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."
There is no inference to a 'purgatory' here. Purgatory as understood from the Roman Catholic teaching is: ""purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven". When a departed soul is 'not quite there yet' to make it to Heaven, because of some sin(s) preventing him, he needs to be in a place (a purgatory) of further thought & purification (a purging of sins) prior to his release. This is NOT in Scripture, it is RC teaching. And it's this type of teaching, even amongst non-RCs, that give a false impression that there will be a second chance at attaining Heaven & eternal life.
The verse you cite, speaks of a believer already in Heaven ("in that day" standing before God) when the revealing fire of God will try "every man's work, of what sort it is". We are saved by faith in the finished Work of Christ on the Cross, but what we have done in our faith & with our faith will come under Divine Scrutiny.
Some will finish their course well, having saving faith plus a life that has been a blessing to many & works done for the extension of God's Kingdom (i.e. works of value: gold, silver or precious stones). Others, will "still be saved, yet so as by fire" (i.e. he has done little or nothing by his faith = wood, hay or stubble, which are easily burned), but on the merits of his faith & Christ's Work for Him, he will get to Heaven "by the skin of his teeth", so to speak. See 1 Peter 4:18: "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Let's not be content to "just getting into Heaven", but to live the Christian life & doing the things, that gives us an "abundant entrance".
So, yes, our 'dead works' will be burned up, but not in purgatory (which doesn't exist), but burned because it has not added to the community of believers, to the world without hope, or to God's Kingdom.
There is no inference to a 'purgatory' here. Purgatory as understood from the Roman Catholic teaching is: ""purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven". When a departed soul is 'not quite there yet' to make it to Heaven, because of some sin(s) preventing him, he needs to be in a place (a purgatory) of further thought & purification (a purging of sins) prior to his release. This is NOT in Scripture, it is RC teaching. And it's this type of teaching, even amongst non-RCs, that give a false impression that there will be a second chance at attaining Heaven & eternal life.
The verse you cite, speaks of a believer already in Heaven ("in that day" standing before God) when the revealing fire of God will try "every man's work, of what sort it is". We are saved by faith in the finished Work of Christ on the Cross, but what we have done in our faith & with our faith will come under Divine Scrutiny.
Some will finish their course well, having saving faith plus a life that has been a blessing to many & works done for the extension of God's Kingdom (i.e. works of value: gold, silver or precious stones). Others, will "still be saved, yet so as by fire" (i.e. he has done little or nothing by his faith = wood, hay or stubble, which are easily burned), but on the merits of his faith & Christ's Work for Him, he will get to Heaven "by the skin of his teeth", so to speak. See 1 Peter 4:18: "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Let's not be content to "just getting into Heaven", but to live the Christian life & doing the things, that gives us an "abundant entrance".
So, yes, our 'dead works' will be burned up, but not in purgatory (which doesn't exist), but burned because it has not added to the community of believers, to the world without hope, or to God's Kingdom.
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