What Is Purgatory?

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What Is Purgatory?

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The Catholic Encyclopedia defines purgatory as "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." This concept is like a place for people not bad enough for hell, but not yet good enough for heaven. The Bible, however, does not speak of anything like purgatory at all.

The Bible is very explicit in what happens immediately after death: "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5, emphasis added). According to the Bible, there is no immortal soul that is whisked off to an eternity in heaven, hell or purgatory—there is only unconsciousness until the resurrections following Jesus Christ's return to the earth (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Revelation 20:12-13).

The concept of purgatory also clashes with biblical truth in its assertion that sins can be erased through punishing the sinner. No such idea exists in the pages of the Bible, which contends that only the death of our Savior pays the penalty for sin (Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8). Scripture also teaches that there are no minor sins (James 2:10). Sins cannot be purged by cruel punishment, but they can be forgiven and overcome with the help of a loving Creator.

What about those who die without ever having had an opportunity to repent of their sins? That is likely the reason some hope in the unbiblical doctrine of purgatory. God intends to give everyone an opportunity for salvation, as we explain in What Happens After Death?

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Comments

  • Susankgata2

    Yeah, so I was raised up in the catholic church and purgatory was just a man made up thing so they could deceive people by telling them that they can pray their loved ones out by paying money. I mean we don't go somewhere to be punished before we are tormented in hell.! I learned that when people die the wicked which are the goats are separated from the righteous which are the sheep, and they are waiting in Sheol until the day of the returning of Christ Jesus. The Spirit is returned to God, cause that belongs to Him and the soul waits in Sheol. Correct me if I'm wrong but while our bodies are decaying in the ground I don't think our souls wait with the shell, but I could be wrong.. Shalom

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