On this note, I don't think this was James' talking point, anyhow. He was making a simple analogy between the flesh and the spirit. A person's body is dead, but their spirit is immortal. It would be necromancy if Catholics prayed to the earthly bodies of these people and not their spirits.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a
necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
A necromancer (Hebrew "a seeker among the dead") is a medium who professes to communicate with the dead, but who really has communication with evil spirits that ape the dead. This practice is called "spiritualism: today: actually, it is "spiritism" (traffic in spirits).Occultism was part and parcel of the debauched Canaanite religion, which was honeycombed with demonism sexual perversion, and violence, as the Ugaritic literature recovered from Ras Shamara attests.
Merrill Unger "Unger's Commentary on the O.T.
Necromancy has nothing to do with the body. It has everything to do with communication with the dead—the departed dead spirits who have left their bodies.
James was making an analogy like you say. But he wouldn't make a false analogy would he? He wouldn't tell a lie in making an analogy. His analogy would be true. The separation of the spirit from the body is death.
I used the dictionary as a happy medium because anything that you quote from is obviously going to be protestantly biased, and you would accuse me of being biased and heretical if I used anything Catholic. That was my only motive there, not twisting everything, which you seem fond of claiming about anyone who doesn't agree susinctly with you on all, things.
It is not "protestant" biased. It is a Bible dictionary, published by Zondervan found in the front of my Bible. Most Bible dictionaries would say the approximate same thing. If you like I will quote a few more for you: Easton, Smith, ISBE, Wycliffe's, Unger's, etc. If I were biased I would go out of my way to purposely find a Catholic dictionary, or a fundamental Baptist dictionary. I did neither.
But, while we're on the topic of dead people and spirits and what-not I was wondering if you could explain these verses to me from your standpoint (on Purgatory). And remember...no personal interpretation.
1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:5-6
2 Timothy 1:16-18 (Paul praying for a dead friend)
Hmmm. Explain without personal interpretation? Without personal interpretation could you explain what you just explained to me?
1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
--Christ went and proclaimed his victory to the disobedient spirits (fallen angels in Noah's age) which were in Hell—as described in Luke 16. Before the cross there was two compartments to sheol (the place of the departed spirits). The rich man went to Hell and lifted up his eyes, he saw Lazarus afar off in Abrahams bosom. He cried: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame."
The compartment of Sheol that the rich man was in is translated Hell in the Old Testament. It is the place of the departed spirits—this part was the unsaved. But he could see the part where the saved were—paradise. He could see Lazarus and Abraham afar off. Abraham answered the rich man: "Not so for there is a great gulf before us that no man can pass." A great gulf or chasm separated paradise and Hell. During the time between the death and the resurrection Christ went and proclaimed his victory to the disobedient spirits in Hell, and led the other saved O.T. saints from that paradise to Heaven with Him.
Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
--Thus the meaning here—he led captivity captive. He led the captive saints from paradise to Heaven.
--There is no mention of purgatory, or no need to interpret any of these verses in the light of the doctrine of purgatory.
1 Peter 4:5-6 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6 For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
--God will judge all—the living and the dead.
In verse 6 the word "dead" is used in its natural sense. The gospel was preached to them that had just died—"that are dead." "That they might live according to God in the spirit." Peter was writing to a church undergoing intense persecution by Nero. These ones that had just died were alive in the spirit. Their judgement according to man really didn't matter all that much. They were with the Lord, and that is what mattered.
Also, in 1 Cor. 15:36-49 it seems that Paul seems to be making the point that the fleshly body and the spiritual body are two completely different things, and that the spiritual body is seperate from the flesh and just living inside it. (the first Adam and the second Adam).
In 2Cor.5:1 Paul speaks of the body that we now have as just a tabernacle, a tent that we have for a temporary period of time. It houses our spirit that will live on forever. At the resurrection we will receive a glorified body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps our theology differs here. When I was saved many years ago by trusting Christ as my Saviour, God gave me eternal life. "The gift of God is eternal life" (Rom.6:23). From that time onward my spirit was made alive unto Christ. I will live for all eternity in Heaven. But when the resurrection comes I will live in my resurrected body for all eternity. A spirit has no body. Those in Heaven are still awaiting the resurrection. The body I will receive will be a glorified body—able to do many of the things that Christ's body was able to do after he arose, and yet still be a body of flesh. Thus the difference between the first Adam and the second Adam—the sinful flesh, and the glorified flesh—the corruptible will take on incorruption.
DHK
