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 purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.

Two Judgments
When we die, we undergo what is called the particular, or individual, judgment. Scripture says that "it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27). We are judged instantly and receive our reward, for good or ill. We know at once what our final destiny will be. At the end of time, when Jesus returns, there will come the general judgment to which the Bible refers, for example, in Matthew 25:31-32: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." In this general judgment all our sins will be publicly revealed (Luke 12:2–5). (Luke 12:2–5).
Augustine said, in The City of God, that "temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment" (21:13). It is between the particular and general judgments, then, that the soul is purified of the remaining consequences of sin: "I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper" (Luke 12:59).

Monica, mother of Augustine, who asked her son, in the fourth century, to remember her soul in his Masses. This would make no sense if she thought her soul would not benefit from prayers, as would be the case if she were in hell or in the full glory of heaven.
Nor does ascribing the doctrine to Gregory explain the graffiti in the catacombs, where Christians during the persecutions of the first three centuries recorded prayers for the dead. Indeed, some of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, like the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity (both written during the second century), refer to the Christian practice of praying for the dead. Such prayers would have been offered only if Christians believed in purgatory, even if they did not use that name for it. (See Catholic Answers’ Fathers Know Best tract The Existence of Purgatory for quotations from these and other early Christian sources.)

Why No Protests?Whenever a date is set for the "invention" of purgatory, you can point to historical evidence to show the doctrine was in existence before that date. Besides, if at some point the doctrine was pulled out of a clerical hat, why does ecclesiastical history record no protest against it?

A study of the history of doctrines indicates that Christians in the first centuries were up in arms (sometimes quite literally) if anyone suggested the least change in beliefs. They were extremely conservative people who tested a doctrine’s truth by asking, 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 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 bethe 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.

"Purgatory Not in Scripture"
Some Fundamentalists also charge, as though it actually proved something, "The word purgatory is nowhere found in Scripture." This is true, and yet it does not disprove the existence of purgatory or the fact that belief in it has always been part of Church teaching. The words Trinity and Incarnation aren’t in Scripture either, yet those doctrines are clearly taught in it. Likewise, 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 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, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the dead to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin" (2 Macc. 12:43–45). Prayers are not needed by those in heaven, and no one can help those in hell. That means some people must be in a third condition, at least temporarily. This verse so clearly illustrates the existence of purgatory that, at the time of the Reformation, Protestants had to cut the books of the Maccabees out of their Bibles in order to avoid accepting the doctrine.

Prayers for the dead and the consequent doctrine of purgatory have been part of the true religion since before the time of Christ. Not only can we show it was practiced by the Jews of the time of the Maccabees, but it has even been retained by Orthodox Jews today, who recite a prayer known as the Mourner’s Kaddish for eleven months after the death of a loved one so that the loved one may be purified. It was not the Catholic Church that added the doctrine of purgatory. Rather, any change in the original teaching has taken place in the Protestant churches, which rejected a doctrine that had always been believed by Jews and Christians.

Why Go To Purgatory?Why would anyone go to purgatory? To be cleansed, for "nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]" (Rev. 21:27). Anyone who has not been completely freed of sin and its effects is, to some extent, "unclean." Through repentance he may have gained the grace needed to be worthy of heaven, which is to say, he has been forgiven and his soul is spiritually alive. But that’s not sufficient for gaining entrance into heaven. He needs to be cleansed completely.

Fundamentalists claim, as an article in Jimmy Swaggart’s magazine, The Evangelist, put it, that "Scripture clearly reveals that all the demands of divine justice on the sinner have been completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It also reveals that Christ has totally redeemed, or purchased back, that which was lost. The advocates of a purgatory (and the necessity of prayer for the dead) say, in effect, that the redemption of Christ was incomplete. . . . It has all been done for us by Jesus Christ, there is nothing to be added or done by man."

It is entirely correct to say that Christ accomplished all of our salvation for us on the cross. But that does not settle the question of how this redemption is applied to us. Scripture reveals that it is applied to us over the course of time through, among other things, the process of sanctification through which the Christian is made holy. Sanctification involves suffering (Rom. 5:3–5), and purgatory is the final stage of sanctification that some of us need to undergo before we enter heaven. Purgatory is the final phase of Christ’s applying to us the purifying redemption that he accomplished for us by his death on the cross.

No Contradiction
The Fundamentalist resistance to the biblical doctrine of purgatory presumes there is a contradiction between Christ’s redeeming us on the cross and the process by which we are sanctified. There isn’t. And a Fundamentalist cannot say that suffering in the final stage of sanctification conflicts with the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement without saying that suffering in the early stages of sanctification suffering in the early stages of sanctification also presents a similar conflict. The Fundamentalist has it backward: Our suffering in sanctification does not take away from the cross. Rather, the cross produces our sanctification, which results in our suffering, because "[f]or the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11).

Nothing Unclean
Purgatory makes sense because there is a requirement that a soul not just be declared tobe clean, but actually be clean, before a man may enter into eternal life. After all, if a guilty soul is merely "covered," if its sinful state still exists but is officially ignored, then it is still a guilty soul. It is still unclean.
Catholic theology takes seriously the notion that "nothing unclean shall enter heaven." From this it is inferred that a less than cleansed soul, even if "covered," remains a dirty soul and isn’t fit for heaven. It needs to be cleansed or "purged" of its remaining imperfections. The cleansing occurs in purgatory. Indeed, the necessity of the purging is taught in other passages of Scripture, such as 2 Thessalonians 2:13, which declares that God chose us "to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit." Sanctification is thus not an option, something that may or may not happen before one gets into heaven. It is an absolute requirement, as Hebrews 12:14 states that we must strive "for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

http://www.catholic.com/tracts/purgatory

Never came across it it in the Bible but I think it was mentioned in the Book of Enoch... can't remember... Some people believe it exist... some don't... that's all in essence...


P.s
I didn't read your epistle... because you asked a question... as the title...

I am here to learn.

iPopAlomo:
Never came across it it in the Bible but I think it was mentioned in the Book of Enoch... can't remember... Some people believe it exist... some don't... that's all in essence...


P.s
I didn't read your epistle... because you asked a question... as the title...

Let me modify it

Flexherbal:
I am here to learn.

Bros did u learn anything?

Here is what the bible says... It is appointed unto man once to die and after that judgement...Note the bolded...if you appoint someone for something you can reverse it for a reason...this explains why i believe most stories of people going to hell and heaven and coming back(not all are true though)...this also explains why one can be pronounced dead by doctors but after prayers by true children of God, the person will wake up...because it is appointed and not fixed... but for purgatory it is a pure lie...firstly there is no place in the bible where the word is mentioned...secondly the bible made it clear that if you receive Christ you will be saved and if you don't you are condemned...thirdly if the passage that says after death, judgement is anything to go by then purgatory is a pure lie...if there is supposed to be a clause like purgatory, it would have been included...the passage would have been "it is appointed unto man once to die, then a possible atonement while dead, then judgement.
Summary of everything i have said is that their is nothing like purgatory...it is not biblical...

SamJed:
Am coming

U don run

Purgatory is a word often used by Roman Catholics to mean a state we all are before the application of extreme unction.

orisa37:
Purgatory is a word often used by Roman Catholics to mean a state we all are before the application of extreme unction.

Can b dt nd can also b after death

That teaching will only lead one to hell,it is the devils tool to destroy many.

The simple reason is: Why strive to be sanctified here on earth if i can archieve that when i die in

purgatory?

Remember the bible said 'After death is judgement'. No intermediaries.

dhardline:
That teaching will only lead one to hell,it is the devils tool to destroy many.

The simple reason is: Why strive to be sanctified here on earth if i can archieve that when i die in

purgatory?

Remember the bible said 'After death is judgement'. No intermediaries.

Read my post again if possible

anyone who reads it to the end deserves an award

missdebs:
anyone who reads it to the end deserves an award

Lolzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz u are nt serious

Yes purgatory is in the Bible.

@Poster below me Amberon, go and read 1 John 5:16-17...... Not all sins lead to death. Some sins are forgiven and God will give life back to that person again. This is where the Catholic church borrowed the idea of big sin and small sin.... Some sins are forgivable while some are not.

Are you aware that the Bible said that not all sins lead to death? Does it now mean some sins lead to life? You see, most of you guys who dont anything about Theology carry Bible around screaming like mad men without knowing that Bible has diverse interpretations. When the Catholic church tells you people that all they do is Biblical, you scream "Lies from the pit of hell" like the poster below me.

Also read Mathew 12:30-32.... Even Jesus said that there will be forgiveness for those who sin against the son of man in this world and the world after but those who sin against the holy spirit will never be forgiven even in this world or the world after. That means even Jesus believes that there is forgiveness in the world after if you didnt sin against the holy spirit!

My dear, where do you think this forgiveness takes place in the world after? In hell? Where the Bible told you people that if you enter, there is no going back? Or In heaven? Have you read Revelation 21:27? Nothing impure will ever enter heaven? Where does that leave what Jesus said about forgiveness in the after life?

YOU SEE WHERE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BORROWED ITS DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY?


*AM AN AGNOSTIC DEIST by the way....I learnt those things because I also read the Bible as an academic journal*

I Read your Post.

Kindly desist from false doctrines. Purgatory is a lie from the pit of hell. It doesn't exist. Theres No forgiveness after death. Thats why Christ fives people a second chance by sending them back to earth in Other to amend their Way's and repent fully.

Jusmudi:

Read my post again if possible

Amberon:
I Read your Post.

Kindly desist from false doctrines. Purgatory is a lie from the pit of hell. It doesn't exist. Theres No forgiveness after death. Thats why Christ fives people a second chance by sending them back to earth in Other to amend their Way's and repent fully.

U tot Bros

J

I'm here to read comments.

Purgatory

Definition: “According to the teaching of the [Roman Catholic] Church, the state, place, or condition in the next world . . . where the souls of those who die in the state of grace, but not yet free from all imperfection, make expiation for unforgiven venial sins or for the temporal punishment due to venial and mortal sins that have already been forgiven and, by so doing, are purified before they enter heaven.” (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. XI, p. 1034) Not a Bible teaching.
On what is the teaching of purgatory based?

After reviewing what Catholic writers have said regarding such texts as 2 Maccabees 12:39-45, Matthew 12:32, and 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Vol. XI, p. 1034) acknowledges: “In the final analysis, the Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred Scripture.”

“The church has relied on tradition to support a middle ground between heaven and hell.”—U.S. Catholic, March 1981, p. 7.

Regarding the nature of purgatory, what do Catholic spokesmen say?

“Many think that the total suffering of purgatory is identified with the awareness of the temporary postponement of the beatific vision, although the more common view holds that, in addition to this, there is some positive punishment . . . In the Latin Church it has been generally maintained that this pain is imposed through real fire. This is not, however, essential to belief in purgatory. It is not even certain. . . . Even if one chooses, with the theologians of the East, to reject the idea of suffering induced by fire, one should be careful not to exclude all positive suffering from purgatory. There are still real affliction, sorrow, chagrin, shame of conscience, and other spiritual sorrows capable of inflicting true pain on the soul. . . . One should remember, at any rate, that in the midst of their sufferings these souls also experience great joy over the certainty of salvation.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XI, p. 1036, 1037.

“What goes on in purgatory is anyone’s guess.”—U.S. Catholic, March 1981, p. 9.

THE BIBLES ANSWER ABOUT THE SOUL AND THE TRUE CONDITION OF THE DEAD

Does the soul survive the death of the body?

Ezek. 18:4, Dy: “The soul [Hebrew, neʹphesh; “man,” JB; “one,” NAB; “soul,” Kx] that sinneth, the same shall die.”

Jas. 5:20, JB: “Anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.” (Notice that this speaks of the death of the soul.)



Is further punishment for sin exacted after one’s death?

Rom. 6:7, NAB: “A man who is dead has been freed from sin.” (Kx: “Guilt makes no more claim on a man who is dead.”)

Are the dead able to experience joy because of confidence in the prospect of salvation?

Eccl. 9:5, JB: “The living know at least that they will die, the dead know nothing.”

Isa. 38:18, JB: “Sheol does not praise you [Yahweh], death does not extol you; those who go down to the pit do not go on trusting in your faithfulness.” (So how can any of them “experience great joy over the certainty of salvation”?)

According to the Bible, by what means is purification from sins accomplished?

1 John 1:7, 9, JB: “If we live our lives in the light, as he [God] is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. . . . If we acknowledge our sins, then God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong [“all our wrong-doing is purged away,” Kx].”

Rev. 1:5, JB: “Jesus Christ . . . loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood.”

See long story

Hmmmm

Dis thing will contradict some people's believes here right now. I think if hell is real we are going according to the generational sins. I don't know of this generation tho but surely......hehehe

Following

Is the trinity in the Bible?

.

Purgatory? Wetin consign me

Too long.

Purgatory is misunderstood by many.

Many think Catholics preach purgatory for unrepentant sinners which is not so.

My advice: Strive to make heaven not purgatory, but if you end up with a sin not unto death, God in his infinite mercy can grant you purgatorial sanctification.

If you continue in sin hoping to be purified in purgatory, hell awaits you.

Nah, it is an illusive place formed by some people.