The doctrine of purgatory is not a well-defined doctrine even among those who hold to it. Most people who claim themselves to be Christian do not affirm it, but by and large, the Roman Catholic adherent does. It is a most false doctrine. Understanding purgation, however, can help us understand numerous aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ better. So, let’s use it! Let’s use it like a whet stone to sharpen our worship. I want to talk about this doctrine with you today. I want to consider the implications of it if it were true. I truly want to try to represent it correctly from the Catholic perspective, and I want to ask my Catholic friends to consider what this doctrine means next to the doctrine of justification.
Side note: The very loosely developed idea of purgation actually played a huge part in Luther’s own understanding as he began to consider it next to the Bible he’d begun reading. Questioning it was not the main reason he was later excommunicated from his monastic order, but in God’s hands it seemed to wake him up to a great many papal abuses or inconsistencies. Much of his 95 theses is directed toward indulgences and what they mean next to the doctrine of purgatory. Note also that most Catholics today admit that the church in Luther’s day was abusing the idea of purgatory and indulgences for money.
God bless!!!
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