In Part 1 of
this series we looked at the doctrine of Purgatory, and saw that, at its core,
it is a corrupt teaching because it is based on the false notions that 1) Jesus’
work on the cross is not enough to forgive all our sins, and 2) mere humans can atone for sin. See here:
This month
we will look at the Scripture verses that Catholics and others will use to try
to prove the teaching. The concept of
Purgatory is not consistent with the principles of Scripture, and our intent
here is to show the weakness of these Catholic arguments.
What Does the Catholic Church Say?
The Council
of Trent assures us that Purgatory is a biblical doctrine when it says that
this teaching has come both “…from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient
tradition of the Fathers…” (Session XXV,
“Decree Concerning
Purgatory”)
The online New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia agrees
with Trent and speaks of the “proofs” of the Catholic position “both in
Scripture and in Tradition.” (Purgatory, under
subheading “Proofs”)
But on the other hand,
the New Catholic Encyclopedia implies
that the doctrine has some support from
Scripture, but admits:
"In the final analysis, the
Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred
Scripture." (Vol. XI, pg.
1034, Copyright 1967, Catholic University of America)
So, which is
it? Why is there a contradiction in
these official Catholic sources? Interestingly,
both these Catholic encyclopedias have the same official Catholic seals of
approval, i.e., the “nihil obstat” and the “imprimatur,” yet they don’t agree
on whether Purgatory is actually biblical or not.
So, Is Purgatory Really in the Bible?
Here are some
common Scripture passages (in no particular order) that Catholics will use to
try and support the doctrine of Purgatory:
1 Corinthians 3: (NASV used throughout,
unless otherwise noted)
10) According to the grace of God
which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and
another is building upon it. But let
each man be careful how he builds upon it.
11) For no man can lay
a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12) Now if any man
builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
straw,
13) each man’s work
will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed
with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
14) If any man’s work
which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.
15) If any man’s work
is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as
through fire.
And Catholics
will say, “See, this is Purgatory!” But
this passage is not talking about purging sin from (or purifying) the believer
himself; it is about revealing the quality of the believer’s WORK which will
determine his rewards. In fact, it says nothing about “temporal punishments” or
sins. It is not about any kind of punishment, but rather, eternal
rewards (or lack thereof). Catholics
read the concept of Purgatory back into this text, although it is just not
there. Just because we see the word
“fire,” does not mean that this is Purgatory.
In this
passage, Paul uses the phrase “suffer loss” in verse 15, and it is a specific
Greek term, “zemioo,” meaning “to sustain damage, to receive injury, suffer
loss.” The same term is used by Paul in Philippians
3:8, where he had “…suffered the loss of all things, and count
them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.”
Matthew 16:26 also uses the same Greek term where
Jesus said:
For what will a man be
profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits [suffers the loss of] his
soul…
So, 1
Corinthians 3:10-15 is about suffering the loss of certain eternal
rewards, not suffering for sins in Purgatory.
Furthermore,
the Catholic New American Bible has
the following footnote on this passage:
“The text of v. 15 has sometimes been
used to support the notion of purgatory, though it does not envisage this.” (World
Publishing, Copyright 1987, Page 1233)
By their own
admission, there is no support for the doctrine of Purgatory from this passage.
Another
passage Catholics use is Matthew 12:
31) Therefore I say to
you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the
Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32) And whoever shall
speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever
shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in
this age, or in the age to come.
Catholics
will say that this passage is telling us that some sins can be forgiven in “the
age to come.” But we know that there is no forgiveness in Hell, therefore, this
must mean they are forgiven in Purgatory, right?
No, this
simply means that this specific sin (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit) is a sin
that will never be forgiven. The parallel passage in Mark makes this clear:
But whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.
(Mark 3:29)
That’s all
it’s saying. It is not suggesting that any
sin can be forgiven in the afterlife. Besides,
Purgatory is NOT depicted by the Catholic Church as a place or state of forgiveness, anyway, but of punishment. So neither does this passage support the
concept of Purgatory.
Matthew 5:
25) Make friends
quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, in order
that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the
officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26) Truly I say to you,
you shall not come out of there, until you have paid up the last cent.
Catholics
will say that this must be speaking of Purgatory. Jesus appears to be saying that there is a
possibility of getting out of this particular place. And since no
one gets out of Hell, this must be Purgatory.
First of
all, no one can say that it is NOT speaking of Hell, since Hell is mentioned in
this very same context (verse 22). And
the person in Hell would indeed be there “until he had paid up the last cent,”
meaning that his stay there would be forever,
since he could never pay for it. For the person in Hell, there is no end to
his payment for his sins.
In the parable
of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-27), Jesus tells us of
the man who was forgiven of a very great (actually, an impossible) debt. But he was forgiven of his debt simply
because he humbled himself and begged for mercy from the king. The king felt compassion for him and released
him of his obligation. This is clearly a
picture of God dealing with us in salvation.
Notice here that the servant was not given the means to repay the debt, but he was altogether forgiven. That is, he had to pay nothing because of his
master’s great mercy. In the same way,
we Christians do not have to atone for our sins. Jesus Christ did all the necessary
atoning. This clearly demonstrates the
error in the concept of Purgatory. So, once
again, the Catholic attempt to use Matthew 5:25-26 also fails the test.
Job 1:5:
And it came about, when
the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and
consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according
to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and
cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job
did continually.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions
Job offering sacrifices for his sons (CCC
#1032), as though this somehow supports the idea of Purgatory. First of all, his sons were living at the time, so this has nothing
whatsoever to do with praying for souls in Purgatory.
Secondly, ALL
biblical sacrifices (in the 66-book Protestant Bible) were offered for the
living, without a single mention of Purgatory.
So, Job 1:5 does not point to Purgatory, either.
2 Maccabees 12:39-46
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. (Catholic New American Bible, Revised Edition,
online)
Catholics will say that because of
this need to pray for the dead, there MUST be an intermediate state like
Purgatory.
No, these dead
soldiers, according to the text, were very plainly struck down by God for their
idolatry. And according to Catholic teaching, idolatry
is a “mortal” sin (CCC 1857; 1858),
and mortal sin sends one to Hell, not Purgatory. Purgatory is supposedly for “venial” (lesser)
sins. So, the concept of Purgatory does
not follow here.
Since the
teaching of Purgatory contradicts
this passage, then either:
1) This book
of 2 Maccabees is wrong (and therefore uninspired) or
2) Catholic
teaching about venial and mortal sin is wrong, or
3) both of
the above.
The evidence
points to number 3.
Conclusion
There IS no Purgatory.
Like the children’s story of the “Emperor’s New Clothes,” Catholic
apologists are seeing something in Scripture that’s simply not there. But this
story (Purgatory) won’t just end in embarrassment like the children’s story
does. Rather, it will end in eternal
souls being lost, because of their warped view of an “insufficient” Savior.
It is absolutely critical to remember that Jesus Christ CANCELED
our record of sin debt:
Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of
decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians
2:13-14)
… When He had made purification of sins, He
sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)
Once again,
there is no punishment or suffering in
the afterlife for the Christian. Sin has
been completely atoned for. Jesus Christ
does the purifying and the atoning… not us.
That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished!” (John
19:30)
