Refuting the False Doctrine of Purgatory
Understanding Afterlife
Where do we go when we die? This question has plagued humans across the globe for millenia. Every religion attempts to answer this question in an emotionally and logically satisfying way. From Hindu reincarnation to secular nothing-ness, every major belief system attempts to formulate a picture of the afterlife. Unsurprisingly, the picture that you choose to believe has implications on what you do in this life as you march toward the inevitable day of your death.
Not only does every religion attempt to answer the question of the afterlife, but they all include their stipulations for how you achieve a positive outcome in death. For the Hindus, the quality of your next life is dependent upon the amount of good karma that you accrue. For Muslims, your entrance into heaven is based on merit; how well you abide by the laws that Alah has written through the prophets. For Mormons, good works and ritualistic rights determine not only your entrance into heaven, but whether or not you become your own god one day. For secularists, well, nothing matters anyways, but they are the lone and sad exception.
Christianity is the only belief system that provides an emotionally and logically consistent viewpoint of not only the afterlife, but what must be done to achieve the eternal state of blessedness. For 2000 years, the Christian Church has believed that our sins deserve eternal punishment, and that any good works done cannot undo the evil deeds that we all commit. So, as an answer to our helplessness, the just God of the universe sent His only son to rescue us in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived a sinless life, died a brutal death, and rose from the dead. Through His finished work, He promises to take our penalty upon the cross, and to grant us His reward of eternal life and union with God. How do we receive this amazing work of grace? Well, the answer to that question is what has distinguished Christians from the very beginning; we merely believe (John 3:16).
This glorious doctrine of justification by faith alone is the centerpiece of the rescuing work of God and of the good news of the Christian faith. It is the only message of salvation that satisfies our deep need for justice, and our deep need for rescue. However, certain sections of the church have not always held fast to this doctrine, which has caused a major rift in Christianity that divides to this very day. Of course, I am referring to the Reformation, when a great split occurred within the Roman Catholic Church. To this day, there are primarily two forms of Christianity; Catholicism and Protestantism. And the disagreement at the center of this massive split? You guessed it; justification by faith.
Creating Purgatory
What does this have to do with the Catholic doctrine of purgatory? Well, everything really. See, when it comes to justification by faith, the Catholic church falls on the negative side of the debate. The official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church denounces it as a heresy. Many Catholics do not know this, but it is the official position of Rome, and to deny it is to forfeit not only your position as a faithful Catholic, but your eternal salvation as well. To quote Catholic literature, the document drawn up at the Council of Trent (1547 AD) draws a line in the sand that condemns all Protestant worshippers:
“If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification…let him be anathema (cursed, excommunicated).” (Canon 9)
While this flies in the face of the main themes of the book of Romans, as well as various other texts that we won’t get into here, it also creates a big problem for the Roman Catholic leadership. Namely, what is to be done with those people who do not complete the works required for salvation, but are members of the church? What about those who do have faith, but don’t line up with the Church's standards of giving and behavior to the fullest extent? Enter the doctrine of purgatory.
The idea of purgatory actually has its roots outside of scripture and Christian tradition. The pagan Greek concept of the “celestial Hades” was a major influence on Catholic theologians, and describes a place very similar to the modern Catholic notion of purgatory, where purification from sins occurs after death but before eternal life. Christians have long debated the location of departed believers during the period between their death and final resurrection, but the modern notion of purgatory was not concretely taught and expressed until the 10th century, when the Catholic church began to formulate it as an official doctrine.
This formula of purgatorial cleansing is finally defined in 1274 at the Second Council of Lyon, where the Catholic church affirms that purgatory is a place where physical cleansing by fire takes place, and that living Christians can aid in this cleansing by offering mass, prayers, and other rituals on behalf of the dead. Of course, many of these means of helping the dead require payment, but I won’t speculate on the motive here.
Much debate surrounds the views of the early church fathers pre-dating 1274, what they believed about the immediate afterlife, and how well thought out their views were. One thing, however, is certain; the doctrine of purgatory cannot be constructed from Scripture, and undermines the glorious work of Christ in the gospel.
A Finished Work
The doctrine of purgatory, among other Catholic beliefs, reverts Christianity into just another works-based religion. It conflates justification and sanctification, and places the burden of the soul’s well-being not on the finished work of Christ, but on the merits and works of the believer. While the New Testament is filled with the beauty of God’s saving work apart from the works of man, in no place is it clearer than in the book of Romans.
Paul states clearly that our justification, or our being declared righteous in the sight of God, cannot come through good works; “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20). After offering a refutation to works-based righteousness, Paul then lays out the most clear and beautiful explanation of the saving work of grace:
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.” (Romans 3:21-30)
Paul aims to abolish any “boasting” and to obliterate any confidence in the power of our deeds to deem us righteous before God. Right standing with God, the kind of right standing that grants entrance into heaven, is not achieved by human will or effort, but by the grace and power of God (John 1:13).
We see Paul's confidence in the completeness of this redeeming work when he explains his lack of fear at the prospect of death, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8). It is clear that Paul only conceives of two possible destinations for the believer; on this earth or in Christ’s presence. This thinking is exclusive; Paul gives no in-between. Where is this confidence rooted? That’s right, justification by faith.
Here is the bottom line; if we are justified by faith, then there is no need for further purification to achieve heavenly worthiness. If we are justified by faith, then there is no need for purgatory. Does this mean that we can merely “believe” and then go on sinning? Paul answers this objection with an emphatic “No”:
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3:31)
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4)
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:15-16)
Paul makes it clear that grace is not a license to sin. The reason he has to answer these objections is because the gospel is a message of radical grace. The complete pardoning of sinners apart from any works of merit is scandalous. How can we expect people to live holy lives if the threat of judgment is no longer hanging over them? Because the God who clears our debt also gives us a new heart with new desires (Ezekiel 36:26). He gives us His Spirit to dwell within us and to empower us to obey His commandments (Ezekiel 36:27). He even predestined our good works, preparing beforehand the marvelous deeds that He will perform through us (Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:19). The person who fears outright rebellion if people truly believe that they are eternally secure fails to understand the nature of God’s keeping power. God promises to change our desires, and out of that true salvation good fruit will grow (Matthew 17:17, Matthew 7:16-17).
It is a misunderstanding of all of these beautiful truths – justification by faith, sanctification by God’s keeping grace, and the nature of the new birth – which compelled Catholic leaders to create negative incentives for growth, change, and holiness. The easiest way to get people to obey outwardly is to use fear. This is not God’s tactic with His children. God pours His love into our hearts, and out of love we grow in obedience and maturity (Romans 5:5). The gospel is not a message of fear, or self-help, or behavior modification. It is a message of transformation and forgiveness, brought about by the will and power of God. We don’t need the doctrine of purgatory because we have the full, radical, beautiful gospel of free grace. We are justified, kept, and sanctified by the power of our good and holy God, and we receive this glorious salvation by trusting in the finished work of His Son.
Christian, you are going to heaven, and God gets all of the glory.
