Purgatory is a place that we may be familiar with through Dante’s Divine Comedy or even simply through the much more lighthearted way we use the term today, referring to a thankless, never-ending, or distasteful task or responsibility.
But is the idea of purgatory biblical? What verses support or oppose it?
I know belief in purgatory is generally a doctrine that divides Catholics and Protestants (with Catholics holding to a belief in purgatory and Protestants denying the existence of a purgatory-like place). I find this interesting since I grew up Catholic, but heard very little about purgatory, except possibly as the reason to continually pray the rosary. I’ve been attending Protestant churches for many years now and of course have not found a belief in purgatory or even mention of it in any of these churches.
What do you think? What is the more Scripturally-accurate view?
Sharing this article as some background and context on purgatory as well.
I’ve run into this question a few times, and what helped me sort it out a bit was stepping back and asking: what is actually being claimed about what Jesus accomplished?
From what I’ve learned in Protestant teaching, the main reason purgatory isn’t embraced is because it assumes there is still some remaining “unfinished” cleansing that needs to happen after death, whereas passages like Hebrews 10:14 (“by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy”) point to Christ’s work as completely sufficient.
I think that’s where the divide sits.
Not so much around whether growth or sanctification is real… but around when and how it happens.
I don’t see explicit biblical descriptions of a place called purgatory in Scripture. I see sanctification in this life, and I see the immediate presence with the Lord after death (2 Cor 5:8).
So for me, the most Scriptural view leans toward Jesus’ atonement being fully complete, without an extra phase needed after death.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” which doesn’t leave room for an in-between place of further purification.
Jesus Himself told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), not after a delay or cleansing period.
If we are “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1) and made righteous through Christ alone, then purgatory (however well-intended the concept) is not supported by Scripture. As believers, we rest in the finished work of the cross, not in additional steps after death.
Would love to hear if others see different verses on this.
But so far, the Bible points me toward confidence in Jesus’ completed atonement.
I was also curious about the biblical support for such a widely held belief. I heard that there is a verse in Maccabees that is used and I once heard a priest refer to the “beaten with many stripes and beaten with few stripes” passage and saying what else could it mean. To me, this was pretty thin. However the bible is only some of what Catholics hold as authoritative. They equally hold to holy traditions and the teachings of the church. As a result, if something is not biblical, it is not as much of a problem for Catholics as it would be for some other Christians.
That’s a good observation, and you’re right. Catholic teaching does place tradition and church authority alongside Scripture, whereas many of us hold to Sola Scriptura. That difference does shape a lot of what we believe about things like purgatory.
The verse you mentioned about “many stripes” is Luke 12:47–48. It’s part of Jesus’ teaching on faithful and unfaithful servants and I think it speaks more to judgment and accountability than a place of purification after death.
I personally don’t see a middle ground between this life and eternity.
Good points, and I agree. The idea of purgatory is also not a hopeful one, and I think the Bible is full of hope for the Christian.
The only scenario where I can see validity to it is dependent on your view of hell because, if the reality of hell seems incongruent with a loving God, I could see the idea of purgatory making sense for those who did not follow God in this life and yet can’t be condemned to hell forever. Purgatory kind of fits that gap.
Not saying I believe this, but just observing how it could make sense with that framework!
So, how should we respond when Catholic family members talk about purgatory?
This November, our Catholic relatives may talk about (probably will talk about) the “Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory,” a time when they pray and offer sacrifices for loved ones who’ve passed away, believing those souls are being purified before entering heaven.
As a Bible-believing Christian, I definitely believe that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), and that Christ’s sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 10:10-14). So, again, the idea of an ongoing process after death, like purgatory, feels at odds with the finished work of the cross.
Still, I want to speak with grace, especially when these conversations come up around the table. We have dinner together most Sunday evenings. I’d never want to create unnecessary division, but I also don’t want to pretend I agree.
The concept of Purgatory arose slowly and over time in the Western theological tradition. The earliest hints can be seen where St. Augustine speculates about the possibility that there may be an experience of some kind of final purification before entering the glory of heaven. The idea grew and evolved over centuries, until finally become dogmaticized in the late middle ages.
Purgatory was one of the things which the Protestant Reformers found no value in, seeing that it lacks biblical support and actually is theologically problematic.
Well said. The idea of purgatory isn’t found in Scripture, and it undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. Hebrews 10:14 says, “By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” There’s no need for further purification when the blood of Jesus has already cleansed us completely.