What is purgatory, and is it biblical?
Purgatory is the Roman Catholic belief in an intermediate state where believers are purified before entering heaven. Protestants reject it, holding that Christ’s finished work fully cleanses believers and that Scripture teaches we go directly to be with the Lord.
Catholics base purgatory partly on 2 Maccabees (deuterocanon) and certain NT passages, understanding it as purification, not a second chance at salvation.
Protestants argue it undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement — "it is finished" (John 19:30) — and that Scripture teaches "absent from the body… present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).
For believers, the gospel’s comfort is that Christ’s blood "cleanses us from all sin." Nothing more is needed to stand before God.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.