The Biblical Basis for Purg gatory If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person willl be saved, but only as throughh fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) By Timothy L. Hollingworth hollingworthtim@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION Even among Catholics there are many misconceptions about what Purgatory is and what it is not. In light of these misconceptions, a brief definition of Purgatory is in order. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: 1030 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. 1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. It is important therefor, and for the purposes of any discussion about the doctrine, to note the following points. Purgatory is a Purgation or Purification. The Catholic Church has not defined Purgatory as either a process or an actual place. Purgatory is not Hell. Souls of the dead in who are undergoing this Purification are saved. Souls In Purgatory are assured of entry into Heaven. The purification process is required for those who die in friendship with God (a state of sanctifying grace) but do not yet possess the holiness and required to enter Heaven. DEADLY SIN Consistent with Sacred Scripture, the Catholic Church continues to classify sin according to its gravity. Sins are described as either venial or mortal. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes venial sin as follows: 1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent. 1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes
the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness. Venial sins are often called Sins of omission or Sins of error because the often arise out of our fallen nature. Venial sin causes injury to God s covenant but it does not break it. The injury to God s covenant caused by venial sin is humanly repairable. A mortal sin on the other hand, is often characterized as a deliberate act of disobedience against God. Mortal sin breaks the God s covenant entirely; so much so that no amount of prayer and contrition on the part of the sinner is sufficient to bring the sinner back into friendship with God (into a state of sanctifying grace). The injury to God s covenant caused by mortal sin can only be repaired by a gift of mercy from God. The ordinary and normal way for a sinner in a state of mortal sin to access God s free gift of mercy and thereby return to a state of sanctifying grace is through the sacrament of reconciliation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes mortal sin as follows: 1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. 1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother." The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger. 1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin Most Catholics are aware of the three conditions for a sin to be mortal. The sin must be a grave matter, and must have been committed with full knowledge and with deliberate consent. In layman s terms, if the sin involves one of the Ten Commandments, you knew it was wrong, and you did it anyway, it was probably a mortal sin. If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. (1 John 5:16 17)
St. John the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Apostle who rested his head on Jesus bosom after receiving the first Eucharist clearly lays out the Catholic doctrine of mortal and venial sin in his first letter. In this master work of Catholic Theology, St. John states that there are two types of sin; that which leads to death and that which does not lead to death. St. John clearly states that sin which does not lead to death (venial) can be repaired (give him life) through (intercessory) prayer. Deadly sin however, leads to spiritual death. In other words, what we now call mortal sin leads to loss of friendship with God. And it is here that we need to pause for a moment for the sake of clarity. We cannot afford any ambiguity about this point. Mortal sin, as St. John put it, is Deadly in every sense of the word. Those who die in a state of unrepentant mortal sin have opened themselves up to the possibility of eternal damnation in Hell. Thus we have the doctrine of mortal and venial sin firmly established in Sacred Scripture. LIABLE TO JUDGEMENT The Sermon on the Mount is a rich source of many Catholic doctrines including allusions to, if not direct references to Purgatory. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, You fool! shall be liable to the Hell of fire. (Matthew 5:22, NRSV CE) The sixteenth century theologian St. Francis De Sales notes that of the three sins listed, only the third sort of offense is punished with Hell. Matthew 5:22 records the words of The Lord himself as he speaks about what seems to be a relative gradation of sins, only the gravest of which leaves one liable to the Hell of fire. Sins of lesser gravity do not expose the sinner to the immediate possibility of hell yet they do leave the sinner open to God s judgment. Christ s own words seem to compliment John s doctrine of mortal and venial sin. That St. John should draw a doctrine of mortal and venial sin from Christ s own teaching is not surprising. This verse, spoken by the Lord himself, corresponds quite nicely with the doctrine of mortal and venial sin practiced and believed by the Catholic Church for 20 centuries.
NOTHING UNCLEAN In the twenty first chapter of the Book of Revelation, the same St. John who gave us the wonderful doctrine of mortal and venial sin as described above, gives as an equally wonderful description of Heaven. Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth. The former Heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1 2) St. John goes on to describe the Heavenly city in various ways, as a bride, the wife of the Lamb, having walls of Jasper and being made of pure gold, clear as glass, etc. Verses 8 and 21 however, stand out in stark contrast amidst this beautiful description. But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8) Catholic interpretation of The second death referred to in verse 8 has always been as a reference to a place of damnation. The first death is obviously physical. The second (spiritual) death is that of spending eternity without God. An eternity without God eternal damnation is the very definition of Hell and is therefore the Second death. but nothing unclean will enter it (Revelation 21:27) Verse 27 is pivotal, as it gives us a succinct view as to the requirement for entry into Heaven. Nothing unclean will enter. One must be perfectly clean, without any stain of sin in order to get into Heaven. St. Paul agrees with St. John when in the Hebrews 12:14 he states that we must strive for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Early Church fathers such as Origen, St. Augustine, St. Cyprian and St. Ambrose saw a giant loophole here. One may not have committed such Deadly sins (or may have repented of them sufficiently) as to be cast into Hell for eternity. Nevertheless, one must in a state of perfect holiness in order to enter Heaven. We must ask where this leaves those who may have died without committing any mortal sin after confession yet who may have committed some lesser venial sins. These will have died in a state of sanctifying grace and as such, does not deserve to be cast into Hell. According to the strict requirement for entry into Heaven set forth in Revelation 21:27 and Hebrews 12:14 however, due to the presence of venial sin, this person does not possess the required holiness to enter Heaven. Does this person go to Heaven or Hell? The doctrine of Purgatory not only gives us an answer but conforms to scripture quite well as we shall see.
Even in the absence of venial sin we run up against man s fallen nature which, when reflected upon by Church fathers, presented them with the same loophole. A man who drops dead having just stepped out of the confessional possesses residual self love, lack of self control, a tendency toward lust and other residual effects of his fallen nature. Although he is forgiven of all his sins, due to his fallen nature, he cannot be described as being perfectly holy. Where does this person go to receive that holiness without which no one will see the Lord? THE AGE TO COME St. Matthew records Jesus clear statement about the possibility of forgiveness in an Age to come. Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks 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. (Matthew 12:31 32) Forgiveness in an Age to come has profound implications for the doctrine of Purgatory, especially in light of the observation that not all sins are worthy of Hell yet one must be perfectly clean in order to enter Heaven. Recall that there is no possibility of forgiveness in hell and how those in Heaven do not need forgiveness. If the Age to come is the afterlife, then Forgiveness in the age to come must be a direct reference to Purgatory by the Lord himself! The doctrine of Purgatory renders this passage understandable. A Heaven and Hell only theology struggles to come to terms with this passage. BUT ONLY AS THROUGH FIRE If one can be forgiven in an Age to come (Matthew 12:32) then one can be granted entry into Heaven (saved) even if he did not die in a state of absolute purity and holiness. Since very few Christians die in a state of absolute cleanliness or holiness, there must be a place where these can go, or a process which they may undergo to receive this holiness and cleanliness to be Forgiven in the age to come. St. Paul, in the third chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, discusses the need among Christian in the city of Corinth for personal holiness. Paul uses the metaphor of a workman building upon a foundation and characterizes those with perfect holiness as having built with gold, silver or precious stones. Those who possess less than perfect holiness are characterized as having built with wood, hay or straw. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the
work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that Person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12 15) Catholic tradition has always held The Day to be a reference to Day of Judgment. Paul states that the quality of each person s workmanship will be tested with fire. If a person s work is substandard (burned up), he will suffer loss (loss of sinful nature, pride, lust, venial sin, etc.), yet will enter Heaven (be saved) but only through fire. Again, the images of receiving a wage for good work versus suffering loss through fire yet still being Saved fits the doctrine of Purgatory perfectly. Loss in Hell is absolute. One does not suffer any loss in Heaven. Only in Purgatory will one suffer loss yet be saved. CONSISTENT WITH A MERCIFUL GOD We have thus far considered objective doctrine alone in the Biblical context. As a subjective exercise however, consider the Christian who has sincerely made his best effort to please God throughout his life yet has fallen short as a result of his fallen nature due to original sin. He has not broken God s covenant, has died without any unrepentant mortal sins (in a state of sanctifying grace) yet he retains residual proclivity to self love, pride, anger, mistrust, lust, greed and all the other characteristics of fallen man. Can this man be happy in Heaven? If Heaven is a place of holiness where souls of the dead will be perfectly united to the Trinity, then the answer is a resounding no! It would be akin to showing up at a black tie affair wearing only underwear or signing up for a college level math class after having only completed the second grade. The Catholic Church takes the rule Nothing unclean will enter seriously and with good reason; those who are not perfectly holy cannot function properly in Heaven. They simply are not ready for heaven and a theholgy which holds to only Heaven and Hell gives them no place to go. We come here to a point of truth about Purgatory. Recall that those who are in Purgatory are going to Heaven. Those in Purgatory are saved! If Heaven is a place where only perfect holiness may exist, then Purgatory is a gift of mercy from God who would otherwise, because of our imperfectness, would otherwise not let us in. For those with much self love, the purification which takes place in Purgatory may be very painful. Insofar as that pain is part of a purification which ultimately leads to Heaven, it is an act of mercy consistent with our view of God as a merciful, loving father. PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD
Although modern Evangelical theology boasts that one can be sure of salvation, the disposition of the heart of those who have died (and therefor their fate) is ultimately known only to God. Catholics pray for the dead out of charity, confident in the knowledge that other members of the Body of Christ, whether dead or alive, by the virtue of the communion of saints, can pray for us as well and may benefit from our prayers. Catholics pray for the dead who may be in Purgatory just as we pray for any other living person. We ask God to pardon their sins, to assist them through what is certainly a very difficult time and to shepherd them safely to their final destination which is Heaven. Since those in Hell cannot benefit from our prayers and those in Heaven no longer need our prayers, prayers for the dead do not make sense in a Heaven and Hell only theology. Prayers for the dead make sense only in a theology which contains forgiveness in The age to come. Consistent with the belief in the possibility of forgiveness after death, there is crystal clear Old Testament evidence of Jewish tradition of praying for the salvation of those who have already died. On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his men went to gather up the bodies of the slain and bury them with their kinsmen in their ancestral tombs. 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 been slain. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. 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 of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. 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. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin. (2 Maccabees 12:39 46) It must be noted that 2 Maccabees is rejected by the vast majority of non Catholic Christianity as not inspired. It must also be note that the same non Catholics who reject 2 Maccabees are those who also reject the doctrine of Purgatory. As the Catholic Encyclopedia at newadvent.com rightly states, For Catholics who accept this book as canonical, this passage leaves nothing to be desired. 1 But even if 2 Maccabees is not inspired, it bears ample witness to the religious practices of the ancient Jews and is remarkably similar to the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. 1 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04653a.htm
May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus. (2 Timothy 1:16 18) The Apostle Paul refers to a man named Onesiphorus in the past tense several times. If this man is dead, as is it appears he may well be, then Paul s statement, May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day is clearly a prayer for the dead. If Onesiphorius is not dead, but merely missing in action, then it is, as they say, no harm no foul. CONCLUSION St. John clearly lays out the doctrine of deadly and non deadly sin in his first letter (1 John 5:15 16). St. John s doctrine is exactly consistent with the doctrine of mortal and venial sin which has been believed in the Catholic Church for twenty centuries. Matthew 5:22 records the words of The Lord himself as he speaks about three sins, only one of which is immediately punishable by Hell and so Christ s own words seem to be the basis for St. Johns doctrine. St. Paul tells us in the Book of Hebrews that there is a requisite level of holiness without which no one will see the Lord. St. John describes Heaven (in part) as a place where nothing unclean will enter. Catholic Tradition, consistent with the view of Heaven as a place of perfect holiness, has always interpreted these two verses in the strictest sense. The possibility of venial sin whereby one is a sinner yet still in a state of sanctifying grace along with the strict requirement for perfect holiness in order to enter Heaven leaves no place for the vast majority of ordinary Christians who, far from being saints, die with some remnants of their fallen nature still intact. A Heaven and Hell only theology leaves no place for these people to go. Jesus gives us hope however, in that he speaks of forgiveness in the age to come and St. Paul tells us of a place or a process whereby one whose works have been judged as substandard may be able to suffer loss yet still be saved. God s mercy is evident in the doctrine of Purgatory in that it provides a way for the faithful who, though they have sincerely tried to do their best, have somehow fallen short or still retain aspects of their fallen nature. These are purified by God in Purgatory and are eventually holy and clean enough to enter Heaven. Intercessory prayer on behalf of other members of the Body of Christ is common throughout all of Christianity. Catholics, by virtue of the Communion of Saints, extend these prayers to all members of the Body of Christ including those who have died. Prayers for the salvation of the dead would make no sense in a Heaven and Hell only theology yet we see clear evidence of the practice in the Old Testament
as late as the second century BC. We also see what may be evidence of prayers for the dead in St. Paul s second letter to Timothy. The many verses cited in favor of the doctrine of Purgatory do not seem to make sense when viewed in a Heaven and Hell only theology. Some wild intellectual and theological posturing is required in order to interpret these verses in the context of a theology without Purgatory. The obvious inclusion of intercessory prayer for the dead in 2 Maccabees may have been part of the impetus for its removal from the canon of scripture by the progenitors of the so called Protestant Reformation. Twenty centuries of Catholic tradition and belief notwithstanding, the Magisterium of the Catholic Church has taught infallibly the doctrine of Purgatory when it declared the belief to be dogma at the Council of Ferrara Florence (1438) and reaffirmed it at the Council of Trent (1545 1563). Since Jesus Christ and therefor God himself is the guarantor of The Church s infallibility, the Church has spoken the last word on the subject.