Simple reflections on purgatory from a biblical perspective.

Question:       

I would like to know the following: Is purgatory an invention of the Catholic Church to make money, or is it a teaching of the Bible that we Christians must believe?

Answer: 

In a society and in a country where there are many different religious beliefs, it is common for many Catholics to feel attacked or questioned about their faith. One thing they commonly want to know is why we believe in purgatory and whether it has a biblical basis. Let us look at four reasons for believing in it.

 1.- A teaching founded on the Word of God.

The first thing to mention is that there are biblical passages that speak very clearly about the reality of purgatory. One of them, and perhaps the main one, is when the Apostle Saint Paul speaks to us about the day of judgment and about what will happen to those people who had faith and served God, but whose work was not so good. He explains it in this way:

“Each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1Cor 3:13-15

Let us note two fundamental aspects of what Saint Paul wants to teach about a believer in God: first, he affirms that if the work endures when it is examined, the person will be saved; in this case he is referring to a Christian who will go directly to salvation, without needing to pass through a purification. But immediately he adds that there is another situation in which the person’s work did not withstand the judgment; and he does not say that the person will be condemned, but that this Christian will have to pay or be punished and will be saved, but as one who passes through fire.

This is precisely purgatory: a purification that some will need in order to enjoy fully the eternal friendship with God.

It is not an invention of the Church, as some say, but the clear teaching of the Bible through the Apostle Saint Paul, who uses the image of “coming out, paying, being punished, or escaping through fire” to teach about purification.

This is written in all the Bibles of the world, in very similar words. This reality that Sacred Scripture shows us is what we call purgatory = purification. The fact that this word does not appear in the Bible does not concern us, for neither do the words “Trinity” or “Incarnation” appear there, and Protestants accept them.

What matters is not the word, but the reality of what it means; and in that respect Purgatory is very clear in Sacred Scripture.

2.- Nothing defiled will enter heaven.

As we continue studying the Bible on this subject, we find that the existence of purgatory is a logical consequence of the holiness of God. For if He is the thrice-holy one (Is 6:3), that is, the fullness of holiness and perfection, then those who are with Him must be so as well (Mt 5:48). Therefore, someone who is faithful to God but is not in a state of full grace at the hour of death cannot enjoy heaven, because the Bible itself says of the heavenly city:

“Nothing unclean shall enter it” Rev 21:27

Therefore, if a Christian cannot enter heaven because he has some stain or impurity, and yet is not to suffer eternal punishment, it is clear that he will have to “pay” in this life or in the next. This is written in the Bible:

“Whoever says 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” Mt 12:32.

Here Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks of sins that are not forgiven in the next life; therefore, there are others that are. That is the meaning of purification or suffering in purgatory, and the reason why we can pray (ask) and offer the Mass for them, so that God may have mercy on those deceased brothers and sisters who need it, as in the case of Onesiphorus mentioned in the Bible (2 Tim 1:16-18).

3.- From the first centuries, Christians have believed in its existence.

Purgatory, as a temporary state of purification, was believed from the beginning by the first Christians who stood out for their faith and holiness and whom we call “Fathers of the Church.” Let us learn what some of them said on this subject:

* Year 211. Tertullian: “We offer sacrifices for the dead…”

* Year 307. Lactantius: “The righteous man whose sins remained will be drawn by the fire (purification)…”

* Year 386. John Chrysostom: “We should not doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them a certain consolation…”

* Year 580. Gregory the Great: “With regard to certain lesser faults, it is necessary to believe that, before the judgment, there is a purifying fire…”

As you will realize, their historical testimony is of great value, because in this way anyone can verify it for himself by looking in a library, in books on the history of Christianity, where they spoke about this teaching of purification = purgatory.

4.- What is purgatory?

More than a physical place, it is a temporary state of life for the person who dies in the grace of God but imperfectly purified, and where, through suffering, he is purified in order to enjoy fully the presence of God. It is a saved person who lives in the love of God and in salvation, but not in a full way.

The case of the criminal to whom Jesus says that he will be with Him in paradise shows us that some will have that purification through suffering here, and others will have it in the next life, as Saint Paul mentions (1 Cor 3:13-15) and as we have shown in this topic.

It is not a matter of thinking of flames, but of a kind of suffering because we do not yet fully possess the person who loves us most in the world: God.

Anyone who has loved a dear one and, for some reason, stops seeing that person for a time knows the suffering of not being able, for a while, to enjoy that person’s love. He knows that the person is alive, that the person loves him, and that he will see that person again; but because he does not have that person fully near, he experiences joy and, at the same time, pain and the desire to have that person near forever, face to face. Something similar, but of greater intensity and form, will be “purification.”

So, dear brother, when many Protestant brothers say that purgatory is an invention of the Church, they simply say so because they do not know what the Bible and history tell us about this matter.

Many of them left the Catholic Church without knowing the Bible, and now they remain there in the same way, without knowledge of it. They read it a lot, but understand it little. The worst thing is that the Catholic understands none of it, because he does not even read it. How incredible. It is time to correct this.

Take heart: study the Word of God more and decide to strive to be an authentic Christian.

God bless you, and thank you for your question.

Author: Martin Zavala M.P.D.

Source: Defiendetufe.org