Is there a biblical basis for Catholic purgatory?

Question

If not, how did Catholics come up with this idea?

Answer 1

Yes, but not much.

+ Purgatory +

The concept of purgation is hinted at in the Bible. Here are a couple of places:

"But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire." 1 Cor 3:15

"So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Pet 1:7

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves on earth into perfect beings in heaven. Depending on the amount of change needed by different people, this can be an easy or slightly harder process. Everyone in purgatory is on his or her way to heaven. I do not think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

+ Sources of Doctrine +

The Catholic Church does not only use Holy Scripture for the basis of doctrine. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written (by Catholics).

Catholics also believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like
- The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
- Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the ten commandments)
- Which books to include in the New Testament?
- How do our imperfect selves on earth get to be perfect in heaven?

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Good question. If you are truly sincere in wanting to the know the real answer, here's part of it:

The Roots of Purgatory

All Christians agree that we won’t be sinning in heaven. Sin and final glorification are utterly incompatible. Therefore, between the sinfulness of this life and the glories of heaven, we must be made pure. Between death and glory there is a purification.

Thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church 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. The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1030–1).

The concept of an after-death purification from sin and the consequences of sin is also stated in the New Testament in passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 and Matthew 5:25–26, 12:31–32.

The doctrine of purgatory, or the final purification, has been part of the true faith since before the time of Christ. The Jews already believed it before the coming of the Messiah, as revealed in the Old Testament (2 Macc. 12:41–45) as well as in other pre-Christian Jewish works, such as one which records that Adam will be in mourning "until the day of dispensing punishment in the last years, when I will turn his sorrow into joy" (The Life of Adam and Eve 46–7). Orthodox Jews to this day believe in the final purification, and for eleven months after the death of a loved one, they pray a prayer called the Mourner’s Kaddish for their loved one’s purification.

Jews, Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox have always historically proclaimed the reality of the final purification. It was not until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century that anyone denied this doctrine. As the quotes below from the early Church Fathers show, purgatory has been part of the Christian faith from the very beginning.

Answer 3

Purgatory is simply the place where already saved souls are cleansed of the temporal effects of sin before they are allowed to see the holy face of Almighty God. Revelation 21:27 tells us that "...nothing unclean will enter [Heaven]."

Daniel 12:2, Matthew 12:32, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Hebrews 12:14, Hebrews 12:22-23, 1 Peter 4:6 and Revelation 21:10, 27 all speak of Purgatory in their telling of the need for purification, prayers for the dead, Christ's preaching to the dead, or how nothing unclean will see God.


The thief on the cross next to Jesus went to purgatory(paradise) as did Moses and all those who died before Christ. Jesus went to paradise and preached to the souls in purgatory. When Jesus ascended 40 days later He took all the souls he retrieved from purgatory to heaven with Him

Answer 4

The only biblical basis is when the bible talks about a waiting period where we are judged. A normal human being would take that as saying we must get judged and it might take some time. However the part of the bible this is talked aobut is in Revelation, which most catholic scholars believe to not be a real vision. So really it makes no since. The stuff about the unbaptised babies seems like a ploy to pull kids into the religion, but i dont know.

Answer 5

i'm not a biblical pupil yet i recognize that the coaching of purgatory comes from the e book of Maccabeus which replaced into recognized with the aid of all Christians until eventually now Martin Luther. there are particular text textile of the scripture which speaks of a cleansing fire. The Catholic Church believes that each physique who die in God's grace and friendship, yet nonetheless imperfectly purified, are certainly assured of their everlasting salvation; yet after death they undergo purification, with a view to attain the holiness mandatory to flow into the exhilaration of heaven. i don't recognize what is going on or how long your in there, yet i'm unlikely to argue approximately getting a 2d hazard!

Answer 6

Are you perfect?

Those who die in God's grace but are not yet perfectly purified are guaranteed eternal salvation. They undergo purification after death to gain the holiness needed to enter heaven.

This "Purgatory" (Councils of Florence and Trent) is totally different from the punishment of the damned. It is a cleansing fire. "The person will be saved, but only through fire" (1 Cor 3:15). "As for certain lesser faults, there is a purifying fire" (Pope St. Gregory the Great).

The Church has always prayed for the dead and offered Mass for them. Judas Maccabees "made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from their sins" (1 Macc 12:46). "Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them" (St. John Chrysostom).

May the Lord's peace be with you!

Answer 7

when you hear people like wise 1 tell it you would think really ignorance is bliss. compare bibles? the bible being used by christians after 497 When it was finally compiled, was the bible the catholics use today(old testament septuagint text), the protestant bible an old testament translation of the palestinian canon came about after the protestant reformation in the 16th century. the jews had settled on the palestinian canon AFTER the christians settled on the septuagint text, which incidentally was the text oft quoted by christ himself.

In this septuagint text is the 2 nd book of maccabees where the jews , after being killed in a battle were found with idols on their person. those who discovered this prayed for them that they may be loosed from their sins. 2 maccabees 12:45 states : "therefore he made atonement for them that they may be loosed from their sin." Jewish general Judas Maccabeus took up a collection and sent it to jerusalem so that the priest could make a sacrifice for their sins. The catholic and orthodox practices of having the One holy sacrifice of the mass as an offering for the souls in purgatory is in line with this common Jewish practice, therefore , jesus' proclaimed at the last supper the need to come together to make an offering of the one true sacrifice which was to be of his body and blood for the atonement of sins. This was not to be a time for mere praise and worship but the actual giving of jesus body and blood. His body was to be the manna that came down from heaven the same manna in the holy of holies. It is a reenactment of the one sacrifice of christ, and the priests in doing so are making an offering at the behest of the faithful.

this is why, in the communion of saints, we are to interceed on behalf of each other in charity and prayer. Our prayers are just as powerful and necessary in this life as the next.

aside from the maccabees text our lord made it clear in 1 corinthians 3 :11-15 that every persons good works will be tested by fire and like at the burning bush they will not be consumed by the fire. Fire purifies the soul so that it is spotless before the lord.

If one really thinks about it this type of place truly makes God just by not merely allowing those who confess his name in but those who acted in a way that is truly holy. remember the text about those who say Lord lord, not entering the kingdom of heaven. who can truly say, after falling into sin from time to time, that they are truly Holy and worthy of the rewards of heaven immediately after death?

Answer 8

No, Purgatory does not exist, the only one getting anything out of Purgatory is the man that is getting paid to pray over a dead body. The Bible teaches that we are not to pray for the dead. Salvation is on this side of the grave!

Answer 9

nope,but all the thumbs down will show that catholics believe that it does.
catholics even have their own special bible and commandments.when they tell you they dont...tell them to prove it face to face with a bible.
they just made it up...just like they give the pope special powers because he was a direct decendent of peter,which they think somehow makes him special.which it doesnt.
im not really anti-catholic,but they make it the easiest religion to pick on because of the hipocrosy.

Answer 10

i think the other fellow catholics have answered more than efficiently. i will simply put forth some more sites you can use for purgatory and other questions you may have about our wonderfull faith.

www.catholiceducation.org
www.askmeaboutgod.org
www.ewtn.com
www.fisheaters.com

god bless you.