As part of the Tough Questions Series we're doing right now on Sunday Mornings I've been asked to explain the concepts of Purgatory and Limbo. Since we didn't have time to get into them on Sunday I'm posting a brief blog about them here to try and answer some the questions about it. I hope it's helpful. If you have any follow-up questions or comments you can logon to this site and post them up. I'll respond to them as quickly as I can. By the way, these response are intended to be purely informal and informational - not theological.

The Catholic Church teaches that when a person dies there are four possible places they can be sent by God. (1) Unbelievers would certainly be sent to hell. (2) Believers could be sent to heaven if they were considered “sanctified” at the time of death according to Catholic standards. But this is usually only presumed to happen to a very few “saints.” (3) It is more likely, according to Catholic beliefs, that when a believer dies he/she would be sent to a temporary place of suffering called Purgatory where “their souls would be purified of the damage they had done to them by their sins.” (4) And finally the Catholic used to teach that unbaptized infants/children would forever be assigned to a place called Limbo, although this is no longer a widely held belief among Roman Catholics.

In Catholic doctrine Purgatory, is “the final purification of the elect.” Some say it is more of a state of existence than a literal place. According to Catholic doctrine and the Catechism of the Catholic Church it is the process by which “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.”

In the Roman Catholic Church one must confess their sins to a priest to abstain absolution (forgiveness for purposes of our discussion). If someone died after having committed sin, but without having had a “last” confession the Church believed they could not immediately enter heaven and God’s presence. They would first have to “purged” of these sins first. Purgatory is where and how the Roman Catholic Church teaches this purification takes place. It is a temporary holding for believers, a stop over on their way to heaven. Although there does appear to be some kind of pain or torment associated with this experience.

The Purgatory teaching is based in part on Jesus comment about “making up with your accusers before you get to court or else they will throw you into prison and you will not get out until you have paid the last penny”(See Mathew 5; 26). The Catholic Church believes this is a reference to purgatory. Also they refer to the Book of Maccabees (2nd Mac.12: 42) where there is a case in which an offering was made for dead soldiers so that their sin would be totally forgiven and they would receive mercy.

It should be noted that the Book of Maccabees is part of what is called the New Testament Apocrypha. It is a book that has historical value but is not considered a Holy Spirit inspired book by Protestants and it is not part of the Protestant Bible. We don’t believe it is appropriate to build doctrine around Apocryphal writings.

The concept or idea of “purgatory” was first introduced by Augustine in the 4th century, but the term “purgatory” didn’t come into use until the 12th century. The Catholic Church eventually “formalized” the doctrine in the 16th century.

In connection with formalizing this doctrine in the 16th century the sale of something known as “indulgences” became popular in the Catholic Church. An "indulgence" is the idea that by contributing money or something of value to the church one could "indulge" in a certain sin and would not have to worry about punishment for that sin because the “indulgence” purported to remit that sin. You could “buy” indulgences of various sizes, or even, for a heftier payment, buy a departed person’s soul out of purgatory and into heaven.

Martin Luther; saw the abuse and corruption in these ideas and practices which motivated him to draft and post his 95 propositions, primarily attacking the sale of indulgences. With that the Reformation officially began. The Reformation movement restored the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, the priority of God’s Word, and the priesthood of all believers and started the Protestant church — named so because those involved “protested” the corrupt state of much of the church at the time.

Are Hades (or Sheol in Hebrew) and Purgatory the same?

It should be noted that although Hades (or Sheol in Hebrew) and purgatory are both described as temporary holding places for departed souls they are not the same thing by any means. Hades is a temporary holding place for unbelievers only. Those who died rejecting Christ and who are awaiting their final judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment of Christ and will ultimately be cast into hell (the lake of fire). There is no hope of redemption for souls in Hades.

In stark contrast to Hades the Catholic idea of purgatory only holds believers and allows for them to remain there until they have been purged of their unrighteousness or sin and are become acceptable for heaven. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that suffering of some kind is the main means of purging and that the prayers of the living as well as “masses” held in honor of the deceased can shorten a persons stay in purgatory and get them into heaven faster.

This idea is in direct conflict with the Bible’s clear teaching that salvation is by faith alone - not by works. You cannot suffer your way into heaven, and other people certainly cannot earn or purchase another’s entrance into heaven. Jesus death on the cross is the ultimate sacrifice (payment) made once for all. Faith in Christ alone is sufficient, and indeed, the only means by which we enter heaven.