It says in the bible that nothing unclean can enter into Heaven. How do Protestants explain this...?

Question

especially since Protestants are the ones who always claim that no one but Jesus was without sin?

We Catholics believe that a person who dies and still has some attachment to sin but who is not bad enough to go to Hell goes through a spiritual cleansing or purging process in order to prepare them to be perfectly clean before entering into Heaven. We call this Purgatory.

If you are a Protestant, what do you call this cleansing process? I'm sure that you don't believe that everyone is going to Hell, do you?

By Protestant I mean a non-Catholic or non-Orthodox Christian.

beekay- Then why don't Protestants believe that Mary received this "perfect righteousness of Christ"?

>>It also says we are all cleansed of sin by the Glory of Christ's sacrifice.<<
lasermouse9, that's what Purgatory is. And why don't Protestants apply this belief to Mary?

Protestants keep contradicting themselves. When it comes to Mary, they say that everyone is a sinner. But when it comes to Purgatory, they say no one needs it because the grace of Jesus makes us not sin. Well, remember that Mary was called "full of grace".

If Protestants don't believe in Purgatory then they are either saying that all Christians are perfect and never sin or they are saying that everyone is going to Hell.

Answer 1

The bible says we will one be washed by the blood of Christ and two we will be cleansed by fire that all that is not pure will be burned away.

Answer 2

I'm a convert, so I know both sides of the coin here.

In short it really depends on denomination. I was 'raised' in the United Church of Canada, which basically denies there being a hell and when I've brought it up what would happen to an unrepentant murderer, etc. the pastor's response was "There's something wrong with them that will be fixed in Heaven." On the other hand, my best friend is Mennonite and they believe that so long as they have accepted Jesus in their heart they will go to Heaven, period - no consequences it seems. Neither of which ever made any sense to me as it left too much in the Bible unanswered. If you actually read a whole Gospel at a time and not just bits and pieces; hence, one of the many, MANY reasons why I converted.

In Bible it even states that Jesus himself 'descended to the dead' before his resurrection. That in itself means there is something between the earthly body and the glorified body. Protestants seem to gloss over certain parts of the Bible and avoid addressing them. I believe the reason is because they can't bear to have an answer that would agree with Catholicism, it's a matter of pride - one of the greatest sins of all.

If they agreed on one simple point, it might make them re-think things, then they'd start looking at the way they've misinterpreted other parts of the bible, THEN they'd have to admit that the Roman Catholic Church IS the true Church of Jesus Christ.

:) God bless :)

Answer 3

When we state that we believe what the bible says about sin.

First off All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of GOD.

Not sure what you believe about Jesus sacrifice at Calvary, but here is what we believe.

Jesus took all sin upon himself during his scorging and up on the cross. Prior to this ultimate sacrifice, we humans had to make blood sacrifices, usually once a year at the temple to atone for our sins, we did not have the right to go directly to GOD with this sacrifice, but had to give it to a Levite Priest, who would go through great rituals to be clean enough to present the sacrifices to God in the inner room , behind the curtain.

Once Jesus' ultimate sacrifice was complete, it did not mean that we no longer sin, it means that we have had the price of the sin paid for. We no longer need to sacrifice animals, nor do we any longer have to use a "third party" to present that sacrifice for us.

We now have the new covenent, that is in effect today. We come to the father through the son, for we are all white as snow and sinless before him if we come through the son.

So, while we still sin on a daily basis, we no longer have eternal death awaiting us for those sins. Jesus had taken them and made our filthy rags, white as snow before the father. If God looked upon us without the sacrifice of Jesus, he would see all our sins unatoned. Through Jesus, he sees us pure and without our sin.

With the ultimate sacrifise Jesus made, there is no need for us to be "cleansed" as you put it, that cleansing has already been done for us by Jesus.

There is no purgatory, for if there was, it would make the sacrifice of Jesus unworthy or incomplete, and the bible states that this sacrifice was for all of us and is complete or as the bible states it "it is finished" There is no except for purgatory or cleansing after the fact. It is simply finished, complete.

Answer 4

In the bible (Romans 10: 9-10) "... if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved, for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. So- by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, came to Earth, died on the cross to pay the debt for our sins, and came back to life the third day to conquer death for us - we have forgiveness of sin no matter when we die. God gives salvation to all who accept it once for all eternity.
How do you know that your sin isn't bad enough? Would God really leave something THAT important up to chance?
In the book of Romans in the bible, the whole way of salvation is laid out. You CAN be SURE you are going to Heaven without just hoping you've been good enough.

Answer 5

Your question touches on the Protestant belief of "once saved, always saved" - once you accept Christ into your life, than your are saved and will automatically go to heaven, no matter what you do.

After reading all the answers to this question, none of them addressed this topic: What happens to the person is who guilty of grave sin, like murder, and dies unrepentant? So far, I've seen no answer to this question.

I am also a protestant convert who became Catholic. The Catholic answer is that this unrepentant person condemns themself to Hell. This is why the "once saved, always saved" belief doesn't work.

Jesus' blood saved all of mankind, yes, but what do you do with the person who accepted Christ, but later in life loses their faith and dies with grave sin and was not repentant? It's like saying that they know the blood of Christ can save them, but they reject it. Do they still go to Heaven?

No, they do not. This is why the Church teaches that we must be on our guard against sin everyday, because we never know when we are going to die, and we must always ask for forgiveness.

God bless,

Danny

Answer 6

If at some time in a persons life they accept Jesus the Christ (Saviour) as their own personal Saviour.
Realize that HE, Jesus, died for his or her own personal and individual sins.
Is truly sorry (repents) for all the sins he or she has committed and for the evil thoughts and deeds done.
Asks Jesus to "come in to his or her heart" and "wash it clean" of sins.
Accepts Jesus as THE ONLY SAVIOUR and accepts that Jesus is TRULY GOD.
That person is SAVED from Hellfire FOR EVER!

ALL SINS ARE FORGIVEN + PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE>

NO SIN = NO Purgatory NEEDED!

Answer 7

The shed blood of Jesus washes away our sin; past, present, and future. His sacrifice was ENOUGH for us to have forgiveness and enter into eternal life. If we trust in Him as our savior and lord, we will, upon death, enter into his presence and live with him forever. That is what the Bible teaches.

Now about good works. We are created, in Christ Jesus, to do good works. Faith alone saves, works proves our faith (James).

btw- I wouldn't consider myself a card-carrying protestant or Catholic. I am trusting in Jesus for my salvation and living for Him because I want to & He wants me to.

Great question.

Answer 8

You need to provide evidence in the Bible of the "purging process". There is NO middle ground between good and evil!!! However, judgment needs to occur before a reward or punishment occurs. Until JESUS comes again, no one goes to heaven or hell.

Answer 9

While I am not christian anymore, I was once a protestant... They believe that Jesus's supposed death on the cross instantly clears all their sins when they die.

Basically, their belief is that thru Jesus they can enter heaven.

Answer 10

It also says we are all cleansed of sin by the Glory of Christ's sacrifice.