Chapter Five
Rome's Doctrine of Salvation

Romanist Sin and Salvation

       In the official papal pronouncement entitled Unam Sanctum, Boniface III decreed:

       We declare, affirm, define, and pronounce it to be necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff. They who are with me are with the Church; they who are not with me are not with the Church. They are out of the way, the truth, and the life. Let men well understand this that they not be deceived by... Catholics who desire and teach something quite different from what the head of the Church teaches.⁽¹⁾

       Commenting on this papal bull, Cardinal Manning stated, "This is infallible and beyond all doubt an act ex cathedra."⁽²⁾ The Roman Catholic Catechisms attempt to further substantiate the claims of Boniface III:

       All are bound to belong to the Church; and he who knows the Church to be the true Church and remains out of it cannot be saved....
         All are bound to belong to the Church because Christ founded it for all nations for all times, and it alone possesses the means that is necessary for salvation.... Whoever through his own fault willfully remains outside the true Church will not be saved.⁽³⁾

       There is but one exception to this dictate, which is found in the doctrine of "Invincible Ignorance." If a man is found to be so "incurably stupid" that he simply cannot understand that the Roman church, with all of its dogmatic commandments and papal "anathemas," is the one, true, Holy Apostolic Church, then salvation will be granted to him due to this ignorance.⁽⁴⁾ All others, however, must "believe all the teachings of the Church, keep the commandments of God in the Church, and pray to God in order to receive salvation."⁽⁵⁾
       Romanist theology agrees with the Scriptures to the extent that (with the exception of the Virgin Mary) "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and are therefore in need of salvation. This is, however, where the agreement ends, for Rome teaches something quite different from, and, in fact, "anathematizes" what the Bible teaches about the nature of sin and how God has provided for its expiation. First of all, in Romanism, there are two distinct categories of sin -- mortal and venial.⁽⁶⁾ A "mortal sin" is described as any great offense against the Law of God, and is so designated because it destroys the offender's soul, consigning it to eternal punishment in hell. Venial sins, on the other hand, are lesser, and thus pardonable, offenses against God and one's fellow man. Unlike mortal sins, venial sins are not believed to damn a man's soul to hell. However, with the commission of each venial sin, a man thereby increases the duration of his after-life sentence in the purifying fires of purgatory, an alleged intermediate state of the dead which will be discussed shortly.
       The Bible, of course, makes no such distinction between "lesser sins" and "greater sins." According to Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23, James 1:15, and a multitude of other related passages, the penalty for all sin is death -- eternal separation from God. Clearly then, the classification of sin as either "venial" or "mortal" is an invention of Rome, for it finds absolutely no support from Scripture.

The Means of Romanist Salvation

       According to Romanism, the means by which one receives God's forgiveness, thereby removing the stain of sin, is through confession. This is described by one source as "the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the purpose of attaining forgiveness."⁽⁷⁾ Not only does the priest have jurisdiction over the penitent, but it is also believed that he, in and of himself, has the power to forgive sins: "A priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest himself has the power to do so in Christ's name. Your sins are forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ and told them to Christ Himself."⁽⁸⁾ In defense of this doctrine, Rome cites both Matthew 16:19 and John 20:23:

       And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

         Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

       Romanists are taught that in the above instances, Christ delegated the power to forgive sins to the Apostles and that this power has in turn been handed down to the priests of Rome through "apostolic succession." However, when viewed in light of Matthew 10:5-15, 18:18 and Luke 10:1-16, it becomes clear what Jesus delegated to His disciples was the authority to preach the Gospel, which contained God's conditions for repentance and forgiveness:

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).

         And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43).

         Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you (Acts 13:38-41).

       In this sense alone were the disciples, and all ministers of the Gospel after them, made custodians of God's forgiveness and absolution of sins. Nowhere are we told that the disciples possessed the power to forgive sins in and of themselves, for such is the eternal prerogative of God alone (Matthew 2:7, 9:6). Not only is the Romanist priest, who does not preach the true Gospel as it has been revealed in Scripture, unable to grant forgiveness of sins, but his claim to be able to do so is a heretical usurpation of Christ's unique role as Mediator, High Priest, Intercessor, and Advocate of the elect before God:

       For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity (1 Timothy 2:5-7).

         And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself (Hebrews 7:23-27).

         My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).

       In John 10:1-5, the Lord Jesus said:

       Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Those who follow the deceptive voice of Rome and attempt to gain entrance to the Kingdom of God through the promised absolution of her lying priests rather than through the eternal priesthood of the Good Shepherd, demonstrate by their unbelief that they are not Christ's sheep: "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you" (John 10:26).

The Romish Sacrament of Penance

       An integral part of the Romish doctrine of confession is the pretended sacrament of penance. Concerning penance, the Roman church teaches:

       In the sacrament of penance, God gives the priest the power to bring sinners back into the state of grace and to prevent them from falling into the abyss of hell. Moreover, after confession, some temporal punishment due to sin generally remains, and some of this punishment is taken away in the penance the priest gives you to say. You should perform other acts of penance also so that you can make up for the temporal punishment due to sin and to avoid a long stay in purgatory. The Church suggests to use these forms of penance: prayer, fasting, giving alms in the name of Christ, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, the patient sufferings of the ills of life, and the gaining of indulgences.⁽⁹⁾

       Other Romanist sources likewise teach:

       In the sacrament of penance, God has mercifully provided means by which man can be restored to His friendship and favor.⁽¹⁰⁾

         The Church, having full jurisdiction over the living Catholic, absolves him (provided his dispositions are perfect) from that amount of temporal punishment which in the eyes of God a given indulgence is satisfactory for.⁽¹¹⁾

       Finally, we are told, "The sacrament of penance is... necessary for salvation for... all who have committed serious sin after baptism."⁽¹²⁾ What is here described by Rome is a system of salvation which is based, at least in part, if not entirely, upon human works. The biblical teaching of justification by grace through faith in Christ's completed sacrifice of Himself on Calvary is so obscured by Roman soteriology that it is all but substituted for the notion that one may reduce the penalty due to sin through good deeds or monetary contributions (indulgences) to the Roman church. In fact, Paul III declared at the Council of Trent, "Whosoever shall affirm that men are justified solely by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ... let him be accursed."⁽¹³⁾ As usual, no biblical citation was given to support this "infallible" threat of damnation directed at those who have trusted in Christ alone for their salvation. The following Scriptures, however, clearly demonstrate the anti-Christian nature of Roman papacy, which would dare to call even the Apostle Paul accursed:

       What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.... [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:1-8, 20-25).

         And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:1-9).

         For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:3-7).

       The testimony of Scripture is clear: God, by His own sovereign grace and power, takes spiritually dead sinners, who are completely unable to do anything to save themselves, and imputes to them the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is utterly impossible that those who are "dead in trespasses and sins" and "by nature... children of wrath" should produce anything out of themselves which is pleasing in the sight of an infinitely holy God, for "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" (Job 14:4). The supposed good works in which fallen men trust are viewed by God as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) and will consign them to eternal damnation in hell if they are not found clothed with Christ:

       And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:11-14).

The Romish Sacrament of Penance

       Of course, all this is not to imply that good works are unimportant, for although they have nothing to do with obtaining salvation, Scripture nevertheless instructs us that they are the necessary fruit of a regenerate heart:

       Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

         For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works....
       This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men (Titus 2:11-14, 3:8).

         What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can [such a] faith save him?... Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:14, 17-24, 26).

       It is necessary to clarify that the above passage from James' epistle, which is so often misconstrued by Romanists to support their damnable soteriology, is by no means teaching that works justify a man before God. If we hold to the inerrancy of the Word of God, such an interpretation is unacceptable since it would bring this passage into clear conflict with the declaration of the Apostle Paul that fallen men are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ alone, apart from their good works. Indeed, James would have contradicted himself, for right in the middle of this very passage, he affirmed that Abraham was declared righteous because he "believed God" (compare to Romans 4:1-25). What we see here, then, is the significant difference between a passive "belief" in God -- a mere profession of faith which is devoid of any corresponding fruit -- and the true active faith of "he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). A mere mental assent to the existence of God does not necessarily produce saving faith or obedience to the Gospel, for, as James said, "The devils also believe, and tremble." Clearly then, good works are the natural result of saving faith, and are the only evidence we have to demonstrate the genuineness of that faith in the eyes of our fellow men: "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:16-20).          It is easy to see where Rome has, proverbially speaking, gotten the "cart before the horse." Furthermore, the Romish sacrament of penance is thus proven unnecessary and therefore invalid. Indeed, not one verse in the Bible can be cited where such a system was instituted. Quite the contrary, what God demands of sinners is not penance, but repentance:

       Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:14-15).

         And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31-32).

         I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance (Luke 15:7).

         The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

       According to the Westminster Larger Catechism, true repentance is "a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word of God, whereby, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, and upon the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, he so grieves for and hates his sins, as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and endeavouring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience."⁽¹⁴⁾ Without question, this is what is necessary for salvation, for as Jesus said in Luke 13:3, "[E]xcept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Because Romish penance relates only to outward acts of feigned righteousness, the priest grants forgiveness based upon these acts rather than upon whether or not the sinner has truly repented of his sin. Therefore, penance serves only to create an illusion of forgiveness and a false sense of security and hope, while allowing the sinner to take pleasure in sin. Such, as pointed out by Robert Lewis Dabney, is one of the main attractions of popery because "it suits so perfectly the sinful, selfish soul which does not wish to part with its sins, and also does not wish to lie down in everlasting burnings."⁽¹⁵⁾

The Temporary Hell of Purgatory

       Concerning the previously mentioned doctrine of purgatory, the papacy declares: "[It] is the state in which those suffer for a time who died guilty of venial sins or without having satisfied for the punishment due to their sins."⁽¹⁶⁾ Bishop Bellarmine, a noted Romanist theologian, further stated, "The pains of purgatory are very severe, surpassing anything endured in this life. According to the Holy Fathers of the Church, the fire of purgatory does not differ from the fire of hell, except in point of duration.... Nothing but the eternal duration makes the fire of hell more terrible than that of purgatory."⁽¹⁷⁾ John M. Haffert added, "There is absolutely no doubt that the pains of purgatory in some cases endure for entire centuries."⁽¹⁸⁾
       Protestant theologian Dr. Loraine Boettner made the following observation regarding this alleged place of temporary torment: "Since none but actual saints escape the pains of purgatory, this doctrine gives to the death and funeral of the Roman Catholic a dreadful and repellent aspect. Under the shadow of such a doctrine, death is not, as in evangelical Protestantism, the coming of Christ for His loved one, but the ushering of the shrinking soul into a place of unspeakable torture."⁽¹⁹⁾ It is noteworthy that Bellarmine did not attempt to support the doctrine of purgatory from the Scriptures, but instead turned to the teachings of "the Holy Fathers of the Church" -- the Roman popes -- for the authoritative word on this subject. This should not surprise us, given the Romish belief that the Scriptures are subordinate to the Roman church, rather than vice versa. With the pope, rather than the Bible, as the final authority in matters of doctrine and religious practice, there can be no limit to the "infallible" dogmas which Rome may foist upon her gullible subjects.
       Some of the modern, Protestantized neo-Romanist apologists, such as Scott Hahn and Patrick Madrid, however, have apparently felt the need to locate scriptural support for the more bizarre teachings of Rome, no matter how badly they have to mangle the Bible to do so. Hence, a few isolated biblical texts are now being cited in support of purgatory, beginning with Matthew 16:27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." A parallel passage to Matthew 16:27 is the parable of the sheep and goats in the twenty-fifth chapter of the very same gospel:

       When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.... Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46).

       The final verse above completely discounts any idea of a purgatorial "half-way house" for anyone, much less for God's people: the blessed "sheep" (the elect) are ushered by Christ into "life eternal" and the cursed "goats" (the reprobate) are cast into "everlasting punishment." Both estates are immediate and final.
       Another alleged proof text is 1 Corinthians 3:15: "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Again, when read in its proper context (verses 10-17), this verse clearly makes reference to the bema seat where the works of the Christian will be examined by Christ Himself. The Apostle Paul used the metaphor of purifying fire here to stress that all works done with worldly or selfish motives will be disregarded by God, while only those done for His glory will remain. The "loss" which the Christian is warned against is the loss of hearing the praise of His Master: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21). As with the previous verse, there is no reference to a purging of remaining sin to be found here.
       Having thus demonstrated that the existence of purgatory cannot be substantiated from Scripture, we must therefore ask: From whence did the doctrine originate? The answer is predictable: strictly by papal decree. It was Gregory "The Great" (590-604) who gave the first basic foundation to purgatory. However, it was not until the Council of Florence in 1439, that Eugene IV gave it formal definition and declared it to be an official dogma of faith. If we are to assume that purgatory does, in fact, exist, as Rome insists it does, we are left with the conclusion that it took God's "infallible Church" at least 600 years to discover it, and yet another 900 years to officially establish it as an essential doctrine which no man may deny and escape eternal damantion. One might also wonder, given the vast importance and essentiality of the doctrine of purgatory to Romanist soteriology as a whole, why it was not even mentioned by either Christ or the Apostles, and remained hidden from the papacy for 1500 years.
       The doctrine of purgatory is a clear and direct attack upon the sufficiency of the Lord's work of atonement on the cross in behalf of His people. The idea that a man who has trusted Christ for salvation may still be "guilty of venial sins" for which he must make satisfaction in purgatory, flies directly in the face of the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace and the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ through faith:

       Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.... For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:1-2, 6-11).

         There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.... For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:1-4, 29-30).

         Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

         Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ by himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:3-8).

         And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Colossians 1:21-22).

         And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:13-14).

       The meaning of the above passages of Scripture is clear: those who have trusted in the righteousness of Christ, no longer have a debt of sin which requires further punishment in a mythical purgatory. On the other hand, the debt of the reprobate can never be paid because it is owed to an infinitely holy God against whom they have committed infinitely wicked acts of rebellion. Rome has lied to hundreds of millions of people and has kept them in fearful subjection to her pagan mythology and vain doctrines, but the true Christian is comforted in knowing that he will see his beloved Savior face to face at the very moment of death:

       For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).

Endnotes

1. Boniface III, Unam Sanctum (1302), quoted by Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV, page 126.

2. Cardinal Manning, quoted in ibid.

3. The Roman Catholic Catechisms, article: "How to Obtain Salvation."

4. Reference: Attwater, Catholic Dictionary, page 244.

5. "How to Obtain Salvation."

6. Reference: Attwater, Catholic Dictionary, page 464.

7. E.M. Deck, The Baltimore Catechism (Buffalo, New York: Rauch and Stoeckl Printing Company, 1933).

8. Instructions for Non-Catholics (Illinois United Book Service, 1954), page 93.

9. Ibid., page 95.

10. Attwater, Catholic Dictionary, page 443.

11. Attwater, ibid., page 4.

12. Rahner and Vorgrimier, Dictionary of Theology, page 371.

13. Council of Trent, Session VI, Canon 12.

14. Westminster Larger Catechism, Question and Answer 76.

15. Dabney, "The Attractions of Popery," Discussions (Mexico, Missouri: S.B. Ervin, 1897), Volume IV, page 562.

16. Roman Catholic Catechism, page 219.

17. Bishop Bellermine, The Manual of the Purgatorial Society.

18. John M. Haffert, Saturday in Purgatory.

19. Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism (Nutley, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962), page 219.