The word purgatory does not appear in the Bible. Purgatory is related to our word purge (“cleanse”) and is a teaching that after death the spirits of some people go to a temporary place of punishment and suffering where they are purged or cleansed of their sins. Once their sins are paid for and their punishment is complete, the person is released from torment and can enter heaven. The punishment may be several years or millions of years, depending on what the person did while on earth.
The teaching of purgatory arose in the late Middle Ages. Very little of this teaching can be found in the early church era. Among some Christian groups, the teaching of purgatory includes the possibility that the prayers offered, donations given, religious services attended, or other religious activities performed can reduce one’s time in purgatory. These same rites can be offered also for departed loved ones, friends, or relatives so as to reduce their time in torment. But even the person who knows only a little of the Bible should see in these teachings a favoritism toward the rich, reversing Jesus’ teachings that elevated the poor over the wealthy (cf. Luke 6:20; 21:1–4; James 2:5).
Second Maccabees, one of the books of the Apocrypha, is often used by certain groups to support the teaching of purgatory. Apocrypha is from a Greek word meaning “hidden,” named because these books were thought to have hidden or secret truths. This group of writings is accepted as inspired Scripture by the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church but is rejected by all Jewish and most Protestant Scriptures. In 2 Maccabees 12:38–45, an unknown author tells of how Jewish warriors had died during battle as a result of secret acts of idolatry. Judas Maccabaeus, their leader, prayed for the dead warriors and paid for a sacrifice to be offered in Jerusalem for their sins.
Protestants reject the Apocrypha since none of its books (with one possible exception) are quoted directly in the New Testament, as are all the books of the Jewish and Protestant Old Testament Scriptures with the exception of the book of Esther.
The concept of a purgatory seemingly contradicts the rest of the New Testament’s teachings on how one gets to heaven and on the finality of one’s destiny after death. When Jesus died on the cross, two criminals were crucified on either side of him. One sarcastically defied Jesus. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This second criminal, though he had done no more good deeds than the first, called with faith for Jesus to rescue him. Jesus’ answer is astounding: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” No mention of a purgatory, only of paradise, heaven, eternal life! (This story is found in Luke 23:39–43.)
A purgatory in which people are punished only temporarily promotes a system of reward and punishment based on our goodness or the goodness of other people who work religiously on our behalf. Each person can pay for his or her own sins and even pay for the sins of another. But the Bible says the very opposite. Jesus alone has paid the penalty for all our sins. We are already purged of sin if we have faith in Jesus the Savior. First John 1:7 explains that “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” The “all” sounds radically comprehensive, and it is. This purging of our sins is without any reference to purgatory. Jesus alone can remove our guilt. God requires that we accept his way of forgiveness and believe that the penalty was completely paid by Jesus when he suffered God’s wrath for us on the cross. Like the criminal who came to faith on a cross next to Jesus, the one who believes in this Savior proceeds to paradise immediately at death.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 130:4; Jeremiah 33:8; Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 7:27; 9:26; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18