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Emphasis Mine in All Bible Verses
Purgatory
Is Purgatory a Physical Place?
Indulgences And Vicarious Reparation
Maccabees
A story told in Maccabees - a book whose canonicity is in serious question
is virtually the only evidence put forth in support of the doctrine.
Verses That Refute The Doctrine of Purgatory
The idea that Jesus has forgiven our sins yet they still need to be 'cleansed' is flatly contradicted by Scripture
Why Do I Need To Keep Asking For Forgiveness
If God Has Already Forgiven My Sins?
Is an oft asked question. The Biblical answer will either shock or just surprise you
I Corinthians 3:10-15
Are these verses supporting evidence for Purgatory.
Finally - A Deafening Silence
Purgatory
In Catholic theology, "temporal punishment" refers to the consequences of sin that remain even after the guilt of the sin has been forgiven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1472) offers that sin has a double effect: separation from God but also the disorder that sin leaves in its wake.
By analogy, this can be seen in your having broken a window in the family house (the sin). You confess your sin and the parents "forgive" you – but there is still the matter of the broken window that needs to be fixed, to make the window whole again (or to borrow from Leviticus, to be made pure). The "punishment" is that you have to fix the window. [01]
The Catechism goes on to say (All Emphasis Added)
1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgement there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. [02]
How Catholicism justifies purgatory,
The argument is simply this: Though Jesus has forgiven our sins, we still need to be cleansed of our sins and, since God cannot countenance evil, He can't have evil in a perfectly good heaven (in other words a heaven where there is perfect goodness and there is no moral flaw). Therefore, we cannot enter heaven in a position of moral inadequacy and we must go through a period of purging in which our sins and our sinful character is purged and perfected and transformed so that we might enter heaven in perfection...
It's not just that the books are balanced and so we are exonerated with regard to the law. That is forgiveness. But we need to have a transformation in our substance, in our being itself. It is flawed, it is imperfect, it is incomplete. It must be repaired before we can enter heaven.
Is Purgatory a Physical Place?
Although many Catholics believe Purgatory to be a physical place Catholic author Shane Schaetzel challenges that idea.
The word "purgatory" comes from the word "purge" meaning to purge one of sin. Purgatory is not so much a place as it is a process. If it were to be described as a place, (which is kind of pushing the envelope), then we could describe it as heaven's front door. Imagine, if you will, the pearly gates of heaven before you, and between those gates there exists mighty flames of "fire." Now the "fire" is not real fire mind you, it is rather the "fire" of Christ's burning love for us.
It is in effect, God's love we are talking about here, but in his mercy he allows we poor sinners to participate in his work of salvation. He does all the "heavy lifting" of course. We just add little details.
See Verses That Refute The Idea That We Can Give God A 'Helping Hand'. Below
Now in order to get to the fullness of heaven, on the other side of the gate, you must pass through the "fire" in between. As you do, this "fire" burns away all of your sinful attachments to this world. Maybe you drank too much, or were lazy, or perhaps you had a short temper in your earthly life. Whatever the case, you died in a state of grace, but your soul was far from perfect. Purgatory is just the process God puts our souls through as he brings us into heaven. Here he applies the full merit of Christ's atonement, as well as the merits of prayers and sacrifices of the saints on earth, to make one's soul fully and completely ready for the joy of heaven.
As I said, describing purgatory as a place is pushing the envelope a bit, but sometimes it helps to give people a mental picture. In reality, it is just something that happens to a saved person's soul on the way to heaven. It is a process of decreasing pain and increasing joy, as the sinful attachments to this world are let go, while the fullness of heaven is gradually embraced. No one goes to purgatory unless one is already saved, and no, purgatory is not a "second chance." The soul in purgatory doesn't need a second chance. He's already on his way to heaven. We could even say the soul in purgatory is already in heaven, but just isn't experiencing the fullness of it yet. [03]
What I would love to know is how (for example) he knows that "mighty flames of fire" exist between the "pearly gates of Heaven"? and how he knows that it "burns away all of your sinful attachments to this world".
I hope "pearly gates of heaven" is just a figure of speech.
See What and Where is Heaven?
Christians who believe they will spend an eternity in "heaven" seem to have little or no idea where this heaven is, what it will look like, or what they will do for an eternity. Either they have vague ideas about some ethereal place 'out there' or resort to pious phrases that amount to little more than spiritual gobbledy gook.
If this is the best we can do then then it is little wonder that atheists and non Christians are not in the slightest bit interested in our "heaven" and, even worse, Christians themselves so rarely seem to look forward to the coming of the day of God.
Luckily the Bible isn't at all silent on on where "heaven" is and what it will be like. In fact, the Bible's description of the coming kingdom is far more practical and a lot less sanctimonious than that of our theologians. Far from being outdated, out of touch, and largely irrelevant to modern society, the Kingdom of God Jesus was sent to earth to proclaim (No, His main message wasn’t about ‘love’) is exactly the utopian world most men and women can only dream of, not some pie-in-the-sky ethereal place the other side of Pluto where everyone exists in a state of disembodied blessedness.
Indulgences And Vicarious Reparation
Indulgences: An indulgence in the Roman Catholic Church is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
Indulgences that can be obtained by prayer, saying the rosary, offering Masses, etc. can either reduce or eliminate the amount of time that an individual needs to spend in Purgatory. Partial indulgence reduces an individual's time in Purgatory, Plenary indulgences remove all of the temporal punishment completely eliminating time in Purgatory.
Vicarious Reparation: (also called Substitutionary Atonement) is a concept in which one individual voluntarily offers up their own prayers, acts, or personal suffering to make amends or expiate the wrongs committed by another individual or group
The church teaches that one person can make expiation for the sins of others by offering their prayers, works, and sufferings as a participation in Christ's redemptive self-sacrifice on the cross.
The Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences says the Church... (All Emphasis Added)
formulated and undertook various ways of applying the fruits of the Lord's redemption to the individual faithful and of leading them to cooperate in the salvation of their brothers, so that the entire body of the Church might be prepared in justice and sanctity for the complete realization of the kingdom of God, when he will be all things to all men.''
Indeed the prayer and good works of the upright were considered to be of so great value that it could be asserted the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people... [04]
The Catholic Catechism adds
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture:
"Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." From the beginning the Church has honoured the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends alms giving indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. [05]
Maccabees
The reference to Judas Maccabeus in the Catholic Catechism above comes from the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees that describes Judas Maccabeus' response to the fact that some of his soldiers had died with idolatrous amulets under their tunics.
With the exception of five verses in I Corinthians (below) the story told in Maccabees - a book whose canonicity is in serious question - is virtually the only evidence put forth in support of the doctrine.
The full account reads, (All Emphasis Added)
38 Judas rallied his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was approaching, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the sabbath there.
39 On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. 40 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 fallen. 41 They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden.
42 Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people 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. 43 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 in mind;
44 for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. 45 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.
46 Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.
See The Canon of Scripture - Part II - The Apocrypha
Did Protestants "remove" seven books from the Old Testament?
More about the Maccabees in Footnote I
Verses That Refute The Doctrine of Purgatory
2 Corinthians 5:8
answers the question that many have asked or thought about ie. what happens to believers when they die? The verse simply and clearly says being absent from the body means we will be at home with the Lord.
but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8 NASB)
Hebrews 10:16-18
The idea that Jesus has forgiven our sins yet they still need to be 'cleansed' is flatly contradicted by the author of Hebrews who wrote,
This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds." Then He adds:"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed. (Hebrews 10:16-18 NASB)
Colossians 2:13 clearly states that Christ died to pay the penalty for all our sins
And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14 NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 refutes the idea that being saved is a result of works
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB)
Philippians 1:21-23
Paul knew he would go to be with the Lord when he died
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NASB)
And then there is Jesus’ final word on the cross...
Tetelestai
Matthew Slick writes (Emphasis Added)
Protestants maintain that Jesus' sacrifice alone is what justifies and removes from us all guilt. We look to the cross and to the cross alone for the complete forgiveness of our sins; and, though our works will one day be judged, we have passed out of condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Our works reflect on rewards in heaven – not to get us to heaven. Jesus bore all our sins (1 Peter 2:24). There are no sins left for purgatory to cleanse because it was all done by Jesus on the cross. This is why Jesus said, "It is finished!" (John 19:30).
In Greek the term "it is finished," is "tetelestai."
It was a term used in legal contexts to state that a debt had been paid in full. "Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning "paid in full." (Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc., 1983, 1985).
Therefore, there is no need for purgatory. [06]
An oft asked question is
Why Do I Need To Keep Asking For Forgiveness
If God Has Already Forgiven My Sins?
Every Christian I know of assumes that the atonement has already taken place. If asked, they will give you a wide variety of answers to the question of when someone is fully and finally saved.
Some will tell you that God's elect were saved in the dim mists of God's eternity. Others that a person is saved when he prays the sinners prayer, when he is baptized, or when he joins a church. Yet others will say that salvation comes when the person has received the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues, or been born again. Perhaps the most popular answer is they are saved when they make a sincere confession of faith in Jesus ...when they "call upon the name of the Lord". (Romans 10:13)
However, those who are actually interested in what the Bible says on the subject - and who are willing to pay close attention to the words the apostles chose to use will run across some extremely confusing statements. Statements that seem to flatly contradict each other.
Entirely used to 30 second 'sound bites' most of us in the modern world tend to do more glossing over than studying. Thus I have to wonder how many Christians realize that these discrepancies not only exist but completely contradict virtually everything they have been told about the timing of the atonement.
For example, the New Testament sometimes says that salvation is an accomplished reality (past), is an ongoing process (present continuous), and even that it has yet to happen (future). Also note that this seeming contradiction is not limited to salvation alone. It also occurs with bewildering regularity in statements about other crucially important topics - justification, redemption, glorification, and adoption. Examples have been given on the page linked directly below.
The only exception were the English words 'reconcile' and 'reconciliation' that were always rendered in the past tense - for good reason.
See Details in The Two Phase Atonement
I Corinthians 3:10-15
These verses have been put forth as supporting evidence for Purgatory.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 BSB)
It is believed that the passage above is a reference to purgatory because it says if any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss. Not only is his work lost but he will suffer loss as well. This seems to indicate that the man himself will be purged and cleansed. He will be saved, but through through a cleansing process involving fire.
You can only come to the conclusion that Paul is referring to purgatory in the above verses if you approach them with very fixed ideas already in place.
What one needs to do besides reading the above verses with an unbiased mind is to consider ...
The Context
1 Corinthians was not primarily a doctrinal epistle but was written to deal with practical problems the young church was experiencing. In chapter three Paul was addressing the fact that the Corinthians were were dividing themselves into camps depending on which of the apostles they first heard the Gospel from. Their allegiance to this particular leader were causing quarrels and dissension among them as to whose 'camp' was more important.
Paul used two analogies to make the point that although they had different roles all the apostles were no more than servants through whom they believed and all the leaders were working towards the same result ie. the salvation of the Corinthians.
Remember all of the following is in metaphoric language - that is expressing one thing in terms that usually denote another. In this case the church is neither a farm nor a building under construction
In the first analogy (verses 5-9) Paul speaks of the church as a farm with himself and Apollos as the farm workers.
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9 BSB)
Each of their ministries was dependent on the other. They were neither competitors nor rivals but fellow-workers who have complementary not competitive roles.
In the second analogy (verses 10-15) Paul, speaking only of himself, likens the church to a building under construction. He was the "master Builder" who laid the foundation that others built on.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 BSB )
This passage refers not to salvation but to rewards given those who have ministered effectively and faithfully. In other words, they will reap what they sow. Read verses 14 and 15 again...
If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:14-15 BSB)
Although James made it clear leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1) everyone is judged one the basis what they did after they were saved. As Paul wrote
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10 BSB)
Now read the passage again bearing the context in mind
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 BSB)
As David Guzik writes in his commentary on 2 Corinthians (Emphasis Added)
We must live understanding that what we have done will be judged. It is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life, and that will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. This should be an encouragement in our service to the Lord. It should remind us of the principle in Hebrews 6:10:
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Paul knows that the troubles of this life are w orth it because he will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. [07]
Finally - A Deafening Silence
if purgatory actually existed why didn't a single one of the New Testament author make any reference to it whatsoever? No one said or even vaguely implied that you may need to be 'cleansed' before you will be granted access to heaven.
So where did this doctrine originate?
It may surprise you to learn that it was formally defined and affirmed as church doctrine at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 and later reaffirmed at the Councils of Florence (1439) and Trent (1547).
In other words, it originated not in the Scriptures but in man deciding it was so. And because of the erroneous belief in 'Apostolic Succession' purgatory was considered to be truth with a capital T. Then of course, the Scriptures had to be searched for anything that justified the doctrine regardless of how tenuous the link
See Was Peter Really the First Pope - Apostolic Succession
Foot Note I - The Maccabees
Although Maccabees is not considered canonical largely due to the fact that speaks positively of indulgences and purgatory, it is still read as an important historical document.
1 Maccabees tells the story of a Jewish family that led a successful revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem in the year 164 BC and the rededication of the Second Temple: the origin behind the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
The Rise of the Maccabees, According to History
In the mid-second century BCE, the Seleucid Empire controlled Judea and promoted Hellenistic (Greek) culture and religion. Some Jews embraced this, but others did not.
The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV escalated tensions by sacking Jerusalem, building a fortress (called the Akra), sacrificing a pig in the Jerusalem Temple, and issuing an edict to abolish Jewish law and worship.
In opposition, Mattathias Maccabee, a Jewish priest, and his five sons, John, Simon, Judah, Eliezer, and Jonathan, started a rebellion c. 167 BCE. They gathered forces and fought against the Seleucid rulers and those who supported them.
The Maccabees suffered loss, with Mattathias, John, Judah, Eliezer, and Jonathan all dying in battle. Nevertheless, they managed to rededicate the Temple and reclaim Jerusalem and Judea. They established an independent Jewish kingdom, called the Hasmonean Kingdom, with Simon Maccabee as its first ruler c. 142 BCE. [08] {PLACE IN TEXT}
End Notes
[01] Temporal Punishment. https://friarmusings.com/2025/10/29/temporal-punishment/
[02] The Final Purification, or Purgatory. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032] https://tinyurl.com/rvhsy9uu
[03] Shane Schaetzel. Purgatory. https://realclearcatholic.com/2018/05/22/purgatory/
[04] The Apostolic Constitution Of Pope Paul Vi. Indulgentiarum Doctrina. Whereby The Revision Of Sacred Indulgences Is Promulgated. https://tinyurl.com/3c9899jv
[05] The Final Purification, or Purgatory. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032] https://tinyurl.com/rvhsy9uu
[06] Matthew Slick. Purgatory and 1 Corinthians 3:15. https://tinyurl.com/53n9um29
[07] David Guzik - commentary on 2 Corinthians. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-corinthians-5/
[08] Megan Sauter. Who Were the Maccabees and What Did They Do? https://tinyurl.com/67we2xz4
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