 | Dr. John Click, has been the Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church for 27 years now he is the pastor emeritus. He’s a graduate of Baylor University with a BA and Southwestern Seminary with a BD. He received his DMin at Midwestern Seminary. He has served in numerous positions in the Southern Baptist Convention, including: President of the Kansas/Nebraska Convention, Executive Committee of SBC, North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and Houston Baptist University Board. He has traveled to preach in Europe, Central and South America and the Far East. Dr. Click is the founder and first President of Harvest Communications, which is a TV production company specializing in producing teaching materials for Para- Church organizations. You may contact him for comments or questions by e-mail at: Jcclick99@aol.com. |
Religion
2008-10-01 08:48:00
What about Purgatory?
Question: Often you hear of Purgatory, particularly from Catholics. Many say it is never mentioned in the Bible. What is meant in First Corinthians 3:15? Is this verse describing Purgatory?
Answer: it is true that Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible. The New Testament teaching is that Jesus died for the sins of the world. His sacrificial death was sufficient to pay for all the sins of mankind, both “serious” sins and “trivial” ones. The context of I Cor. 3:15 is dealing with rewards for our work for Christ. Some works result in rewards. Some will not, depending on the motivation and circumstances. These may be like gold, silver, precious stones, or like wood, hay or “stubble”. When we appear before Jesus Christ for rewards, the works we have done will be “tested” for being genuine or lacking in proper motivation. It will be as though they are given the fire test: gold, silver and precious stones will be seen to be genuine, and works which lacked the proper motivation will disappear, just as wood, hay and stubble would in a fire. Such a person will himself be accepted, due to Christ’s payment for his sins if he has accepted Christ for this. But he will have no reward or praise for his works. His false works will be gone as though they were burned off leaving him naked and ashamed..
That person will be saved by Christ’s sacrifice, but he will enter Heaven with no reward, like a person with his clothes burned off. It is a clear and clever illustration, but not a teaching on suffering for sin. That was completed in Christ’s death on the cross. No suffering of our own is useful for our salvation. Only Christ’s death can provide this. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” Titus 3:5
