I absolutely answered your questions.
At least you think you did. ...
I like that you affirm the hope of heaven and the sufficiency of Christ’s work.
In the first reply that I quoted, the idea that our spirit goes to heaven immediately because we are “clothed in Christ’s righteousness in our baptisms” is certainly close to Catholic theology, but it oversimplifies the process. Catholic Dogmatics teaches that baptism does indeed cleanse us of original sin and incorporate us into Christ, but it does not guarantee immediate entrance into heaven upon death. The Church affirms the reality of purgatory—a state of purification for those who die in God’s grace but still need to be cleansed of venial sins or temporal punishment due to sin (cf. CCC 1030–1031). So while baptism initiates our life in grace, it doesn’t eliminate the need for ongoing sanctification.
The second reply that I quoted introduces a Lutheran framing: that any notion of “doing something” for salvation implies a rejection of grace. But Catholic Dogmatics explicitly rejects the idea that works are opposed to grace. The Council of Trent teaches that while we are justified by grace alone, our cooperation with that grace—through good works, sacraments, and obedience—is part of the process of salvation (cf. CCC 1987–1995). Works don’t earn salvation, but they are the fruit of living faith. As James says, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17), and the Church teaches that we are “further justified” as we grow in righteousness through grace-enabled works.
So when my post (the third quote) affirms that we are received into heaven as perfected people, it expresses Catholic belief in the transformative power of grace. But your first reply bypasses purgatory, and second reply seems to deny the role of sanctification altogether. That’s where the tension lies: Catholic theology holds that salvation is a gift, yes—yet it is one that we must cooperate with, not merely receive passively.
And besides, my intention is to observe that Lutherans (in fact Protestants in general) believe that an imperfect man or woman is transformed into a perfected man or woman in the trip from earthly life to heavenly life, and I contend that even if Protestants think of that transformation as instantaneous it nevertheless is a final cleansing that enables the imperfect to become perfect, as the scriptures observe when speaking about the resurrection in First Corinthians chapter fifteen.
