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I would like to request your kind compliance with my request to feel free to post both critical and supportive comments on this article, but to do so with an ecumenical spirit and in a warm, respectful attitude, with the assumption that all parties have a common and sincere aim of arriving at the Truth. Thank you, and God bless.

To put this post in context, the notion of purgatory has been raised in debates among Christians of Catholic and Protestant perspectives on various threads, but the debates have been somewhat unrelated, or only tangentially related to the original topic of the threads. I've posted this description of Catholic doctrine on Purgatory to both clarify how Catholics understand Purgatory and to invite continued, respectful and ecumenical dialogue on the topic, for the benefit of all. Have fun.

ping for later

Someone please give me the specific scripture verse (or verses) that give the doctrine of “Purgatory”.

The very verse given by the author simply supporting that all souls that enter Heaven (into the presence of the Holy and Perfect God) must be cleansed - that is the work of Jesus Christ’s propitiation on the Cross (His blood paid the price for our sins, cleansing us from that sin - though the final cleansing happens when our spirit leaves this shell of a body)

“Purgatory” is simply a man-made concept to promote the Catholic Church’s position far earlier in her history for getting scared people to pay the church to get their way out of Purgatory.

Very informative post- Thanks

Thank you for posting this. Very interesting.

Someone said, “Please give the specific Scripture reference for the doctrine of purgatory” — There are a couple of Scripture references in the article itself, if one reads it carefully. Granted, they are rather indirect, maybe (?).

I especially enjoyed the historical stuff and especially the part about the catacombs.

I thought of another Scripture reference.

Luk 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes].

Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

blueletterbible.org

I’m not saying it definitely proves it; I’m just saying, it seems to be at least indirectly related to this.

a related topic:

the book “The Great Divorce” by CS Lewis would be great related reading; as would certain essays by George MacDonald.

This is highly slanted to the Roman Catholic Church's view. It bears repeating from an earlier post:

If the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us of ALL sin, it must mean our past, present and future sins - since we did not exist when he was crucified - are paid in full. Why must there be something more that must be done to be sanctified? Somehow, our sufferings, no matter how long they last, can be placed alongside Christ's sufferings as equal? Can you not see the error in that thinking?

The very concept of a need for purgatory, meaning a place of purgation or cleansing, is totally rebutted by hundreds of Scriptures that state the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL sin. The very idea that the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross was somehow insufficient, or not quite enough, for our salvation is a complete contradiction of the Gospel. He alone is the propitiation (satisfactory payment) for our sins, mortal or venial or whatever - all sins.

It boils down to the basics - are we saved by grace or works? Because it CANNOT be both (see Romans 11:6).

Respectfully.

Purgatory is not based upon Scripture, and it is an ungodly doctrine. It denies the heart of the Gospel that a man is justified by faith alone and not by the works of the law. It is the gift of God. Every Christian is accounted as righteous before God and forgiven of all his sins. To deny this, is to deny that Christ fully satisfied the demands of the law by his active and passive obedience. Purgatory is NOT found in the Scriptures, and it is contrary to the Gospel itself.

nothing defiled can enter heaven (Rev 21:27)

This verse is about The New Jerusalem. In (partial) context:

Revelation 21

1Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

2And I saw (C)the holy city, (D)new Jerusalem, (E)coming down out of heaven from God, (F)made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, (G)the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will (H)dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them[a],

.....

24(BI)The nations will walk by its light, and the (BJ)kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

27and (BO)nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are (BP)written in the Lamb's book of life.

Nor does it say anything regarding punishment, or venial sins, or cleansing.

Thank you very much for the invitation to post respectful, critical comments. I will do my best to operate under those guidelines, but if I fall short, please know that it surely was unintentional and not meant to be disrespectful or antagonistic. Please call me out on any offensive comment so I may recant, retract, or make amends.

The Biblegateway.com NIV version of all verses that I reference is included along with the superscript cross-references found in my Zondervan NIV Bible.

On with the discussion ...

In the Biblical Elements Of Purgatory section, the author makes reference to Mattew 12:32 being a New Testament verse supportive of Purgatory. He asserts that Christ recognized a state beyond this world where the penalty for sins is forgiven.

Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age^r or in the age to come^s.
^rTitus 2:12
^sMark 10:30

Titus 2:12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions^w, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives^x in this present age,
^wTitus 3:3
^x2 Timothy 3:12

Mark 10:30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much^c in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come^d, eternal life^e.
^cMattew 6:33
^dMatthew 12:32
^eMatthew 25:46

Reading Matthew 12:32, one can see that the relevant phrase in that verse is either in this age or in the age to come. Clearly, Christ refers to two distinctly separate ages, one occuring after the one. The word age in the first half of the relevant phrase is cross-referenced with Titus 2:12. Reading Titus 2:12, one can see that Titus was referring to the age in which we live now, where we must resist worldly passions. The word come in the second half of the relevant phrase is cross-referenced with Mark 10:30. Reading Mark 10:30, one can see that Christ again refers to two separately distinct ages, the first one being the present age in which we live, and the second being the age to come. However, this time Christ goes further to define the age to come as eternal life.

So, clearly Christ refers to two different ages: our present life and our eternal life. However, nowhere in Matthew 12:32 does Christ indicate that the penalty for our sins will be forgiven in the coming age, our eternal life. To obtain eternal life, one's sins must be forgiven. That forgiveness is offered freely through Christ's death on the cross when we ask him to be our Lord and Savior. To reside in the presence of the Holy God, one must be pure and without sin. God will not and cannot accept us into his Holy presence unless we are pure, because he cannot abide unholiness. Therefore we must be pure before we can enter his presence. Since that is the case and Christ references only two ages, then the second age (eternal life) cannot be "a state beyond this world in which the penalty due for sins ... is forgiven." Our sins must be forgiven before ever reaching that second age.

I don't believe the author makes the case that Matthew 12:32 supports the concept of Purgatory. I welcome all comments for discussion of my analysis.

Some more information on Purgatory for those who would like more.

The Doctrine of Purgatory [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Catholic Purgatory: What Does It Mean? [Ecumenical]

Explaining Purgatory from a New Testament Perspective [Ecumenical]
PURIFYING THE SOUL ON EARTH IS WORTH 100X WHAT IT TAKES AFTER [Catholic Caucus] What Happens After Death?
Purgatory
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 12: Purgatory

The Doctrine of Purgatory
The Early Church Fathers on Purgatory - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Required for entrance to Purgatory? Personal question for Cathloic Freepers.
(Protestant) Minister Who Had Near-Death Episode Believes In Purgatory
Straight Answers: What Is Purgatory Like?

Do Catholics Believe in Purgatory?
Purgatory, Indulgences, and the Work of Jesus Christ (Discussion)
Prayer to Release the Souls of Purgatory
The Forgotten Souls in Purgatory
Praying for the dead [Purgatory]

Lest anyone believe that the Orthodox Church holds to the doctrine of purgatory on account of the Confession of Dositheus, you should know that that particular document was written to contest the heretical writings of an Ecumenical Patriarch who had embraced Calvinism. It is a pretty good exposition of Orthodox belief but hardly exhaustive nor 100% accurate, Decree 18 in particular having been universally rejected.

The Church of Constantinople rejects completely the notion of purgatory. It is a matter of faith that no soul can, by any action after death including suffering, affect its eternal destiny. We spend eternity with God after the Last Judgment not because we in any way are worthy of that but rather because of God’s mercy.

“The Orthodox Church does not believe in purgatory (a place of purging), that is, the inter-mediate state after death in which the souls of the saved (those who have not received temporal punishment for their sins) are purified of all taint preparatory to entering into Heaven, where every soul is perfect and fit to see God. Also, the Orthodox Church does not believe in indulgences as remissions from purgatoral punishment. Both purgatory and indulgences are inter-corrolated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church, and when they were enforced and applied they brought about evil practices at the expense of the prevailing Truths of the Church. If Almighty God in His merciful loving-kindness changes the dreadful situation of the sinner, it is unknown to the Church of Christ. The Church lived for fifteen hundred years without such a theory.”

bookmark

Interesting article, but predictable in a sense. It does not surprise me that the true Scriptual argument against purgatory is not mentioned in the article. It is found in Hebrews 10:10, which is quite clear that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is enough to save.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (KJV)

Apocryphal reference to a purgatory nothwithstanding, Paul's words concerning judgment do not mention a purgatory. To my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, I simply say this: either the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is enough to save us from our sin or it is not. If it is, there's no need for purgatory. If it's not, it is a sin to claim him as Savior.

May the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ delight to bless and be with you all.

bumpus ad summum