RomeSweetHome wrote:Yet again Another commonly misunderstood teaching of the Church concerns the topic you keep bringing up time and time again Aineo is Purgatory. Purgatory is not a second-chance for damned souls to repent. Instead it is a state of cleansing and purification for souls destined for heaven. Also Purgatory is not a means to earn our way to heaven, but a gift from God preparing us to see Him face to face. Even though not explicitly referred to by name, the Bible does allude to it, especially in terms of purging fire.
The Bible alludes to our works being tested by fire, not our souls being tested by fire.
Our souls are purified by the finished work of Christ, not by a period of cleansing after we die. This is a Gnostic concept not a Jewish concept found in the Law or the prophets.
Now explain the concept of purgatory in light of Col 2:13-14:
13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.