Where is the Catholic belief in purgatory found in the Bible?
Although the word "purgatory" is not found in Scripture-neither
are the words "trinity" or "incarnation," but all Christians
believe in the Blessed Trinity and that God became man
in the person of Jesus Christ-the concept of a temporal third place in the
afterlife where souls are "purged" of their sins is referenced
repeatedly. For example, in Matthew 12:32, Jesus declares,
"And 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."
Our
Lord implies that some sins can be forgiven in the next
age, or "world" in
some translations. If someone dies and goes to hell,
they will not be forgiven any of their sins. There is no sin to be forgiven
in heaven since nothing unclean may enter. As Revelation 21:27 states,
"But
nothing unclean shall enter [heaven], nor any one who practices abomination
or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Therefore,
the only logical explanation is a third place where
sins are forgiven.
In 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 St. Paul writes,
"If the work which any man
has built on the foundation survives, he will receive
a reward. lf any man's work is burned up, he will suffer
loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
This
again is a reference to the suffering in the afterlife
one must undergo for purification before entry into heaven.
A belief in purgatory can be found in the
Old Testament as well. In 2 Maccabees 12:40, we learn that Jewish soldiers
killed in battle were wearing "sacred
tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids
the Jews to wear." So
they died in a state of sin which required atonement
for offenses against God. Verse 46 continues, "Therefore [Judas] made
atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered
from their sin."
Scripture never condemns the practice of praying for the dead nor offering
atonement for them. It was a common practice. Therefore,
if souls that died were not yet in heaven, nor in the hell of the damned,
they must have been temporarily in a third place, which the Catholic Church
calls purgatory. And, as the above passage from 2 Maccabees illustrates,
we can help them with our prayers and sacrifices.
We are all sinners and require God's mercy
to enter heaven. Even though we may be forgiven of our sins, there is
still a price to pay, as our Lord suggests in Luke 12:59:
"I tell you, you will never
get out until you have paid the very last copper [penny]."
To stand
before God, we must be perfect and pure in every way.
Even the smallest "white" lie
will require purification prior to our entry into heaven.
However, purgatory should actually be a consoling thought to Christians.
As we grow and become more mature in our faith, we also become more and
more aware of our own sinfulness and unworthiness before God, Who is all-holy.
In addition to atonement we can make in this life, purgatory offers us another
chance to be completely cleansed so that one day we may stand before God
in heaven, entirely free of sin and having made all necessary satisfaction
for our sins.
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Doesn't Scripture teach that heaven and hell are the only two destinations
for the human soul?
It is true that heaven and hell are the only two final destinations for
the human soul. However, as Scripture suggests, a soul may have to pass
through purgatory in preparation for its entry into heaven.
1 Peter 4:6 says,
"For this is why the Gospel was preached even
to the dead, that though judged in the flesh like men, they might live in
the spirit like God."
Jesus preached to the dead who could not have
been in heaven, since the gates of heaven had yet to
be opened. They could not have been hell, since those in hell are
eternally lost would not benefit from hearing the word
of God. Therefore, logic dictates that there is a third
place, which Catholics call purgatory. It is there that our selfishness
and prideful natures are purged from our soul in preparation for our entry
into heaven.
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Deuteronomy
18: 10-11 commands, "There shall not be found among
you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an
offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or
a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer." Doesn't
praying for the dead violate this command?
This Scripture condemns pagan and satanic practices, but not praying for
a deceased person that he or she may enter into heaven.
In 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Paul asks God to grant
His mercy to someone who is dead:
"May the Lord grant mercy to the household
of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains,
but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me eagerly and found me-may
the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day-and you well
know all the service he rendered at Ephesus."
Paul knew his prayers
would benefit the dead Onesiphorus. Those who are dead
need our prayers just as we need theirs. Only God knows who is in purgatory,
but this shouldn't prevent us from praying for deceased
family members and friends. Those in heaven and hell
do not benefit from our prayers but God disposes and distributes our prayerful
intentions according to His divine will.
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The Catholic Church teaches that those who go to purgatory must
atone for forgiven mortal (serious) sins and forgiven or unforgiven venial
(less serious) sins. But sin is sin. Isn't saying that there are mortal
and venial sins unbiblical?
Saying that there are both mortal and venial
sins is not only common sense, it is in accord with what Scripture teaches.
In 1 John 5:l6-17, we learn,
"If
any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal
sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those
whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that
one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is
not mortal."
John identifies two types of sin in this
verse. He distinguishes the difference between the varying degrees of
sin. Mortal means "deadly"; a mortal
sin kills the life of grace in our soul and prevents
us from entering heaven if we die unforgiven. Venial sin still offends
God and requires atonement, but it does not kill the life of grace in
our soul and does not merit eternal punishment.
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