Is the catholic teachings of the place known as purgatory a false gospel teaching?

If not, which scripture verses support the belief in purgatory?Is the catholic teachings of the place known as purgatory a false gospel teaching?
I would like to know that too, I've not had a good answer yetIs the catholic teachings of the place known as purgatory a false gospel teaching?
Purgatory comes from the same root word as purge. It is a place where the stains of sin are purged from the soul so that the person becomes holy and is then truly worthy of being in God's presence.





Scripture mentions the purification through fire:





1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (taken from the KJV)


';Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.';





The writings of the Early Church Fathers suggests that they believed this passage described the process that an impure but saved soul went through to become pure for the presence of God.





Other support for purgatory can be found in the Deuterocanonical books (the Apocrypha), many of which were taken out of the official canon of the Bible that Luther translated.
First of all, it is important to realize:





1. Purgatory is not a ';place';. It's not a ';middle region'; between heaven and hell.





2. Purgatory isn't a sort of low-grad spot for folks who didn't sin badly enough to merit the eternally painful fires of hell.





3. Catholics don't pray to ';get out'; of purgatory. Catholics don't do things to ';earn'; days off from purgatory.





According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church ';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.'; (No. 1030)





The things we say about purgatory can only go so far. That is due to the fact we are talking about the afterlife. The truth is we don't know the fine details. When we talk about the afterlife it is inaccurate to say that heaven, hell, and purgatory are physical ';places.'; Remember we are talking about God, the realm of the spirit, where time and space do not exist, for they are part of the created reality. So the afterlife is essentially about ';states of being';. They are real, they're just beyond the reality tht we can grasp while we're still on earth. So as the Catechism said, it's not a place, but a process. Hardly any of us die with perfectly reconciled souls and nothing impure and blemished with sin can live in God's presence. It makes sense for God to give us a chance to set that right after that.





Now, perhaps the exact word ';purgatory'; is not in the Bible, but there some odd little statements in Scripture that gives us hints of the truth of this teaching.





Paul says that if, after death, a person's life is found wanting, ';that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.'; (1 Corinthians 3:15) This passage implies that after death, a person whose soul is not perfectly clean to enter heaven still has a chance to be saved, but only through some kind of painful process. Would this kind of process exist in heaven? Of course not, our souls do not endure pain in heaven. So Paul is talking of the chance of purification that we call today ';purgatory.';





In 2 Maccabees 12:45-46 it says,'; It was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.'; Do souls in heaven bear sin? No. So, do they need prayer? No. Do souls in hell, there by their own choice for eternity, benefit from prayer? No. So what purpose would praying for the dead serve? Once again, the Bible states that God's mercy does not end with physical death.





Now some Protestants would quickly point out that the quoted Old Testament pasage from above is from a book that is not currently accepted by Protestants. That book of Maccabees, though, was accepted by Christians as God's Word for fifteen hundred years before the Protestant Reformation. In fact, the only reason that Martin Luther decided that book had to go was because of that particular passage, which supported the teaching of purgatory, a teaching he rejected.





It is also important to note that there are some Protestants that believe in purgatory, one of them was a famous author, C.S. Lewis. He wrote, ';Of course I pray for the dead... I believe in Purgatory... Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they?';
Very well, I will show you the Scriptural and logical support for the doctrine of purgatory. At its core, Purgatory is a reconciliation of the simultaneous promise in Scripture of salvation by grace, with the admonition that one must be perfect in order to enter Heaven. How does one reconcile salvation with perfection when perfection cannot be achieved by humans?





As best I understand it, Purgatory is the antechamber to Heaven.


Scripture tells us that there was a place where the souls of the non-saved were imprisoned (1 Pt 3:19-20), so the idea of an antechamber is not unscriptural.





In Catholicism, we believe in salvation by Grace (Acts 15:11, Eph 2:5, 2 Tim 1:9), and that faith alone is not sufficient (James 2:18-26). However, we are also called to be perfect (Matt 5:48) to the point that no impurity should ever enter Heaven (Rev 21:27). God makes us perfect through discipline (Heb 12:10) and through destroying the falseness in us as a purification (1 Cor 3:12-15). This fire in Corinthians is the means of making what is impure into what is pure (Malachi 3:1-3).





Thus purgatory is a place of purification, and the Church teaches that all who enter Purgatory will enter Heaven once they are purified - and Purgatory itself will cease to exist once the last soul is purified.





Who enters purgatory? Those who die in God's friendship but with impurities. Surely I don't need to point out those passages that all who die in God's friendship will see the Face of God. But we know only that the pure of heart shall see God, and so purification is necessary.





Note that this also does not mean that those who died without faith will enter Purgatory - those without faith are lost, as are those who reject faith and all the Grace offered to them.








Too much is made of purgatory - consider if Purgatory does not exist, and we as Catholics seek to purify ourselves by eliminating sin from our lives, following Christ and seeking to be as Christ-like as we can in order to limit our time in Purgatory and see the Father most quickly, then we simply have a quicker trip than expected.





Consider also the case of one who somehow decides to do as little in life as necessary and depend upon Purgatory as a way of getting into Heaven - such a person would be lost anyway, for they do not truly seek to follow Christ.





I hope this helps.
There were several verses already posted. But it doesn't have to be in the bible to be true. If you don't believe in the authority of the church you are stuck with being a bible scholar and theologian. I hope you find the understanding you are looking for, however.





Jesus made an easier way and that is one of many reasons why I accept the church Jesus founded, which is a visible church and is called the Catholic church which has authority to teach on such matters.
No, it is not false. Which is why Martin Luther removed books from the Bible which support this belief.





The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a ';purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,'; which is experienced by those ';who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified'; (CCC 1030). It notes that ';this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned'; (CCC 1031).





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.





Some imagine that the Catholic Church has an elaborate doctrine of purgatory worked out, but there are only three essential components of the doctrine: (1) that a purification after death exists, (2) that it involves some kind of pain, and (3) that the purification can be assisted by the prayers and offerings by the living to God. Other ideas, such that purgatory is a particular ';place'; in the afterlife or that it takes time to accomplish, are speculations rather than doctrines.





Was this believed by our ancestors? Was it handed on from the apostles? Surely belief in purgatory would be considered a great change, if it had not been believed from the first—so where are the records of protests?





They don’t exist. There is no hint at all, in the oldest writings available to us (or in later ones, for that matter), that ';true believers'; in the immediate post-apostolic years spoke of purgatory as a novel doctrine. They must have understood that the oral teaching of the apostles, what Catholics call tradition, and the Bible not only failed to contradict the doctrine, but, in fact, confirmed it.





It is no wonder, then, that those who deny the existence of purgatory tend to touch upon only briefly the history of the belief. They prefer to claim that the Bible speaks only of heaven and hell. Wrong. It speaks plainly of a third condition, commonly called the limbo of the Fathers, where the just who had died before the redemption were waiting for heaven to be opened to them. After his death and before his resurrection, Christ visited those experiencing the limbo of the Fathers and preached to them the good news that heaven would now be opened to them (1 Pet. 3:19). These people thus were not in heaven, but neither were they experiencing the torments of hell.





Some have speculated that the limbo of the Fathers is the same as purgatory. This may or may not be the case. However, even if the limbo of the Fathers is not purgatory, its existence shows that a temporary, intermediate state is not contrary to Scripture. Look at it this way. If the limbo of the Fathers was purgatory, then this one verse directly teaches the existence of purgatory. If the limbo of the Fathers was a different temporary state, then the Bible at least says such a state can exist. It proves there can be more than just heaven and hell.





Scripture teaches that purgatory exists, even if it doesn’t use that word and even if 1 Peter 3:19 refers to a place other than purgatory.





Christ refers to the sinner who ';will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come'; (Matt. 12:32), suggesting that one can be freed after death of the consequences of one’s sins. Similarly, Paul tells us that, when we are judged, each man’s work will be tried. And what happens if a righteous man’s work fails the test? ';He will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire'; (1 Cor 3:15). Now this loss, this penalty, can’t refer to consignment to hell, since no one is saved there; and heaven can’t be meant, since there is no suffering (';fire';) there. The Catholic doctrine of purgatory alone explains this passage.





Then, of course, there is the Bible’s approval of prayers for the dead: ';In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasm
For those who are ';Bible Only'; as the authority, how do you interpret:





Revelation 21:27


';...nothing unclean will enter Heaven'; ?








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.





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.





All Christians agree that we won’t be sinning in heaven.


Sin and final glorification are utterly incompatible.


Between the sinfulness of this life and the glories of heaven, we must be made pure. Between death and glory there is a purification.





What God did not choose to give us in this life, he chooses to give us once we are dead.





Maybe the term ';sanctification'; rather than ';purification'; or ';purging'; should be used because ';sanctification'; is a term Protestants understand and are comfortable with.


By phrasing the doctrine in terms of sanctification it makes it intelligible to them and knocks down many of their key objections (for example, the idea that purgatory implies the sufferings of Christ were insufficient).





So souls are being sanctified in purgatory and purgatory is the final stage of sanctification.


Is that a better way to understand it?
There is another option.





Just because it is not exactly in the Scripture, does not mean that it is against Scripture.





Brushing your teeth is not in Scripture, yet we accept it as a good thing.





The Concept of Purgatory is used to explain Scripture, that Heaven will be perfect, that we will be perfect in heaven.





For that to be true, we either have to die as a Saint or go straight to Hell. We know by Scripture that some will not be perfect and still not go to Hell right? How can they get into heaven as perfect when we are not perfect? Through purification, a time to become in tune with God, a time to amend for sin, a time to become a Saint and go to Heaven.





Now, we don't know if this takes a second, an hour, or a thousand years. Time is not relevant to God as it is to us.





But there has to be a time for cleansing.





Hope this helps!





Peace!
+ Purgatory +





The concept of purgation is hinted at in the Bible. Here are a few 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 Corinthians 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 Peter 1:7)





But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. (Wisdom 3:1-6)





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/pt1s…





+ With love in Christ.
Since we wrote the gosples, nothing in our doctrine is by definiton fasle.


The catholic church is not biblical. The Bible is catholic.


Jesus came to found the kingdom of god/heaven on earth -- the catholic hcurch. He did not come towrite. Are you getting this.


Jesus%26gt;Curch%26gt;Bible.


The new testament is the story of the foundation and ealy formation ofthekingdom of god/heaven on earth -- the catholic church. Understodd in this context it makes perfect sense. Outside of this context it makes no sense. Now what that means is that everything you read and decid what it means to you in the bible is 100% wrong. Everything you pator says is 100% wrong becuse ou are taking the whole ible out of it's context.


Purgatory is mention in the one of the 7 books that Martin Luther rmoved from the bibl, but even if it weren ot it would not matter, becsaue there are things Jesus told us the firs catholic bihsop the 12 that we didnt wirte down. Besides Jesus sent the parlete to st. Peter and his first the original holy see magistarium. Are you gettin ghtis.?





You have it backwords, se, we the catholic church wrote the new testament, and we decided what books to have in the old testament, we are responsible for the bible it is our prodcut get it, it was born from the cahtolic church. See if Jesus had not establishe the catholic church there would be no bible. we would not have put it together so it would never have reached martin luther for him to take books out. If it weren't for the catholic church there would be no bible we decide dwhat went in it the chruch is theauthrity the bible supports that.








What the church says goes, wether we write it down for you or not.





Sola Scriptura ?





Go get a copy of the marine corp. manual, take it home study it. Don't forget to rip out the five chapters that contradict what you are doing.





Get other people together to study it, implement it in your life, get the people who you study it with to implement it in there lives.





Oh, don’t forget to get your official marine corps manual concordance, so you can look up words and phrases like “simper fi”, “Iwo Jima”, “Helmet”, “Grenade”, and “Honor”, etc.





Now does this make you guys marines?





I think not.





You are missing pretty much everything that it means to be a marine. You haven't had the training that they have done for years you don't have the history -- the understanding of what it means to BE a marine as passed on from the founder of the marine corp to his first lieutenants and on down through the ranks through the years – the direct link to the founder of the marine corp. and writers of the manual, nor do you have the word of mouth testimony (those unwritten instructions that the founder himself – who by the way did not write the manual -- passed on to his first lieutenants, things the marines have been doing for years), nor do you have the true meaning of what the manual says. Because, of course, outside of the marine corp., the manual is MEANINGLESS.





People who belong to bible studying fellowships who believe in the doctrine of solely scripture, scripture first, scripture only -- sola scriptura are no more Christians than are the people who got together to study the marine manual are marines.





Now that you and your friends have studied the marine corp manual. Go out in front of a marine corp. recruiting station and as people walk in hand them a tract from the manual and get them to come join you. Go to a marine corp. camp and do the same thing see if they will join you marine corp. manual studying fellowship. But don't call yourselves that. Call yourselves, ';marines';. Go to the veterans day parade and hand out tracts from the manual there, and tell them to come to your marine barracks. Let people know that you have the way that all they have to do is study the manual with you and they too can be marines.





Oh yes and erect marine corp. manual studying colleges and graduate what?


Experts in misunderstanding the marine corp. manual.





And OHHHH yes don't forget to call yourselves not just marines but ';heroes(saints)';, because after all everyone who is part of your marine corp., manual studying fellowship is a ';hero(saint)';, after all the manual says that doesn't it? Forget about honoring real marine “Heroes(Saints)” like Colonel Louis C. Plain and Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone; or Gunnery Sergeant Donald A. Levesque (RET); or Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham ... etc.; for after all the manual tells us not to do that, right?





Then, go up to a real marine (if you dare) tell them what you are doing, and ask them what is wrong with it?
A State After Death of Suffering and Forgiveness


Matt. 5:26,18:34; Luke 12:58-59 – Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) is likely a reference to the devil (see the same word for devil in 1 Pet. 5:8) who is an accuser against man (c.f. Job 1.6-12; Zech. 3.1; Rev. 12.10), and God is the judge. If we have not adequately dealt with satan and sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state called a prison, and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God. This “prison” is purgatory where we will not get out until the last penny is paid.





Matt. 5:48 - Jesus says, ';be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'; We are only made perfect through purification, and in Catholic teaching, this purification, if not completed on earth, is continued in a transitional state we call purgatory.





Matt. 12:32 – Jesus says, “And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” Jesus thus clearly provides that there is forgiveness after death. The phrase “in the next” (from the Greek “en to mellonti”) generally refers to the afterlife (see, for example, Mark 10.30; Luke 18.30; 20.34-35; Eph. 1.21 for similar language). Forgiveness is not necessary in heaven, and there is no forgiveness in hell. This proves that there is another state after death, and the Church for 2,000 years has called this state purgatory.





Luke 12:47-48 - when the Master comes (at the end of time), some will receive light or heavy beatings but will live. This state is not heaven or hell, because in heaven there are no beatings, and in hell we will no longer live with the Master.





Luke 16:19-31 - in this story, we see that the dead rich man is suffering but still feels compassion for his brothers and wants to warn them of his place of suffering. But there is no suffering in heaven or compassion in hell because compassion is a grace from God and those in hell are deprived from God's graces for all eternity. So where is the rich man? He is in purgatory.





1 Cor. 15:29-30 - Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory. These verses directly correspond to 2 Macc. 12:44-45 which also shows specific prayers for the dead, so that they may be forgiven of their sin.





Phil. 2:10 - every knee bends to Jesus, in heaven, on earth, and ';under the earth'; which is the realm of the righteous dead, or purgatory.





2 Tim. 1:16-18 - Onesiphorus is dead but Paul asks for mercy on him “on that day.” Paul’s use of “that day” demonstrates its eschatological usage (see, for example, Rom. 2.5,16; 1 Cor. 1.8; 3.13; 5.5; 2 Cor. 1.14; Phil. 1.6,10; 2.16; 1 Thess. 5.2,4,5,8; 2 Thess. 2.2,3; 2 Tim. 4.8). Of course, there is no need for mercy in heaven, and there is no mercy given in hell. Where is Onesiphorus? He is in purgatory.





Heb. 12:14 - without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need final sanctification to attain true holiness before God, and this process occurs during our lives and, if not completed during our lives, in the transitional state of purgatory.





Heb. 12:23 - the spirits of just men who died in godliness are ';made'; perfect. They do not necessarily arrive perfect. They are made perfect after their death. But those in heaven are already perfect, and those in hell can no longer be made perfect. These spirits are in purgatory.





1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the ';prison.'; These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.





Rev. 21:4 - God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the passing away of the current heaven and earth. Note the elimination of tears and pain only occurs at the end of time. But there is no morning or pain in heaven, and God will not wipe away their tears in hell. These are the souls experiencing purgatory.





Rev. 21:27 - nothing unclean shall enter heaven. The word “unclean” comes from the Greek word “koinon” which refers to a spiritual corruption. Even the propensity to sin is spiritually corrupt, or considered unclean, and must be purified before entering heaven. It is amazing how many Protestants do not want to believe in purgatory. Purgatory exists because of the mercy of God. If there were no purgatory, this would also likely mean no salvation for most people. God is merciful indeed.





Luke 23:43 – many Protestants argue that, because Jesus sent the good thief right to heaven, there can be no purg
I am one of the rare Protestants that believes in Purgatory.





Matt. 5:26,18:34; Luke 12:58-59 – Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) is likely a reference to the devil (see the same word for devil in 1 Pet. 5:8) who is an accuser against man (c.f. Job 1.6-12; Zech. 3.1; Rev. 12.10), and God is the judge. If we have not adequately dealt with satan and sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state called a prison, and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God. This “prison” is purgatory where we will not get out until the last penny is paid.





Matt. 5:48 - Jesus says, ';be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'; We are only made perfect through purification, and in Catholic teaching, this purification, if not completed on earth, is continued in a transitional state we call purgatory.





Matt. 12:32 – Jesus says, “And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” Jesus thus clearly provides that there is forgiveness after death. The phrase “in the next” (from the Greek “en to mellonti”) generally refers to the afterlife (see, for example, Mark 10.30; Luke 18.30; 20.34-35; Eph. 1.21 for similar language). Forgiveness is not necessary in heaven, and there is no forgiveness in hell. This proves that there is another state after death, and the Church for 2,000 years has called this state purgatory.





Luke 12:47-48 - when the Master comes (at the end of time), some will receive light or heavy beatings but will live. This state is not heaven or hell, because in heaven there are no beatings, and in hell we will no longer live with the Master.





Luke 16:19-31 - in this story, we see that the dead rich man is suffering but still feels compassion for his brothers and wants to warn them of his place of suffering. But there is no suffering in heaven or compassion in hell because compassion is a grace from God and those in hell are deprived from God's graces for all eternity. So where is the rich man? He is in purgatory.





1 Cor. 15:29-30 - Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory. These verses directly correspond to 2 Macc. 12:44-45 which also shows specific prayers for the dead, so that they may be forgiven of their sin.





Phil. 2:10 - every knee bends to Jesus, in heaven, on earth, and ';under the earth'; which is the realm of the righteous dead, or purgatory.





2 Tim. 1:16-18 - Onesiphorus is dead but Paul asks for mercy on him “on that day.” Paul’s use of “that day” demonstrates its eschatological usage (see, for example, Rom. 2.5,16; 1 Cor. 1.8; 3.13; 5.5; 2 Cor. 1.14; Phil. 1.6,10; 2.16; 1 Thess. 5.2,4,5,8; 2 Thess. 2.2,3; 2 Tim. 4.8). Of course, there is no need for mercy in heaven, and there is no mercy given in hell. Where is Onesiphorus? He is in purgatory.





Heb. 12:14 - without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need final sanctification to attain true holiness before God, and this process occurs during our lives and, if not completed during our lives, in the transitional state of purgatory.





Heb. 12:23 - the spirits of just men who died in godliness are ';made'; perfect. They do not necessarily arrive perfect. They are made perfect after their death. But those in heaven are already perfect, and those in hell can no longer be made perfect. These spirits are in purgatory.





1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the ';prison.'; These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.





Rev. 21:4 - God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the passing away of the current heaven and earth. Note the elimination of tears and pain only occurs at the end of time. But there is no morning or pain in heaven, and God will not wipe away their tears in hell. These are the souls experiencing purgatory.





Rev. 21:27 - nothing unclean shall enter heaven. The word “unclean” comes from the Greek word “koinon” which refers to a spiritual corruption. Even the propensity to sin is spiritually corrupt, or considered unclean, and must be purified before entering heaven. It is amazing how many Protestants do not want to believe in purgatory. Purgatory exists because of the mercy of God. If there were no purgatory, this would also likely mean no salvation for most people. God is merciful indeed.





Luke 23:43 – many Protestants argue that, because Jesus sent the good thief right to heaven, there
Here are some...There's more if you'd like, I'll add them.


You'd think those that follow the Bible Alone therory would acknowledge Purgatory. The Jews believe it...Christ was a Jewish.





Matt. 5:26,18:34; Luke 12:58-59 – Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) is likely a reference to the devil (see the same word for devil in 1 Pet. 5:8) who is an accuser against man (c.f. Job 1.6-12; Zech. 3.1; Rev. 12.10), and God is the judge. If we have not adequately dealt with satan and sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state called a prison, and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God. This “prison” is purgatory where we will not get out until the last penny is paid.





Matt. 5:48 - Jesus says, ';be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'; We are only made perfect through purification, and in Catholic teaching, this purification, if not completed on earth, is continued in a transitional state we call purgatory.





Matt. 12:32 – Jesus says, “And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” Jesus thus clearly provides that there is forgiveness after death. The phrase “in the next” (from the Greek “en to mellonti”) generally refers to the afterlife (see, for example, Mark 10.30; Luke 18.30; 20.34-35; Eph. 1.21 for similar language). Forgiveness is not necessary in heaven, and there is no forgiveness in hell. This proves that there is another state after death, and the Church for 2,000 years has called this state purgatory.





Luke 12:47-48 - when the Master comes (at the end of time), some will receive light or heavy beatings but will live. This state is not heaven or hell, because in heaven there are no beatings, and in hell we will no longer live with the Master.





Luke 16:19-31 - in this story, we see that the dead rich man is suffering but still feels compassion for his brothers and wants to warn them of his place of suffering. But there is no suffering in heaven or compassion in hell because compassion is a grace from God and those in hell are deprived from God's graces for all eternity. So where is the rich man? He is in purgatory.





1 Cor. 15:29-30 - Paul mentions people being baptized on behalf of the dead, in the context of atoning for their sins (people are baptized on the dead’s behalf so the dead can be raised). These people cannot be in heaven because they are still with sin, but they also cannot be in hell because their sins can no longer be atoned for. They are in purgatory. These verses directly correspond to 2 Macc. 12:44-45 which also shows specific prayers for the dead, so that they may be forgiven of their sin.





Phil. 2:10 - every knee bends to Jesus, in heaven, on earth, and ';under the earth'; which is the realm of the righteous dead, or purgatory.





2 Tim. 1:16-18 - Onesiphorus is dead but Paul asks for mercy on him “on that day.” Paul’s use of “that day” demonstrates its eschatological usage (see, for example, Rom. 2.5,16; 1 Cor. 1.8; 3.13; 5.5; 2 Cor. 1.14; Phil. 1.6,10; 2.16; 1 Thess. 5.2,4,5,8; 2 Thess. 2.2,3; 2 Tim. 4.8). Of course, there is no need for mercy in heaven, and there is no mercy given in hell. Where is Onesiphorus? He is in purgatory.





Heb. 12:14 - without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need final sanctification to attain true holiness before God, and this process occurs during our lives and, if not completed during our lives, in the transitional state of purgatory.





Heb. 12:23 - the spirits of just men who died in godliness are ';made'; perfect. They do not necessarily arrive perfect. They are made perfect after their death. But those in heaven are already perfect, and those in hell can no longer be made perfect. These spirits are in purgatory.





1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 - Jesus preached to the spirits in the ';prison.'; These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision.





Rev. 21:4 - God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the passing away of the current heaven and earth. Note the elimination of tears and pain only occurs at the end of time. But there is no morning or pain in heaven, and God will not wipe away their tears in hell. These are the souls experiencing purgatory.





Rev. 21:27 - nothing unclean shall enter heaven. The word “unclean” comes from the Greek word “koinon” which refers to a spiritual corruption. Even the propensity to sin is spiritually corrupt, or considered unclean, and must be purified before entering heaven. It is amazing how many Protestants do not want to believe in purgatory. Purgatory exists because of the mercy of God. If there were no purgatory, this would also likely mean no salvation for most people. G
First, a definition is in order: what is Purgatory?





Purgatory is not Hell minus a few torments and degrees Fahrenheit; it's not Heaven minus joy. It's not a ';Third Final Destination'; of souls. 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.





prayers for the dead (Tobit 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45),





Purgatory (Wisdom 3:1-7),





intercession of dead saints (2 Maccabees 15:14),








and intercession of angels as intermediaries (Tobit 12:12-15).





Even the The Talmud speaks of Purgatory:





Sabbath 33b:


';The judgment of the wicked in purgatory is twelve months.';


Rosh HaShanah 16b-17a:


';It has been taught that the school of Shammai says: ';There will be three groups on Judgment Day (yom haDin):








The completely righteous will be recorded and sealed at once for eternal life. The completely wicked will be recorded and doomed at once to Gehinnom, as it says: ';And many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall rise up, some to eternal life and some to shame and eternal rejection'; [Daniel 12:2]. Those in between will go down to Gehinnom and cry out and rise up, as it says: ';And I will bring the third part through the fire and refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them'; [Zechariah 13:9]








Rabbi Shammai (50 BC - AD 30), one of the two main teachers of early rabbinical Judaism, also is on record as having interpreted Zechariah 13:9 as referring to a state of purification after death. Isaiah 66:15-16 and Malachi 3:2-3 were also interpreted in rabbinic literature as referring to the purgatorial process, and the same theme is reflected in Wisdom 3:1-7 and II Maccabees 12:43-45, both contained in the Deuterocanonical





That there are temporal effects of sin is obvious when one considers that even those who have been baptized, who have a deep and intimate relationshp with Jesus, who are the ';elect'; or ';the saved/being saved,'; or what have you, are subject to pain, work, death and sickness.





The best way to understand the idea of already being forgiven but still having to be cleansed of the temporal effects of sin is by analogy: imagine you are the parent of a 7-year old child who steals a candy bar from the local grocery. The child is repentant, in tears, sobbing his apologies. You, being the good parent (as God, our Father is!) forgive that child and love him and show him your mercy. But being a good parent means that you are also just and will expect that child to pay back the store. Purgatory is God's way of forgiving us, loving us, showing us His mercy and justice -- and making us ';pay back the store.'; Can you imagine what would happen to the child of a parent who never expected that child to ';pay back the store'; (especially when that same parent believed also that there was nothing that child could do to become ';disinherited,'; as in the ';once saved, always saved'; doctrine)?





Purgatory is His way of ensuring that Revelation 21:27 is true and that nothing unclean will see Heaven. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that we are shown this mercy! It is Christ and Christ alone Who allows us access to the Father.
You got a lot of fabulous answers! Purgatory is in 100% alignment with both Scripture and Tradition.





First, you need to understand the difference between guilt and punishment. If I break a window and I am really sorry, my dad will forgive me, but I still need to pay for the window and make reparation for what I've done. See 2 Sam 12:13-14... God forgave David, but he still had to make atonement for his sin, etc.





1 Jn 5:16-17 points out the difference between mortal and venial sin, as does James 1:14-15. According to Beginning Apologetics:I by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, ';Sin which brings death to the soul is mortal. Sin which only wounds and disfigures the soul is venial'; (p.30)





Those perfectly sinless and those who have no more reparation to make for their sins can enter heaven immediately. ';The souls of those who die in the state of unrepented (mortal) sin go directly to hell'; (p.30).





BUT what happens if we are in a state of grace from mortal sin, but we still have the grime of venial sin or the reparation to make from sin? After all, Rev 21:25 and Hebrews 12:14 say nothing unclean can enter heaven. This is because God is holy (Isaiah 6:3) and we are called to that holiness too (Mt 5:48 and 1 Pet 1:15-16).





';What happens to the faithful who die without perfect holiness or with sin that is not deadly? The biblical, logical, and historical answer is Purgatory'; (p.31)





C.S. Lewis (a non-Catholic) said in Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer:





';Our soulds demand Purgatory, don't they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first.' 'It may hurt, you know.' 'Even so, sir.'





Those in purgatory are on the path to heaven. Only those in the state of grace (no unrepented mortal sin) can enter. Purgatory is a temporary stay. The pain is having to wait. It's just a matter of when.





Here's more:





Mt 12:32: in the age to come implies that there's a place after death where sins can be forgiven.





1 Cor 3:15. What place is is speaking of? Can't be heaven; no one suffers there. Can't be hell; sin can't be forgiven there. Purgatory!





1 Peter 4:16. Why would one preach the gospel to those who have died unless they have the chance to be forgiven?





2 Maccabees 12:44-45. This really proves the existence of purgatory. However, Martin Luther removed the book of Maccabees along with 6 other books from Old Testament. That takes you to the question of Church authority (are you going to follow Martin Luther's private judgement or the Catholic Church's authority which determined official canon of the Bible in AD 400?), but I don't have space to explain that here.





Okay, so you don't accept Church authority. But ';some of the earliest Christian liturgies (worship services) include prayers for the dead. Ancient Christian tomb inscriptions from 2nd and 3rd centures frequently contain and appeal for prayers for the dead.'; (p.33). Also, Jews even 100 yrs before Jesus prayed for the dead, and they still do today.





Note: in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 Paul prays for his deceased friend Onesiphorus.





';In short, if the Jews, St. Paul, and the early Christians prayed for the dead, then we should have no fear of praying for the as well. Praying for the dead presumes an intermediate state of purification, whatever you may call it. Catholics call it Purgatory.'; (p.33)





Hope this helps. God bless.
You can't cut books out of the Bible which mention purgatory and then have the nerve to say it's a false gospel teaching. Just because you don't like it and remove it doesn't mean it wasn't there in the first place.





Maccabees, people.
adolf hitler , robert mugabe, stalin , napoleon all believe or believed in jesus christ and even if they repented at the end surely they must be held accountable in some way, even paul said there is a purifying state to be gone through before entering into the glory of god's presence
Go here: http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgato…





God bless.
If you would like more answers, consider asking around this site as well...





http://christianforums.com/forumdisplay.…
Those who refuse to accept Purgatory probably will not find out after they die any way as most of them twist what Jesus and the Apostles spoke and taught any way....
There is nothing found in the Gospels opposed to the teaching of Purgatory, rightly understood.
I agree with Problem
There is no purgatory in scripture.


It originated as a misunderstanding of a book of Tertullian who was discussing the story of the rich man and the beggar lazarus. He mentioned that the place of torment the rich man was in was ';temporal';, that is, only for a time being. Later catholics interpreted that to mean that people suffer only for a while.


Tertullian, however, meant that the place they were in was temporal (Hades) because it will eventually be thrown into the Lake of Fire, according to the Book of Revelations.
Yes, Pergatory is a false teaching. In fact, I would actually place it into the category of a heretical teaching.





When Yeshua died on the cross, He sacrificed His life for ALL of our sins -- past, present and future. The notion that His sacrifice wasn't sufficient to fully reconcile us to God is unscriptural and heretical.





Further, I've read ALL of the writings of the early church fathers (late first century/early second century) and I can guarantee you that NONE of them taught such a thing. They ALL taught that Yeshua's sacrificial death was all we need to wash us of our sins. No temporary stay in ';pergatory'; is necessary.
its a Roman catholic belief no more valid than once saved always saved.





Catholics and some protestants teach unbiblical rubbish.
Going to mass felt like purgatory
This won't answer your question. But religious ideas and theories like this are based around opinion.
I think the phrase ';false gospel teaching'; is a bit redundant.
there is no teaching in God's true word that supports purgatory! none!
Yes.
It's made up by the church and so is celibacy.