Purgatory: I Challenge Any Catholic To Show Me
Here are some of the remarks I heard today on the subject of purgatory.
1. The catholics invented it to discourage people from thinking “Ah well, I’m going to hell anyway, might as well give up on trying to do the right thing”.
2. it is nothing - doesnt exist - manmade concept of a middle heaven. some Catholic BS. its not in the Bible. I challenge any catholic to show me where it can be found in the Bible!!
3. Purgatory is An invention. The Bible tells us that there are only two places: heaven and hell. You will go into eternity into either one of these places. No one will ever be able to get out of hell.
You will notice that someone used some of my favorite words in the English language, “I challenge any Catholic to show me where it can be found in the Bible!!” It should be illegal to have so much fun so early in the week (it’s Monday when I’m typing this up but I have no idea when this will post.) Mr. I Challenge Any Catholic will win if he declares that I must produce the word ‘purgatory’ in the Bible; however, the concept like that of the Trinity, the Ascension, and the Incarnation which also do not have the exact word in the Bible is clearly outlined.
OK first let me outline how I will be using a couple of significant concepts and where, biblically, I come up with these ideas.
Guilt…which is forgiven by the Lord because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and our faith in Him…is not the same as punishment. Sin has consequences. And just as I provide CONSEQUENCES for the transgressions of my children because I love them, and want to help them become better, God in his infinite wisdom and love provides punishment for our sins. (The Lord disciplines those He loves, as a Father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12)
In 2 Sam 12:13-14 we see an example of God drawing a distinction between guilt and punishment. “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan answered David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” God forgave David, but there was still suffering to be borne.
Second, all sin separates us from God in one way or another. Period. But there is more than one kind of sin.
1 John 5:16-17 “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a think as deadly sin about which I do not say you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.”
James 1:14-15 “Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.”
The Catholic Church calls deadly sins mortal sins and those which only wound and disfigure the soul venial sins. (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1852-1864 for a more detailed explanation of what the Catholic Church teaches about the different kinds of sin.) A deadly sin, would be a serious breech of God’s law which was fully consented to and unrepented of. Deadly sins would be a deliberate turning away from God. And Catholics believe that while you may not be snatched from the Hand of God, you always retain your fee will and may willingly walk away from salvation. Mortal sins of which you have not repented mean eternal separation from God.
Venial sins wound and disfigure our soul. They detract from the perfect holiness that we are called to. 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as HE who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written “Be holy because I am holy.”* and without perfect holiness, we cannot see God in heaven. Revelations 21:27 “nothing unclean will enter it [heaven].
*Leviticus 11:44
So mortal sins cause death, and those with mortal sin (a willful and serious turning away from God and His Love) are bound for hell. Those of us with venial sins who haven’t managed perfect holiness but who love the Lord and strive for obedience, who are headed to heaven eventually….but have some work left to do. That is who purgatory is for. Purgatory is not about forgiveness. I have already been forgiven. It is about cleansing, and reparation….finishing the work of sanctification. It is only a temporary process. And in case you think that I am in bondage to this idea, I assure you I see it as abundant evidence of God’s compassion. I WANT to be holy when I come into his presence. Yes, Jesus’ (unmerited, unearned) sacrifice makes it possible, but I see abundant evidence in scripture that I have work to do too. Work that does not EARN me salvation. Work which is not possible without the help of the Holy Spirit but work nonetheless. (Romans 2:28, Philippians 2:12, James 2:14-24, etc.)
So where do Catholics see evidence of Purgatory in scripture? Well I will be honest. The BIGGIE is in a portion of scripture that Protestants consider non-canonical….I’ll get to that one last. There are still plenty of verses that suggest Purgatory (and like the ‘Trinity’ and the ‘Incarnation’….this is the name that theologians have come up with to describe what they believe is evidenced in scripture) in the books of the Bible that we do agree on.
Matthew 12:32 “And 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.” Catholics believe that Jesus is saying that there are some sins that will be forgiven in the next world. And since we know that nothing unclean can enter heaven, where would that happen?
1 Corinthians 3:15 “But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.” Hell is permanent. This passage refers to a trial endured by someone destined for salvation; therefore, this person cannot be in hell. Where is that trial endured? Revelations says that heaven is a place of perfect happiness so it wouldn’t be there.
1 Peter 3:18-20 “For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that He might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, He was brought to life in the spirit. In it He also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.
1 Peter 4:6 “For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God.”
What is this prison for disobedient spirits? We don’t believe it is hell because hell has no hope of salvation. It seems as though St. Peter is describing a temporary place where disobedient souls are eventually saved.
Lastly, this one probably won’t be in your Protestant Bibles but that’s ok. It still has some cultural significance. 2 Maccabees 12:44-46 “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 sin.
Please note that the account of the Maccabees is where we learn of the miracles that led to the establishment of Feast of the Purification (Dedication) mentioned in John 10:22…..we know it as Channukah. It is significant to me that Jesus celebrated this Feast and that John mentioned it. Even if you do not accept the canonical status of this book, it is clear that culturally it accurately reflects the religious character of Jews very close in time to that of Jesus. Jews, prayed for their dead, and there is NO indication that Jesus or the Apostles ever preached against it. The passages in the NT indicate that the Apostles believed in a place of cleansing after death and in fact, St. Paul offers a prayer for the deceased Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 “May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.” What sense does the part which I have put in bold type make, unless St. Paul believes that Onesiphorus can be helped by prayer? In 1 Corinthians 15:29-30 St. Paul mentions the practice of church members having themselves baptized for the dead without condemnation or approval, what sense would there have been if the dead were beyond our prayers? If it was nonsense, wouldn’t Paul have soundly condemned it? St. Paul was not noted for his gentle approach when it came to correction.
Beyond the evidence of scripture we find confirmation in practices of the early church. Again, I would hasten to point out that these practices confirm the Apostle’s understanding of Sacred Scripture as evidenced in the practices of the churches that were closest in time to them. It is not a tradition that stands without scriptural evidence. Many of the early liturgies include prayers for the dead and inscriptions from ancient Christian tombs often contained an appeal for prayers.
Tertullian wrote in 211 “Indeed, she [the wife] prays for his soul [her husband's], and requests refreshment for him meanwhile, and fellowship [with him] in the first resurrection; and she offers [her sacrifice] on the anniversary of his falling asleep.”
St. Augustine “For some of the dead, indeed, the prayer of the Church or of pious individuals is heard; but it is for those who, having been regenerated in Christ, did not spend their life so wickedly that they can be judged unworthy of such compassion, nor so well that they can be considered to have no need of it.”
I know it is kind of late to post a comment (seeing that it was almost two weeks ago when you wrote this), but I wanted to say thanks for writing this. Purgatory has been probably the last huge stumbling block for me.
What also struck me while reading, was how very serious Catholics are about their sins. It seems as if some Protestants feel as if they can live in whatever manner they choose, and be forgiven. (Speaking of myself here, too, unfortunately.)
Thank you once again for you cyber-apologetic ministry, RNW. May you be blessed because of it.
Shannon
Dear Shannon, It’s never too late to post a comment. I’m glad this was helpful. Thanks for taking the time to say so.