Catholics: Where in the Bible does it speak of Purgatory?

Question

I have never seen scripture that speaks about purgatory or any kind of "half-way house"! Please provide scripture if there is any!!

Thank you Sassinya...I thought that it was false, but I wanted proof! ( :

Answer 1

+ 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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1030: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art12.htm#1030

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

I'm non-denominational Christian, and was
brought up Catholic - Catholic Church, School, even Sunday School.
Do you know what I learned there? Nothing.
Oh, I seem to remember a picture on the blackboard of Eve eating an apple - which is about as UNbiblical as you can possibly get.
Anyway, I think maybe they get the purgatory thing from the Biblical story of
Lazarus and the rich man - ya know, where
Lazarus was poor and begged for food crumbs and the rich man didn't care about him and passed on by -
Then they both died, and Lazarus is being comforted by Abraham Himself, while the rich man can see them, but cannot cross
over the gulph thats between them. Those who die but "awaken" to the fact that they still have a mortal soul (one still liable to die) wait across that gulph until judgement day; they can see the throne, they are NOT
in any pit of torture, but only their own burning torture at realizing that they may very well die rather than live the eternity.

Anyway, perhaps this is what they are referring to as "purgatory"???
Its the only thing I can come up with that may make some kind of Biblical sense.
On the other hand, Catholics do alot of things that do not make Biblical sense, so who knows???

Answer 3

well they will give you scripture in daniel 13, but the KJV does not have daniel 13. But of course it is not true, yea that girl is right. If purgatory was so real than would Jesus not have talked about it? It is like a ticket to say hey as long as you are good you will eventually get to heaven. It is just an excuse for them to continue in sin. You used to have to pay to get your family members out of purgatory, sounds like a scame huh? All lies though don't listen to the catholics that will respond to this.

Answer 4

2 maccabees "Now i urge people who examine this e book to no longer be disheartened by ability of those misfortunes, yet to contemplate that those chastisements have been meant no longer for the smash yet for the correction of our usa. this is, in fact, a demonstration of super kidness to punish sinners without put off instead of permitting them to choose for long. for this reason, in coping with different international locations, the Lord patiently waits till they attain the entire diploma of their sins in the previous he punishes them; yet with us he has desperate to deal in yet in any different case, purely so he would possibly no longer ought to punish us extra critically later, while our sins have have reached their fullness. He in no way withdraws his mercy from us. besides the incontrovertible fact that he disciplines us with misfortunes, he does not abandon his own human beings. enable those words suffice for recalling this certainty. without further ado we ought to flow on with our tale." 2 Maccabees 6:12-17

Answer 5

The Doctrine of Purgatory was invented by the Council of Trent.... and is not canonical

It is a false doctrine.

Answer 6

I thought Maccabees made a reference to it, but this is one of the apocryphal books that Protestants don't consider as scripture.

Answer 7

Purgatory is a mythical Roman catholic church invention used to extract money from its parishioners. There is very little in the teaching of Catholicism that has any Biblical basis.
(eg.. the immaculate conception of Mary ....the infallibility of the pope....the transubstantiation of the host and wafer into the blood and body of Christ.....Priests being able to forgive sins etc etc etc etc.........................

Answer 8

Purification After Death By Fire
Heb. 12:29 - God is a consuming fire (of love in heaven, of purgation in purgatory, or of suffering and damnation in hell).

1 Cor. 3:10-15 - works are judged after death and tested by fire. Some works are lost, but the person is still saved. Paul is referring to the state of purgation called purgatory. The venial sins (bad works) that were committed are burned up after death, but the person is still brought to salvation. This state after death cannot be heaven (no one with venial sins is present) or hell (there is no forgiveness and salvation).

1 Cor. 3:15 – “if any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” The phrase for "suffer loss" in the Greek is "zemiothesetai." The root word is "zemioo" which also refers to punishment. The construction “zemiothesetai” is used in Ex. 21:22 and Prov. 19:19 which refers to punishment (from the Hebrew “anash” meaning “punish” or “penalty”). Hence, this verse proves that there is an expiation of temporal punishment after our death, but the person is still saved. This cannot mean heaven (there is no punishment in heaven) and this cannot mean hell (the possibility of expiation no longer exists and the person is not saved).

1 Cor. 3:15 – further, Paul writes “he himself will be saved, "but only" (or “yet so”) as through fire.” “He will be saved” in the Greek is “sothesetai” (which means eternal salvation). The phrase "but only" (or “yet so”) in the Greek is "houtos" which means "in the same manner." This means that man is both eternally rewarded and eternally saved in the same manner by fire.

1 Cor. 3:13 - when Paul writes about God revealing the quality of each man's work by fire and purifying him, this purification relates to his sins (not just his good works). Protestants, in attempting to disprove the reality of purgatory, argue that Paul was only writing about rewarding good works, and not punishing sins (because punishing and purifying a man from sins would be admitting that there is a purgatory).

1 Cor. 3:17 - but this verse proves that the purgation after death deals with punishing sin. That is, destroying God's temple is a bad work, which is a mortal sin, which leads to death. 1 Cor. 3:14,15,17 - purgatory thus reveals the state of righteousness (v.14), state of venial sin (v.15) and the state of mortal sin (v.17), all of which are judged after death.

1 Peter 1:6-7 - Peter refers to this purgatorial fire to test the fruits of our faith.

Jude 1:23 - the people who are saved are being snatched out of the fire. People are already saved if they are in heaven, and there is no possibility of salvation if they are in hell. These people are being led to heaven from purgatory.

Rev. 3:18-19 - Jesus refers to this fire as what refines into gold those He loves if they repent of their sins. This is in the context of after death because Jesus, speaking from heaven, awards the white garment of salvation after the purgation of fire (both after death).

Dan 12:10 - Daniel refers to this refining by saying many shall purify themselves, make themselves white and be refined.

Wis. 3:5-6 - the dead are disciplined and tested by fire to receive their heavenly reward. This is the fire of purgatory.

Sirach 2:5 - for gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.

Zech. 13:8-9 - God says 2/3 shall perish, and 1/3 shall be left alive, put into the fire, and refined like silver and tested like gold. The ones that perish go to hell, and there is no need for refinement in heaven, so those being refined are in purgatory.

Mal. 3:2-3 - also refers to God's purification of the righteous at their death.