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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Sanctification and Purgatory

This is not well-researched, but a thought came to mind yesterday as I listened to Dr. Francis Beckwith's interview at "Stand to Reason" (see yesterday's post) and to Dr. Scott Hahn's interview at Spirit FM from years ago. Here is another link to Scott's audio interviews via EWTN, I think. The catechism does not really provide too many specific details about Purgatory (here's an article in Catholic Answers). It could be a place or a state, for example, but no one knows how time is kept therein. But what is taught appears to me to be a mere extension of sanctification, which Evangelicals understand, except that they can only conceive of it as a process during one's life.

If any Protestant and Evangelical passes through these blogs, I would like to ask this question: from the perspective of Scripture and logic, is there any reason to definitely shun the extension of sanctification past our deaths? Note that, being an extension of sanctification, Purgatory only pertains to the justified, who are in Christ and share in his divine life.

Comments, if you please?

[I observe that much of the resistance to Purgatory has been the mistaken notion that Purgatory is a second chance for sinners to repent, to be justified, and to be sanctified. This is not so. It is only an extension to sanctification for those already justified.]

Steve Ray (from whom I borrowed that graphic above), blogged on Purgatory some time ago, too, with some Scriptural references.

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