⚖️ Mercy vs. Justice: Why Purgatory and Judgment Are Real (Fr. Mark Beard)

Father Mark Beard delivers a passionate, biblically grounded challenge against the doctrine of "Once Saved, Always Saved," stressing that salvation requires works and that God's justice demands accountability. He uses powerful examples to show that simply believing is not enough for eternal life.

Challenging "Once Saved, Always Saved":
The Fallacy of Easy Salvation (0:20): Father Beard confronts those who claim that merely declaring Jesus as Lord guarantees heaven (citing Romans 10). He asks why Christ would say of Judas, "It had been better you never been born" if Judas was ultimately saved.

Redemption vs. Salvation (3:28): He draws a critical distinction: Redemption is what Christ did for us on the Cross; Salvation is the Pearly Gates. The Cross gives us the chance, but it is not a "free pass."

Accountability for Actions (3:08): Citing the Book of Revelation, he reminds the audience that we will stand before God and be judged for everything we did with our body, "both good and evil." If salvation were guaranteed, judgment would be unnecessary.

The Necessity of Justice:
The Reason for Purgatory (3:45): Father Beard references a conversation between Christ and Saint Faustina about Purgatory. Christ's response was: "My mercy doesn't want it, but justice demands it." God cannot be all-loving and not also be a disciplinarian who demands holiness.

The Importance of Naming (3:17): He notes that Adam and Eve didn't get their names until after the Fall, emphasizing that our accountability (our name in the Book of Life) is tied to our actions and the consequences of sin.

The Church is set up the way it is—with Sacraments, discipline, and teaching—precisely because God's justice requires that we persevere in good works to attain the salvation Christ made possible.