Purgatory comes from the Latin, purgo, meaning, “I cleanse.” The Catholic Church agrees that it is a place of suffering, but are divided on how those in purgatory suffer. Some say fire, others say, tribulation.
Those who teach purgatory say, “That some die in grace and in the friendship or God, but burdened with venial sins and imperfections, or before they have done suitable penance for their sins. They teach that the souls of these are cleansed in purgatory of these last hindrances to their entry into the vision of God.
Their communion with the faithful on earth is not broken. The living can bring comfort and alleviation to those in purgatory by their intercessions, by Masses, prayers, almsgiving, and other pious works which, in the manner of the Church, the faithful are accustomed to do for others of the faithful. They admit that the word purgatory in not a Biblical, and that this doctrine is not taught in Scripture.” This from the words found in the Catholic Catechism.
The doctrine is founded on several verses, one being 2 Mac. 12:43-44-45. I will not bring these verses into the discussion because Maccabees has no evidence of being Divinely inspiration.
Matthew 12:31-32-33, Jesus said, “I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
1 Corinthians 3:15, “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (meaning purgatory.)”
1 Peter 3:19, “By which also He (Jesus) preached unto the spirits in prison (meaning purgatory.)”
This is a teaching of the Catholic Church; Restorationist and Mormons who deny that death brings the final judgment. They maintain that millions of people will have an opportunity for salvation after they die. The Jehovah Witnesses believe men do not have a soul or spirit, and upon a persons death, the body goes back to dust. But, on the last day, God will create them again out of nothingness.
Each denomination has its own little twist, but the following will give us a rough idea of the thinking behind it. It is believed that God created only to bless. Christ’s kingdom is moral in nature, and extends to moral beings in every state or mode of existence: that the probation of man is not confined to the present life, but extends through the mediational reign; and that as Christ died for all. Therefore before He delivers up the kingdom to the Father, all men shall be brought to a knowledge and truth, thus breaking the bondage of sin and death.
So what are the arguments against this teaching? Scriptures speak of the departed souls going, immediately at death, to a fixed state of happiness, or misery, not giving any idea of a transitional place, or state.
Isaiah 57:1-2, “The righteous perish, — and the merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away form the evil to come. He (those who die in righteousness) shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds.”
Revelation 14:13, “I (John) heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
Luke 16:22, “It came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he (the rich man) lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “Then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.”
1 Peter 3:18-19, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit: By which also he (Jesus) went and preached unto the spirits in prison.”
Let’s take a closer look at Matt.12:32, where it reads, “Neither in this world (age) neither in the world (age) to come.”
What are the two ages Christ is speaking of? Historically the Jews understood two ages, the present age, and the age to come. The present age is the time Christ lived, walking with the Jews, under the Mosaic covenant. The age to come is the age of Christ’s return and setting up of the earthly kingdom.
Under the Mosaic law, there was no forgiveness for presumptuous sin.
Numbers 15:30-31, “The soul that doeth aught presumptuously (defiantly,) whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off (die) from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken His commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off (die;) his iniquity (guilt) shall be upon him.”
Numbers 35:31, “Ye shall take no satisfaction (ransom) for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.”
Leviticus 20:10, “The man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, — the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”
So when Jesus said there was no forgiveness this is not to be understood as meaning that the crime shall be punished under the Christian dispensation as it was under the Jews, death by stoning. But under Christian teaching, if a man has committed a crime punishable by death, but repents of his crimes before death, he shall be put to death (by the law,) but mercy would be extended to his soul. Sin may be repented of under the Gospel dispensation.
Because Christ died for us, redeeming us from sin and hell, then the idea of any further meritorious suffering detracts from the perfection of Christ’s work, and places the merit, and gives credit to the creature; a doctrine opposed to Scripture.
Part 2.
So is purgatory, or any place of cleaning necessary after we die?
Hebrews 9:26, “But now ONCE in the end of the world (age) hath he (Jesus) appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
Historically the Jews understood two ages, the present age, and the age to come. The present age is the time Christ lived, walking with the Jews, under the Mosaic covenant. The age to come is when Jesus brings in the earthly kingdom.”
I am basing the following comments on this view of what age means, and will present my case one step at a time as I understand the text, context, and the Greek.
Hebrews 9:26, “So Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many,”
The word “ONCE,” needs to be understood. Once as used in, Hebrews 9:26-28, 10:2. Greek is hapax. It means one time. And as a metaphor, once for all, already, formerly. Septuagint for Hebrew,
Psalms 62:11, “God hath spoken once.”
Psalms 89:35, “Once have I sworn by my holiness.”
Hebrews 10:1-2, Speaks of the contrast of the O.T. sacrifices, with that of Christ. The temple sacrifices were offered year by year, continually, they being a shadow, a type of the heavenly that was to come, that being Christ’s sacrifice. The first was imperfect the second was perfect.
Verse 2: Had the O.T. sacrifices been an effectual reconciliation for the sins of men, they would have purged (cleansed) the conscience of men from sin. But they did not.
Drop down to verse 9,
Hebrews 10:9, He (God) taketh away the first (O.T. sacrificial system) that He may establish the second (sacrifice of Christ.)”
Verse 10, The second, Christ is that which, “We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE for all.”
So by the once for all sacrifice of Christ, Christian’s would have no more conscience of their sin, contrasted with ver.2.
Hebrews 9:26, uses the phrase “Put away sin.” Put away in the Greek here means to disannul, to abrogation, abolition, to do away with.
One more word:
To purge, to cleanse! As a metaphor, it means to cleanse, in a moral sense, as in from sin or pollution, by expiation, to purify, Sequel follows,
1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin,” as from the guilt of sin, and its consequences, with,
Verse 9, “He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”
If Jesus sacrifice for us was once and for all, never again having to be repeated, and Christian’s are cleansed (purged) of their sin, and all unrighteousness, and sin is done away with, once and for all, and we have no more consciousness of our sins, then,
“Why would anyone need purgatory if all sins, including venial sins and all our imperfections are put away, purged, and there is no further awareness of any sin?
Part 3:
A reader asked, “After a person is saved, bought and freed by the blood of Christ what does that mean about their future sins committed?
This is an excellent question, but a multi-faceted one. Scriptures reveal that man consists of body, soul, and spirit. Also that the body upon death goes back to the ground. Now the question remains, “Where does a persons soul and spirit go after death?” Is it either to heaven, Hades, or a place of cleansing you call Purgatory?
One of the more important issues that need’s to be understood concerning this matter is, “How much of man’s sin does the blood of Christ cover?” Is it retroactive going back to Adam, does it include the present, and does it cover any and all future sin?
Of course we have to understand that if it’s only part as you say, venial sin, or some other sin that remain when a believer dies, that sin has to be purged in a place you call purgatory.
Other’s claim that the condition of a man’s soul when he dies, will determine his destination, that condition is based on saving faith, or opposed to saving faith, is the rejection of God. I claim, when a man dies believing in the finished work of Christ, no sin remains. Therefore when the faithful die, their spirit goes on to be with the Lord. On the flip side, an unbeliever’s soul goes to a place called Sheol or Hades, waiting for judgment.
So where is this place?
Scriptures teach that Sheol or Hades pointedly refers to a shadowy existence beyond the grave, giving the reader the understanding of a future and continued existence. Neither point to the place of eternal punishment in its strictest sense. What they do point to are the regions of the dead in general, this including both Paradise, and Gehenna; Gehenna being the world of the damned.
Luke 23:43, Jesus said before his death to the thief on the cross, “To-day shalt thou (the thief) be with me in paradise.” Good place.
Then there’s Hades!
1 Peter 3:19, “By which also He (Jesus) preached unto the spirits in prison.” Jesus was quickened in the Spirit, immediately upon His release from the flesh (His death.) In the Spirit, Jesus went down to those in prison (Shoel,) compared to,
Acts 1:9, “While they (disciples) beheld, He (Jesus) was take up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
While in the place called prison, there is no mention made of any conversions with the spirits in prison, nor did He preach the Gospel. What He did was make the announcement (published) His finished works to the spirits in prison.
Believers who died in faith are separated from the rest of the doomed world. 2 Peter 2:21, speaks of those who have turned from God, this including fallen angels.
2 Peter 2:4, “The angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment,” opposed to paradise.
Then we have the teaching of the rich man, and Lazarus.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from the guilt of sin, all unrighteousness, as well as the consequences of sin. This is a continual cleansing that takes place from the moment of our conversion until our death if we remain faithful.
1. Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 5:8, “To be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
2. Hebrews 9:26, Jesus was offered to bear all our sins.
3. Hebrews 10:1-2, His sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins.
4. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, That now (this life,) is the time to be saved.
5. Hebrews 10:2, When we die, we will have no consciences of sin.
6. 1 John 1:7, also there will be no guilt of sin, and we are cleansed (washed) of all unrighteousness.
How are we justified?
Acts 13:39, “By him (Jesus) all that believe are justified from all things.”
Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by His grace,”
Romans 5:9, “Justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Titus 3:7, “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
How are we sanctified?
Sanctified as a metaphor means, to render clean in a moral sense, to purify.
1. Romans 15:16, “That the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, being purified by the Holy Spirit,” as by the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of the Gentiles.
2. 1 Corinthians 6:11, “Ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
3. Ephesians 5:26, Jesus gave Himself for the church, “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly.”
Phillip Laspino www.seekfirstwisdom.com