven.
Aflie:

You don’t seem to be able to grasp the thought that Jesus is our mediator with God. God looks at us through the eyes of Jesus. That is what is known as justification. Human beings are wicked. The Bible says a righteous man is like filthy rags. That is how much sin each of us has in our own lifes. If you go by what scripture says about how evil mankind is then plan on spending a few billion years in purgatory.

Jesus is our mediator. I understand this fact. I also understand the fallen nature of humanity. Nothing in the Bible is contrary to the Church’s teaching on Purgatory. Again, you seem to think that Purgatory is a place to work out our forgiveness. It is not. There is a distinction to be drawn between guilt and punishment. Purgatory is where the already righteous and “saved” souls are made ready for Heaven. Unrepentent sinners do not go to Purgatory for a second chance, they go to Hell. Again, your argument here stems from a misunderstanding of the doctrine.

 

[MariaG]

Hi NonDenom:wave:

I see you have been back to the boards but not back to the thread.

Since I still retain some small hope that you will not neccessarily agree with purgatory, but admit that your understanding of purgatory was faulty, I bump this back up just in case you “lost” it. Easy to do. But my hope is to actually discuss scripture with those who do not agree to purgatory. So far the only Scripture that people seemed to wish to discuss had absolutely nothing to do with purgatory.

I repost my last post in response to your “bullseye”. My post was #66 if you wish to view the “original”.

Originally Posted by NonDenom
*

How did it backfire? scripture doesn’t say those who take part in these will have to thru a purging before they go to Heaven. It says they will not go to Heaven. Bullseye not backfire.*

And neither does the teaching of purgatory. Purgatory is not a second chance at heaven. Your Scripture backfired because the Catholic Church does not teach that thieves will go to heaven, not unless they have repented BEFORE they die. Purgatory is only for those who are destined for heaven. Purgatory is so that the thief that repents seconds before death can enter heaven perfectly clean.

You still do not understand purgatory if you think those verses apply.

And other Scripture was posted that talked of the cleansing fire.

originally posted by NonDenom

1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, no covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

This scripture is very clear that if you take part in these things that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. It doesn’t say that if you do these things you will not immediately inherit or you will have to be purged of these sins to inherit the kingdom of God.
Let face it purgatory is a scheme devised to bring money into the church.

That is not true. If you take part in those things and do not repent of them, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. God gives us a chance to repent of our sins BEFORE we die. After we die, purgatory makes us perfect for heaven, but does NOT give us a second chance at repentance. Repenting must be done BEFORE death to go to heaven and purgatory.

From CA Library
Purgatory
The Roots of Purgatory

 

[VociMike]

Chris LaRock:

I have a hard time accepting the doctrine of purgatory because I think it diminishes the validity of the sacrifice of Christ. It implies that his blood was not enough to cleanse away sin. This is why we must be born again - so we can be made completely conformed to Christ.

If you died right this second, would you be perfect enough (that is, perfectly perfect ) to enter heaven? Would you have not the least inclination towards sin, towards the deadly vices? After all, you surely have those inclinations now (as do we all).

Purgatory simply purifies us, not of sin, but of those inclinations to sin. Without such purification, what would stop us from acting on our inclination to sin when we are in heaven?

If you stop thinking of purgatory as a place where we spend time and just think of it as the purification which allows us to enter heaven then I expect it will not seem so foreign.

OTOH, I have had Protestants claim that they are now, on this earth, perfect. Even though they still sin and incline towards sin, they claim they are perfect and thus need no purification at death. I have no idea how to argue with such thinking.

 

[DessertDweller]

Purgatory is not for everyone…even for me. Let us say I’m an above-average Roman Catholic where I go to Mass every single day, I forgive my enemies – and pray for them, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I repent for my sins every night, I go to monthly Confession when I get the chance, etc. But if I die this day with even 1 mortal sin with me ----- then there’s no purgatory for me. One has to be in a state of grace to be able to go to heaven…but of course, cleansed at purgatory.

 

[NonDenom]

Hi NonDenom:wave:

I see you have been back to the boards but not back to the thread.

Since I still retain some small hope that you will not neccessarily agree with purgatory, but admit that your understanding of purgatory was faulty, I bump this back up just in case you “lost” it. Easy to do. But my hope is to actually discuss scripture with those who do not agree to purgatory. So far the only Scripture that people seemed to wish to discuss had absolutely nothing to do with purgatory.

Hi MariaG

The one problem with Purgatory is that Catholis act as if there is a sin residue left on us even after repentence and the asking for forgivness. Our sins been hidden. They have placed 'as far as the East is from the West. They have been placed in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. Scripture says that God will not only forgive our sins but will also forget them,
Heb 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 10:17
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Scripture says we are healed, not sick anymore,

Isa 53:4-5
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Jesus paid the the price for our sins. He didnt die for only 90% of our sins with the other 10% needing to be purged out. Scripture says our sins are forgotten.

Thanks

 

[Shiann]

DessertDweller:

Purgatory is not for everyone…even for me. Let us say I’m an above-average Roman Catholic where I go to Mass every single day, I forgive my enemies – and pray for them, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I repent for my sins every night, I go to monthly Confession when I get the chance, etc. But if I die this day with even 1 mortal sin with me ----- then there’s no purgatory for me. One has to be in a state of grace to be able to go to heaven…but of course, cleansed at purgatory.

But mortal sin by definition is a complete turning away from God. A complete severing ON OUR PART of the relationship God is trying to have with us.

By the very fact that we know of our mortal sin, and refuse to confess it, refuse to repair the relationship with God- we refuse His forgiveness. And no amount of ‘good works’ will compensate for this basic rejection.

Purgatorial cleansing is not available to those who have turned so far from God- on purpose. Even if there is just one instance of that full rejection.

 

[Shiann]

NonDenom:

Hi MariaG

The one problem with Purgatory is that Catholis act as if there is a sin residue left on us even after repentence and the asking for forgivness.

Our sins been hidden. They have placed 'as far as the East is from the West. They have been placed in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. Scripture says that God will not only forgive our sins but will also forget them,
Heb 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 10:17
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Scripture says we are healed, not sick anymore,

Isa 53:4-5
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Jesus paid the the price for our sins. He didnt die for only 90% of our sins with the other 10% needing to be purged out. Scripture says our sins are forgotten.

Thanks

Purgatory (Lat., “purgare”, to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.

Catholic Encyclopedia on Purgatory

The “temporal effects of sin” is clearly scriptural"

That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God

, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him “to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow” until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the “land of promise” (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God’s enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13-14).

It is certainly true that we have no more sin, once we approach God with a contrite heart for our transgressions. But our human nature retains the appetite for sin even beyond the forgiveness of God. We are to partake in all of God’s Sacraments to help supress this appetite, but we are still imperfect.

God told us that nothing unclean can enter Heaven, and it is one final act of Saving Grace that God provides us with a method to scour this appetite from our nature, and release us from it.

On the same line, we can never PERFECTLY attone for our sins. We can not perfectly repair the damage we cause by our sin. Though God can perfectly forgive our imperfectly contrite heart, there is still that attonement we have left to offer. This is offered up in Purgatory.

 

[Warrior4Truth]

I know that I have not a post here for a long while now, but I would like to say thank you for all the great post that have been made so far. It is helping me to better understand purgatory from all sides.
Your loving brother in Christ
Warrior4Truth