Q/A Friday: Does Purgatory Exist?

Purgatory is never mentioned in the Bible…anywhere. That should be enough answer(s) to the question of whether it exists or not.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), purgatory is the final purification. Here is what the CCC specifically states: “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” (#1030). And “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment to the damned. …” (#1031). And finally: “This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer of the dead…” (#1032).

What this means is that Christ’s death on the cross was not enough to cleanse and forgive sin. The CCC implies that Jesus’ atonement was not sufficient and that more cleaning is needed. The Bible says that when a Christian dies, he goes to be with the Lord (II Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23) and not some other place where more purification is needed.

Some misinterpret I Corinthians 3:15 about being saved yet through fire as proof of another location for cleansing outside of heaven. However, the context clearly states Christians will be rewarded for their suffering. The fire is what cleanses our work. Plus, the Corinthians had already been told that they had a right standing before God (I Cor 1:2; 6:11).

So, no, purgatory doesn’t exist, it’s not in the Bible, and the Roman Catholic Church is in error for teaching it.

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