IS PURGATORY SCRIPTURAL? First, we should note that the word “Purgatory” is not found in Sacred Scripture. This is not the point. The words “Trinity” and “Incarnation” are not found in Scripture, yet these doctrines are clearly taught there. Likewise, the Bible teaches that an intermediate state of purification exists. We call it Purgatory. What is important is the doctrine, not the name. Where is the doctrine of Purgatory referred to in the Bible? Matthew 12:32: 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. Jesus implies that some sins can be forgiven in the next world. Sin cannot be forgiven in heaven. Any remission of sin in the next world can only occur in Purgatory. 1 Corinthians 3:15: If any man’s work burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. This cannot refer to eternal loss in hell, for there no one is saved. Nor can it refer to heaven, for there no one suffers. It refers, then, to a middle state where the soul temporarily suffers loss so that it may gain heaven. This is essentially the definition of Purgatory. 2 Maccabees 12:42-45. This passage from Maccabees is a proof text. It explicitly affirms an intermediate state where the faithful departed make atonement for their non-mortal sins. Martin Luther’s reaction demonstrates the strength of this passage. It was so contrary to his “justification by faith alone” theology that he removed 2 Maccabees, along with six other books, from his Old Testament. Even if one rejects 2 Maccabees as Scripture, there can be no doubt that, as history, the book accurately reflects the religious character of the Jews of the second century BC. A little more than one hundred years before Christ, Jews prayed for the dead (and still do to this day).
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 02:05:32 +0000
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