Purgatory Ponderings

Purgatory is misunderstood not only by a great many Protestants, but also some Catholics and I hope that by the end of this post I have gone a little way to disproving that Purgatory is a nonsense and have helped to convey that not only is Purgatory Scriptural, but that that it actually makes no sense at all not to believe in it.

What is Purgatory?

There are two final destinations we may go to at the end of our earthly lives. One, is heaven, the other is Hell. However, Scripture tells us that there is another place, not a final destination, but a place that we must pass through in order that we might be spotless when we come face to face with God. Purgatory then, is a necessary place of purification, because as Scripture tells us;

“nothing unclean will enter it (heaven), nor any (one) who does abominable things or tells lies.” – Revelations 21:27

Since nothing unclean can enter heaven, there must be a means with which our souls can be purified prior to our entering heaven. If souls were not purified, Heaven would be scarcely inhabited!

Catholics don’t believe that Purgatory is a place of perpetual suffering, otherwise it would be called ‘hell’… rather it is a place of preparation that we (most of us at any rate) must pass through so that we can be purified.

Catholics don’t believe that Purgatory is a place where we will endure physical torment. The sufferings of Purgatory are spiritual rather than physical and at that time we will of course, not have been united with our new resurrected bodies. As we are spiritually unclean, we need to be made spiritually clean. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Throughout Scripture we read of those enduring suffering and of growing in holiness (I’m thinking Job) why is it so difficult , therefore to appreciate that a temporary suffering of our soul, will lead us to the very source of holiness itself?

If this cleansing doesn’t happen in Purgatory where/when does it happen? What if there is no cleansing, no purification? Are all to be denied Heaven because they are unclean and unfit to enter it? What would be the point in faith at all were that the case, because we are all sinful.

Doesn’t make sense really, does it?

Who believes in Purgatory?

It is my understanding that ‘Purgatory’ is accepted by three quarters of Christianity as a whole. If in fact, you believe that those who believe in Purgatory are in the minority, you’d be sorely mistaken. The Catholic Church & Eastern Orthodox Church both believe in the existence of Purgatory (though the EO Church do not call it Purgatory, they too believe in final purification). We must, however, not make the mistake of imaging that only Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the existence of Purgatory. Some protestants do too.

C.S. Lewis, Protestant Author and Theologian refers to Purgatory in the following way…

“’I hope that when the tooth of life is drawn and I am coming round, a voice will say ‘Rinse your mouth out with this.’ This will be purgatory.‘” – Letters to Malcolm, Chapter 20

Another Book of Scripture thrown out by Martin Luther clearly supports Purgatory (not surprising he threw it out to make his new protesting bible then is it?) ;

“On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his men went to gather up the bodies of the slain and bury them with their kinsmen in their ancestral tombs. But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had been slain.

They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas warned the soldiers to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice.

In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.

But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin” – 2 Maccabees 12:39- 46

Is this a new Doctrine?

No. The Catholic Church, since its institution has believed in the doctrine of Purgatory and has prayed for the dead;

“We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthdays and anniversaries”. ~ Tertullian 211 A.D

It should be understood that we can not pray souls out of Hell anymore than we can pray people into Heaven. We can however pray for those who died in unrepented venial sin.

C.S. Lewis wrote ;

“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him?

I believe in Purgatory.”

Where in Scripture is Purgatory mentioned?

The words Trinity, Bible and Incarnation are not to be found in Scripture, so we surely won’t be alarmed that the word ‘purgatory’ is not to be found there either?

What is to be found in Scripture however is a thread of belief that runs throughout the Bible, which tells us of the existence of Purgatory and of our need of it.

Mathew 12:32 tells us that…

“whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

What need would there be of forgiveness in the ‘next age/life’ if we were automatically forgiven? Since there’s no forgiveness in Hell and none necessary in Heaven, where would forgiveness take place?

In anotherpassage, St. Paul prays for mercy for Onesiphorus after his death saying;

“May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord”. – 2 Tim 1:18

If Onespiphorus sins were automatically forgiven him at the point of death, of what need had he of prays or of the Lord’s Mercy after death?

In fact, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he writes about the refining fire for the ‘saved’, not for those in Hell (obviously) and not of those in heaven either, because of the mention of suffering and there will be no suffering in heaven…. thus once again confirming the early church belief in Purgatory.

“Every man’s work shall be manifest. For the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire. And the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any mans work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire” – 1 Corinthians 3: 13-15

But isn’t the idea of Purgatory all tied up with the Catholic belief in Mortal and Venial Sins. I don’t buy into that?

We read in 1 John 5:17

“All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.”

What does it mean if it does not differentiate between less serious and more serious sins?

Scripture makes it clear that venial sin does not end our friendship with God, we can see that there are lesser sins for which we must ask God’s forgiveness, after all we were taught the Lord’s Prayer by Christ Himself ;

“forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

- Mathew 6:12

And then there are sins that are so grave that in committing them we are eternally separated from the friendship of God…

“Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Should we feel sorry for the Souls in Purgatory?

No way! It’s a pathway to Heaven that we can but hope for, for ourselves. Everyone who goes to Purgatory, will go to Heaven! What’s to feel sorry about?

In Summary

Once again, I must be clear that this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive study of Purgatory, instead it is merely a brief and time-constricted post that I hope will give some pause for thought to those who would like to know more about it.

A belief in Purgatory does not deny the work that Christ did on the Cross. It is wholly because of Christ’s saving work that we are sanctified, made befitting of heaven.

“But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth.” – 2 Thessalonians 2: 13

Thanks be to God for Purgatory, because…

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” – Romans 3.23

Without it, who knows where we’d end up?