Many years ago, when I was young in the faith I tried to witness to a co-worker. I outright asked him “if you died today would you go to heaven.” He looked at me and laughed and proceeded to explain, “yes but I am going to spend a very long time in purgatory.” It quickly struck me that my co-worker felt he could live his life as he pleased, the sinful part of it would just have to be worked off in purgatory. That has stuck with me a long time.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Purgatory is “a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.” Here’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in defining purgatory. ‘All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.”
To summarize, in Catholic theology Purgatory is a place that a Christian’s soul goes to after death to be cleansed of the sins that had not been fully satisfied during life. So, this doctrine denies the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It denies Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins. It denies John 14:6 where Jesus clearly states “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Hebrews 9:27-28 makes it easy to understand. The destiny of all men is death and with no exceptions this is a one-time appointment. Verse 27: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once”. Yet death is not the end. It also makes it clear what comes next “after that comes judgment”. 2 Corinthians 5:10 explains why. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” No where is it written or implied that there is an intermediary place where you can go to work off your irreconciled sins. You die and then comes judgement. No one will escape the judgment. You won’t be able to have loved ones pray or pay your way out of your destiny after death.
Verse 28 states “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” And who are those that will be eagerly awaiting Him? They are the elect.
John 6:39-40
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Romans 5:8-11
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Jesus paid the price for all past, present, and future sin for those who believe in him. There is no need for a place called Purgatory. Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice we have been reconciled to the Father. Our sin debt has been paid, and we can now stand in the presence of a just and Holy God. From the moment of mankind’s fall God has kept a people for His own possession. The Old Testament draws a straight line from the fall to a Promised Messiah, to the advent of Messiah Jesus, to the new covenant, to the return of Jesus and a New Heaven and a New Earth where God’s people will dwell with Him for eternity. Jesus made it possible by His atoning sacrifice on the cross for us to be one of God’s people.
Isaiah 53:4-5 declares, “Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
The Old Testament clearly defines a coming Messiah. There are several things that the Jewish people who anticipated the Messiah expected Him to be, based on Old Testament prophecies. The Messiah would be a Hebrew man (Isaiah 9:6) born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), a prophet akin to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18), a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), a king (Isaiah 11:1–4), and the Son of David (Matthew 22:42) who suffered before entering His glory (Isaiah 53). Jesus met each of these messianic requirements.
Jesus was that Messiah. Isaiah 53 foresees that the Messiah would be punished for our sins. The judgment of God which should have come upon us came upon the Messiah, so that our sins could be forgiven. Isaiah 53:10-12 makes this clear.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus is that very Messiah and He Himself made it clear. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No one, repeat no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus paid our sin debt. Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3)
Judgement day is inevitable, and it will be before the Great White Throne of God. John in Revelation 20:11-12 tells us: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” Only God’s elect through all ages including those cleansed through the blood of Christ will enter God’s Kingdom. “Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:27
The day of judgement is coming for all mankind. The false hope that the Catholic doctrine of purgatory has given to so many is not Biblical and as such those that have propounded it will regret it on the day of judgement. Are you ready to stand in front of the Great White Throne or are you counting on working your way into Heaven by spending time in purgatory.
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