The teaching of the Catholic Churches has never spoken of works. They speak of salvation by grace, through faith in our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. We teach of the destitute position we are in, and of God's Grace, given to us freely, and that all one needs to do is to believe in Him, and accept the work that He has done for you. But all of the Pre-Reformation Churches admit that such grace comes at a price--not just the cost of Jesus' life but of your own as well.
"The teaching of the Catholic Churches has never spoken of works" "all one needs to do is to believe in Him, and accept the work that He has done for you" is plainly deception, for in reality, In Catholicism what "salvation by grace thru faith" means is not that one is accepted in the Beloved on Christ's account, whereby "to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness," (Romans 4:5) but that by the grace of God one merits eternal life, and actually becomes good enough to be with God, which they imagine they can be, typically thru Purgatory.
You cannot have God initially justifying a person and indwelling a believer by faith, as in "giving them the Holy Ghost, even as
he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith," (Acts 15:8-9) and then requiring them to actually, become as good as God, in practical perfection of character, in order to dwell with God, in whom God has dwelt since being washed, justified and sanctified. (1Co. 6:11)
Even an infant that goes to Heaven by the mercy of God is not perfect in character, nor would the "good thief" become so thru a few hours of suffering, since such perfection requires various testings which Christ Himself faced in "being made perfect" (though not as in purifying, but experientially, in being "tempted in all pointed like as we are, yet without sin"), which was not than just the cross. But one who dies in true effectual overcoming saving faith is already positionally seated in Heaven with Christ, and will go to be with Him at death, but not with his vile body and sinful nature. "For he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:7)
And thus as said, that true believers directly go to be with the Lord at death or His return, is what Scripture teaches wherever it manifestly teaches on the next conscious reality after this life, (
Luke 23:43 [cf.
2 Corinthians 12:4;
Revelation 2:7];
Acts 7:59;
Philippians 1:21-23;
2 Corinthians 5:8). Thus the entire church goes to be forever with the Lord when He returns. (
1 Corinthians 15:51ff';
1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Do you think all the believers had developed perfection of character in the first century when they were told that if Christ returned then "we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"? (1 Thessalonians 4:17) "
However, you basically just reiterate to your insistence that unless you are "completely pure and holy, you can have no place in heaven" and ignore how God washes and justifies a person on account of Christ so that He can both dwell in them now and they dwell with Him at death or His return.
Why is it that when Protestants start bashing the Catholics, they focus on the Roman Catholics,
Why? Because Roman Catholicism is by far the majority and which also provides much more technical and doctrinal material.
"and on peripheral things, such as Mary, the Saints, and Purgatory."
"Peripheral"? Are you serious? Mary is about as peripheral as the Eucharist, and the intercession of the "Saints" and Purgatory are also hardly peripheral, by integral essential primary doctrines of Catholicism, which they push, and thus such sees our refutations.
I brought up a question earlier in this thread, and nobody has answered me. If we are to enter heaven as perfect (remember, God will not allow anything unholy into heaven), then where do those saved people go to finish the refining process--you know, the wood, hay, and stubble being burned off, and the gold, silver, and gems being refined and purified? It can't be in heaven, and it can't be in hell (unless you are willing to condemn all mankind to hell), and, according to Protestants, there is no other place. Where?
What! "Nobody has answered me?" I
provided (by the grace of God) about 6,000 words on this issue! Why not try reading it? The very idea that 1 Co. 3 speaks of ones personal faults of "wood, hay, and stubble being burned off, and the gold, silver, and gems being refined and purified" was
exposed as fallacious, and that this event cannot be Purgatory even due to the simply fact that this refers to the "judgment seat of Christ," en the "day of Christ" which does not occur until His return, versus commencing at death. (
1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Timothy. 4:1,8;
Revelation 11:18;
Matthew 25:31-46;
1 Peter 1:7; 5:4)
After apparently 39 years as a monk you still cannot see this, or is that the cause?
