Second, it is interesting that you believe no living person then completely conquers the tendency to sin. Do you believe such a soul will be permitted to enter heaven with this blemish, or will that defect be purged away when the soul passes from earth to heaven?
I'm guessing you believe in the teaching of purgatory, which states that we must have our sins "purged" before we can enter heaven, and I agree 100% Our sins MUST be purged! But I don't buy into the false teaching of purgatory. Why" Because our sins have already been purged. Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding allthings by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." If Christ Jesus Himself has purged our sins, He doesn't need our "help" in purging them nor does he need or use the "help" of some supposed priest to pray us out of it for $$$.
I'm guessing you believe in the teaching of purgatory, which states that we must have our sins "purged" before we can enter heaven, and I agree 100% Our sins MUST be purged! But I don't buy into the false teaching of purgatory. Why" Because our sins have already been purged. Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding allthings by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins
Interpreting one's tendency to sin as purged in the past tense would mean no Christian ever sins, which is not the case Scripturally or practically. This passage means that only by Christ's work on the Cross are sins ever purged.
For example, one of the temporal punishments, as we call it, of sin is the addiction to the sin. As Jesus describes it, one who sins becomes "slave to sin" (Jn 8:34). God will forgive the sin of the penitent, but the person is hurt, damaged, temporally punished, by the sin such that he has the tendency to sin again. This is an obstacle to his complete sanctification, and thus if the forgiven soul dies with this attachment remaining, he will have it purged until he is perfectly sanctified, fit for heaven---for not a single blemish can enter heaven. This final purification (or purging) is done by the work of the Cross.
Interestingly, even vehement anti-Catholics like John MacArthur believe this will take place, although he would just not call it "purgatory."
[quote=MrPolo;53341422]Interpreting one's tendency to sin as purged in the past tense would mean no Christian ever sins, which is not the case Scripturally or practically. This passage means that only by Christ's work on the Cross are sins ever purged.
This final purification (or purging) is done by the work of the Cross.
[quote]
My understanding on your above comments. Paragraph one; our tendency to sin is a sin in and of itself and since we are still capable of sin this needs to be purged but since our sin is in the present tense and Christ's death on the cross is past tense our sins still need purging. So does this mean Christ's work on the cross was effective but unfortunately it was not 100% effective.
Paragraph two; final purification "is" [present tense] done by the work of the cross.
I believe Christ's work on the cross is efficacious for every sin of every one of God's adopted children. His perfect sacrifice purged all sin, at one time. Every sin that they have ever committed in the past and every sin they will ever will commit in the future was and is purged. Psalm 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
So does this mean Christ's work on the cross was effective but unfortunately it was not 100% effective.
You tell me. Have you ever sinned since you became a believer? Has any Christian ever sinned in Scripture after becoming a believer? Was Christ's work not effective enough to eliminate those blemishes?
You tell me. Have you ever sinned since you became a believer? Has any Christian ever sinned in Scripture after becoming a believer? Was Christ's work not effective enough to eliminate those blemishes?
Have I sinned since receiving Christ? Yes. Did His work on the cross 2000 years ago eliminate all those sins? Yes, if not, it didn't eliminate any sin of anyone. [Christ's] act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience [Adam's] the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience [Christ's] the many will be made righteous. " Romans 5:18-19. Will God condemn me and will He hold me accountable for any of those sins? No. "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1. "...God will credit righteousness for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:24.
If God credits His righteousness to us, and we have been justified, and we have peace with God, who will condemn us? Only Satan, and he is the defeated one who will be cast into the lake of fire.
Have I sinned since receiving Christ? Yes. Did His work on the cross 2000 years ago eliminate all those sins? Yes, if not, it didn't eliminate any sin of anyone. [Christ's] act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience [Adam's] the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience [Christ's] the many will be made righteous. " Romans 5:18-19. Will God condemn me and will He hold me accountable for any of those sins? No. "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1. "...God will credit righteousness for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:24.
If God credits His righteousness to us, and we have been justified, and we have peace with God, who will condemn us? Only Satan, and he is the defeated one who will be cast into the lake of fire.
LST
I'm in agreement with all that. All I'm espousing is that those fallen tendencies will be erased permanently once we enter heaven. That erasing, or purging, we label "purgatory." No spot or blemish shall enter heaven after all!
That is the simplest way to understand it I think. I could go deeper into "satisfaction" but I'll stop there for now in light of staying on topic.
So the real question is; does the child of the living God, the child that God has personally accepted into His family, the child that was chosen "in him before the foundation of the world" the child that has been imputed with the very righteousness of God Himself even have any spots or blemishes? Eph 5:25-27, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."
The last time I checked, "the church" is made up of people who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, of which I am a part, so since I am a part of that church I am holy and without blemish. PTL!
God doesn't count Christ's righteousness to us, He counts faith as righteousness.
__________________ “You were made to think. It will do you good to think; to develop your powers by study. God designed that religion should require thought, intense thought, and should thoroughly develop our powers of thought.”
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