Protestants, what do you uderstand about purgatory?

Question

Wired,

If you don't know what it is, how do you know it doesn't exist or is not Scriptural?

Moises F,

How do you know it is a lie if you do not know what it is?

Wired,

It is still a doctrine and the Pope has not addressed the doctrine. Here is a URL that shows the Scriptural support for purgatory and explains what it is. There is no sense in remaining ignorant. Don't you think?

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYyaa9ESBoW5DFwEjL_HhqA?tag=understandingpurgatory

Edge,
Praise God you got it substantially right. We do not consider purgatory a place but allow that it may be.

You really do not need the Deuterocanonical to understand purgatory as a valid teaching. I went to Hebrew school as a child because on my paternal side my family is Jewish and my grandfather insisted that my father send me to Hebrew school to learn the practices, language and culture of my heritage. Since Christianity came from Judaism this was a good foundation for my training in theology later. I learned by reading the Talmud that Jews believed in purgatory even though they have the same Canon of the OT as does the Protestants. Just like all Christians prior to the Reformation believed in purgatory, it was a practice inherited from our Judaic roots. Since this is an ongoing belief and practice the writers of Scripture did not emphasize the practice because it would have been redundant to the first century Christian life. There are other examples of this such as Baptism whe

Those of us who accept purgatory believe also that Christ’s blood is sufficient but the question is how complete was our repentance. When we say, I am sorry for my sin but…….., and try to justify it in our minds in some way. Such is our human condition. We are only forgiven for that which we sincerely repent. My being a Molinist, I would agree that it is instantaneous but I can not be sure.

As for the rich man, that is really a different issue from purgatory in that the Jews believed in several layers of hell. The worst resembled the Christian hell and the best heaven. One must remember that it was Christ that opened the doors to heaven and prior to that the absence from God by even the righteous must have been tormenting.

Edge,
I have added your answer and my response to my blog about purgatory. You can read my complete answer there.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYyaa9ESBoW5DFwEjL_HhqA?tag=understandingpurgatory

Vot Anarж,

Purgatory and limbo are two entirely different things. Purgatory is a doctrine of the Church while limbo was just theological speculation.

It definitely is not a means of income for the Church but the sale of indulgences was abused by some prior to the Reformation. This has not been a abusive practice since then and it is fair to say that the Church , even back then,never endorsed the abuses of indulgences.

Answer 1

I have actually done quite a bit of looking into this and questioning about it on here. So I will explain what I know and you can tell me if I am right or not. First purgatory is a place where only Christians can go. It is not a second chance for people who are lost. The purpose of purgatory is to cleanse us from the temporal effects of sin. Although we have been forgiven we may have not repented perfectly or done full penance for sins. In other words although we are forgiven some sin stain may remain. The purpose of purgatory is to purge us of this sin and to make us into the sinless perfect beings we must become before we can enter into God's presence. While it was originally thought that purgatory would last for many and possibly even millions of year there are some who now believe it may be an instantaneous change that occurs as we enter the presence of God. Have I got it?

Many protestants like myself have problems with this doctrine because we find no support for it in the Bible. Partly this is because we reject the deuterocanonicals in which much of the doctrine is found and the verses supporting it in the NT are very vague. However my main problem with it is that it seems to say the blood of Jesus is not enough. Not enough to fully cleanse us. I believe when I repent the sin is completely and totally gone. No stain remains and God has completely forgotten the sin. Thus there is nothing to be purged from. In addition in the NT it says we will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. If purgatory is true, which I do not think it is, the only possibility is we are purged instantly.


EDIT: Let me add in addition the parable of the rich man and lazarus is often used to support purgatory. However the Bible clearly says the rich man was in torments in Hell. So we have him being in Hell and being tormented. Would God torment His children? If His child asks for bread (Heaven) is He is going to give us a snake (torment in purgatory)? I know it is not necessarily taught that purgatory is torment but the rich man was clearly in torment and being punished.

Answer 2

Protestants ignore all the verses pertaining to purgatory.

Now, there are several places in Scripture that indicate the existence of a place of purification after death. The most well-known passage in the Old Testament about this truth is found in the Second Book of Maccabees. The passage is a little long, but it is worth quoting at length because it is so important:

Judas Maccabees and his men went to gather up the bodies of the slain (after the battle) and bury them with their kinsmen in their ancestral tombs. But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had been slain… He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to 2,000 silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way… It was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from sin." (2 Mac. 12:39-40, 43, 45-46)

In the New Testament Christ warns us that "we will not be released until we have paid the last penny" (Mt 5:26), and St. Paul states in his First Letter to the Corinthians that "if someone’s work is burned up… the person will be saved, but only by fire" (3:15). Now the doctrine of purgatory alone can explain this passage of St. Paul’s. Karl Keating, a well-respected apologist, explains, "this ‘loss’ that he speaks about cannot refer to hell, because no one is saved there; and it cannot refer to heaven, because there is no suffering by fire there."

Although the word "purgatory" is not mentioned in the Bible, the reality of purgatory is clearly mentioned there. The words "Trinity" and "incarnation" and "Bible" are not mentioned in the Bible, but these realities are revealed there. Jesus speaks of sins to be forgiven in the life to come (Matthew 12:23). Saint Paul speaks of those saved in the next life "through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Saint Peter speaks of the "spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:18-20) and of the Gospel "preached to the dead" (1 Peter 4:6). The Bible explicitly tells us to pray for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:44-46). Besides being found in Sacred Tradition, which explicitly affirms the existence of purgatory, it is clearly that the doctrine of it existence is also found in Sacred Scripture.

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27, NIV)
Even if we have the smallest unrepented sin upon our soul, we are impure, defiled and cannot go straight to heaven. That is because this unrepented sin is a refection of our pride, a lack of total dedication to God. It may be the smallest of all sins, but it still constitutes a stain upon our soul. So how do we get rid of it once we have passed into the "world to come?"


"No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, NIV)
"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24, KJV)

Answer 3

I am not Protestant, I'm ex-Catholic.

From my Catechism classes, purgatory (or Limbo) is an intermediate stage between heaven and a fiery hell.

People who were not necessarily evil, but who were not holy either are said to go this place when they died. They suffer spiritual torment, and until their living relatives pray long enough for their souls, they will stay there for a long time, until their period of purification is over and then they go to heaven.

To get your relative out of limbo quicker, you have to pray a priest to do the special service for you, preferably once a year.

Of course, you realise that none of this is Biblical. It is a fund-raising belief.

Answer 4

they don't have the capacity to understand it at all. but since they are protestants, they are living up to their name and protest against the dogma of the Catholic Church, they don't necessarily need to understand, as long as it comes from the Catholic Church, they would protest. to protest is the tradition of protestants, nothing more, nothing less.

Answer 5

Purgatory doesn't exist.

Answer 6

that is another lie of Catholic Church.

cause I know what it said and in a twist of the real concept of dead.

Answer 7

That it doesn't exist and is not scriptual.