Cleansing Fire: A Layman's Response to Objections about Purgatory --- by Mark D. Steele

Protestant discussions of the Catholic faith often include Purgatory, or, at least, misconceptions of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. This is somewhat ironic since Purgatory is not a terribly well-defined or emphasized doctrine of the Catholic Church and is only found in 3 paragraphs out of hundreds of pages of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In this essay, I want to provide one layman's response to Protestant objections to Purgatory. But first I want to define what Purgatory is and what Purgatory is not.

A simple definition of Purgatory is a middle state, or stage, between life on Earth and full life with God in Heaven during which our souls are purged or cleansed so that they will be pure and able to enter fully into the presence of God. The Catechism explains it in the following manner:

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....

From these two paragraphs we can see that Purgatory is the final purification of the soul before it enters the presence of God and the penalty for sin that is not serious enough to keep us out of Heaven but which must be removed prior to entry into Heaven.

But what isn't purgatory? First, Purgatory is not Dante's Purgatorio (The Divine Comedy). Protestants often associate the doctrine with Dante's epic poem, but Dante was not a theologian, he was a poet. His poem was meant to invoke truths about the human condition both in this world and the next. It was not meant to be taken as a literal picture of Purgatory any more than the other 2/3 of the poem were meant to be taken as literal pictures of Hell and Heaven. Equating Dante's poetry with the Catholic doctrine is analogous to claiming that Christians believe that we each walk around with a little demon on one shoulder and an angel on the other because we saw it in a cartoon. Second, Purgatory is not a second chance. Those in the state of purification are already saved, just not yet perfect.

Throughout the remainder of this essay, I will attempt to answer some of what I believe to be common Protestant objections to the doctrine.

Objection 1: Not mentioned in Scripture

Protestants believe that Scripture-alone is the rule for doctrine and reject Purgatory on the grounds that it is not found in Scripture. By stating that Purgatory is not found in Scripture, they may mean that the term "Purgatory" is not found in Scripture or that the concept of "Purgatory" is not found in Scripture. These are slightly different objections and I'll respond to them separately.

Response 1a: A number of Christian doctrines are not explicitly stated by the Scripture.

All Christians believe in the Trinity yet the word "Trinity" is not found in Scripture. Many Protestants believe in a doctrine called the Rapture yet the word "Rapture" is found nowhere in the Bible. Some Protestants believe that Baptism does not remit sins even though there are specific Scriptural verses that say exactly the opposite.

The test, of course, is not whether the terminology can be found in Scripture but whether the concept can be found in Scripture. If Protestants, when they reject Purgatory, mean that they reject it because the word is not found in Scripture then they must also be prepared to reject a lot of other doctrines that they do believe. I am only asking for a fair standard - that the fact that the term is not found in Scripture does not mean that the concept is not Scriptural. After all, the phrase "accept Jesus as your personal Savior" appears nowhere in the Bible.

Response 1b: The concept of the doctrine of Purgatory is indeed found in Scripture.

The underlying concepts for the doctrine of Purgatory are in Scripture and are stated far more explicitly than the doctrine of the Trinity.

* Salvation and perfection are not identical. Christ's command is to be perfect as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). If the rich man wanted eternal life he was to keep the commandments. For perfection he was to give up all that he owned (Matthew 19:20-22).
* Nothing unclean or imperfect is allowed to enter into Heaven (Revelation 21:27).
* The final purification is by fire. All of our works will be tried by fire and some will survive while others are burnt up (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). The precious metals and stones will survive the fire, the wood, hay, and stubble will not. A burning ember from the altar in Heaven cleansed Isaiah of all sin (Isaiah 6:6-7).
* Christ described a man who sinned (by failing to forgive others) after his own sins were forgiven. He was thrown into jail until his own debts were paid. This parable only makes sense if the debts could be paid. The implication here is that once paid, he would be released from prison. (Matthew 5:25-26)
* Jesus told the story of Lazarus and the rich man. They were both in the middle stage between earth and Heaven or Hell. Note that while the rich man was being punished the only sin mentioned is that he did not feed Lazarus. Abraham still refers to him as his son and, based on this identification, there is no reason to believe that the rich man will not inherit eternal life. His route there just isn't so fun. (Luke 16:19-31)

Objection 2: Belief in purgatory is a belief that Christ's death and resurrection were not enough for our salvation.

This objection rests upon the premise that Christ's death and resurrection were all that is necessary for our salvation and that the doctrine of Purgatory negates the sufficiency of this sacrifice.

Response 2a: No Christian believes that NOTHING must be done after Christ's sacrifice.

If we truly believe that nothing must be done after Christ's sacrifice then we have to include repentence, confession, baptism, growth in Christ and holiness, and the fruits of the Spirit among the NOTHING that is required. If we throw out all of those then we are left with the belief that Christ's sacrifice was the ONLY requirement for salvation and that everybody will be saved. Christians do not believe this so it is obviously possible for some requirement to be placed upon entering Heaven (other than Christ's sacrifice) without negating the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

Even though Christ completely paid the price for our salvation at the Cross and opened the gates to eternal life with His Resurrection, we are not individually redeemed from sin unless we actually DO something ourselves. The traditional Christian position of course is that we must be baptized. But even Protestants who reject this go for the "accepting Christ as Savior" thing. Either way, it's still the Cross + action on our part. A belief in Purgatory does not imply that the price was not completely paid any more than either of these other two beliefs.

Response 2b: The Realization of Christ's Work Is Not Complete.

While the work of Salvation was accomplished once and for all through Christ's death and resurrection, the realization of that work (its effects) in our lives and our world is not complete. No one, not even Protestants, truly believe that it is.

The following effects of Salvation not yet complete:

* individual salvation of individual people: obviously the fact that Jesus arose did not actually save anyone. They still had to accept this truth in faith and obedience. Individuals still have to submit to the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:4) and "become the children of God" (John 1:12).
* complete sanctification of individuals: this was not accomplished at the Cross although all of the grace necessary for this sanctification was put into place, awaiting our ongoing acts of free will (the obedience of faith - Romans 1:4) as we are re-molded into the likeness of Christ. Paul still referred to himself as a sinner and said that he continued to do the things he shouldn't and didn't do the things he should (Romans 7:15). He also said that he continued to buffet his flesh lest, after running the race for so long, he disqualify himself by giving in to sin (1 Corinthians 9:27).
* redemption of the physical world: the Jewish people primarily looked for this as salvation. They did not look for spiritual salvation or even, necessarily, eternal life but for a restoration of all creation to its original status before the Fall (or, possibly, a recreation that is actually better than the original status). This is still an important aspect of Christ's redemption - not just the spiritual redemption of our souls but the redemption of the physical universe subject to the effects of the Fall. This has not taken place. We have yet to see the "new heaven and new earth".
* resurrection of our bodies: this is another important component of Redemption and an important promise. Man was created as a physical/spiritual being and is intended to remain such forever (even though with a more glorified yet still physical body). My body is not yet glorified yet I am an heir to the promise of salvation.

Each of the above effects are guaranteed and accomplished through Christ's death and resurrection and could not be accomplished by individuals based upon their own merit. But the fact is - they are not yet realized. The salvation earned by Christ's blood has not yet been fully applied to us as individuals or to the physical universe as a whole.

Response 2c: Purgatory is about sanctification, not salvation in the Protestant sense of the word.

To understand the doctrine of Purgatory, it may be helpful to fall back on a discussion of salvation vs. sanctification. Protestants tend to separate the two (this is a massive generalization as there is much debate about this issue) while Catholics tend to treat it as one continual process. When treated as one process then it follows that if someone jumps off the train at any point - they are truly off the train and not going to the train station. The one place where Catholics separate the two is at the time of death. Thus, every soul in Purgatory is saved but is not completely sanctified. Purgatory completes the sanctification process by purging or cleansing the Christian of venial sins, attitudes leading to sin, habits of thought, scars in the soul due to past sins, etc. leaving a sanctified, pure, holy person (with no uncleanness) to obtain Heaven (Rev. 22:3). Ironically, Protestants who separate the doctrines on earth join them immediately at death by saying that such a cleansing is not needed.

There seem to be only three ways in which God can deal with the person who is a follower of Christ but who dies with un-repented sin. The first choice is that that person goes to Hell - regardless of the severity of the sin. In this case we should live every day in mortal fear for our salvation. The second choice is that that person goes to Heaven - God zaps him and makes him perfect regardless of where he was in the process of sanctification. In this case then why worry about sanctification at all - if we make the basic cut then we'll be as well off as the next guy. The third choice is that, if we are not completely ready but the severity of our sins does not require eternal punishment, we can be "thrown into prison until the last penny is paid." We can be purified of these sins and their effects before entering Heaven spotless and without blemish. Catholics believe that the third choice is the true one and that the first choice ignores God's mercy and Christ's saving action altogether while the second choice ignores God's justice and the fact that He cannot look upon anything impure. Scripture clearly emphasizes a sanctification that truly transforms us. Christ said, "Be perfect as I am perfect." Hebrews 12:14 tells us to strive for the holiness, "without which no one will see the Lord."

Response 2d: We receive benefits through suffering by having our suffering joined to Christ's. We who die with Him may also suffer with Him. God can use this suffering to perfect us in the obedience of faith.

God, through His grace, allows our sufferings to bring benefit to us even though Christ's suffering was enough. In fact, our suffering can bring benefit to others as well. The exact mechanism for this is mysterious but by allowing us to join in the sufferings of Christ, God perfects us in obedience so that the Kingdom of Heaven will be ours.

We are crucified with Christ and yet we live. But it is He who lives within us and this life of His which we now live in the flesh must be lived in the obedience of faith - trusting in the One who loved us and gave Himself totally for us. If we are allowed to participate in Christ's death and resurrection (not through our own merit but by the grace of God), why is it unreasonable that we are allowed to participate in His suffering. God's grace allows our sufferings to be added to Christ's, not because His were insufficient but because they were sufficient. In fact, if His suffering was insufficient, our suffering would be useless to make up the gap. It is only because His suffering was sufficient that God can allow us to participate in it for our own sanctification.

* Christ was perfected in obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8-9)
* Our suffering leads to the hope of salvation which does not disappoint (Romans 5:1-5)
* Paul's sufferings could be added to Christ's for the benefit of the Colossians (Colossians 1:24).
* Paul thought that he might be sacrificed in the service of faith for the Ephesians.
* Persevering in trials and tribulations leads to perfection (James 1:2-4).
* Perseverance in temptation proves our love for Christ (James 1).
* Those who suffer in accordance with God's will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good. (1 Peter 4:12-19)
* Blessed are those who are persecuted for His sake, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:10)
* The blind man was blind from birth (not from his sin or his parents) but that God's glory would be revealed through his healing (John 9:1-3). Lazarus was also sick so that God's glory could be revealed (John 11:3-5). These are two clear instances where God allowed people to suffer in sickness or physical disability so that His glory could be revealed.

Objection 3: Belief in Purgatory denies that all sins are equal.

Response 3a: This statement is true. All sins are not equal. All sins do not equally damage our souls but all sins do damage to our souls. Our consciences attest to this truth and so does Scripture.

* Jesus' teaching about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit implies that some sins can be forgiven in this world and some in the next.
* 1 John 5:16-17 - some sins are mortal and some are not. Some are unto death and some are not.

Objection 4: Belief in Purgatory means that we are earning our salvation

Response 4a: No it doesn't.

Not any more than praying the "sinner's prayer" earns our salvation or being baptized for the remission of sins earns our salvation. Purgatory is not about salvation but about sanctification or purification (as Protestants differentiate the two - for Catholics it's all one train ride and you are either on the train at any given moment or you are not). Remember Jesus' response to the rich young ruler - to gain eternal life keep the commandments but to be perfect give all that you have. He differentiated between gaining eternal life and being perfect even though it is clear that before we are in Heaven we will need to be perfect.

My Thoughts on our Perfection in Heaven

I wanted to include a few of my own thoughts about our perfection in Heaven. These are my speculations only, and, while I do not think they contravene any Catholic doctrine, I do not think they are stated as dogma.

I believe that our perfection in Heaven refers only to our ability to live without sin in perfect faith and union with God. We are not immediately perfected in the other ways in which God is perfect. For example, God knows everything but we will not. I like to think that we will have the opportunity to continue to learn and grow in knowledge and understanding without the impediments of sin. In other words, being without sin will not end the process of growth that God has created us for - it will only remove the largest impediment.