The Catholic Encyclopedia defines Purgatory in the following way:

"Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions. The faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV) defined: "Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful" (Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983)."

When a person sins, he inherits two specific and important liabilities: the liability of guilt and the liability of punishment. The Bible speaks frequently of the liability of guilt and its forgiveness. The Bible often pictures the guilt of a sin as something that makes the soul "dirty" or unworthy before the Lord. Because the soul is dirty or unworthy, it is not able to exist in harmony with the perfect, sinless, and clean God. Therefore, it is necessary that God removes this dirt; this guilt. Because the guilt is as dirt that clings to our souls, it must be washed away that we might be made clean. Hence, Isaiah clearly teaches this concept: "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool" (Is. 1:18). David also attests to the concept of guilt: "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! …Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Ps.51:2, 7).

While it is obvious that punishment for sin exists and is carried out, it may surprise some that the liability of punishment is divided into two parts: temporal punishment (that which is served temporally, or temporarily), and eternal punishment (that which is served in hell, and which is everlasting). Most of us are aware of the significance of eternal punishment. It is alluded to constantly in the Bible: "Then He [Christ] will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels..." (Mat 25:41) And: "And many of those who sleep in the dust ofthe earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan 12:2).

Many of us, however, fail to recognize the significance of temporal punishment in God's plan of Salvation. The importance of temporal punishment has been evident since the very fall of mankind. "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.' " (Gen 3:16). God also punished Adam, by cursing the ground which man would work on to acquire food. And we know that despite the fact that a woman may be a true and devout Christian, she may very well still experience the temporal punishment of the anguish of childbearing. In the same way, a truly and devoutly Christian man may very well feel the wrath of the temporal punishment of the thorns and thistles of the soil which he works.

When someone repents to God, God removes their guilt (cf. Is. 1:18, previously cited). We also know that we are forgiven of our eternal punishments through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ ("Since . . . we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" [Rom.5:9], also read Matthew 25). But what of the temporal punishments for sin? The Bible tells us quite succinctly that these remain. A vital passage on the subject is 2 Samuel 12:13-15, which reads: "So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.' And Nathan departed to his house." Can anything better illustrate the reality of temporal punishment of sin? First, in verse 13b, Nathan (a prophet of God) lets David know that God has forgiven his sin. He lets David know that "he shall not die." God has relieved David of the eternal punishment (eternal death) of his sin. But after forgiving his sin, what does God do to David? He punished him through the death of his son. And this indeed is temporal punishment.

Another excellent example of temporal punishment is that of Moses and the Israelites, who seek the Promised Land. "But Moses said to the Lord . . .'Now if thou dost kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard thy fame will say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to give to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness"' . . . Then the Lord said, 'I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live . . .none of the men who . . . have not hearkened to my voice, shall see the land which I swore to give to their fathers" (Num. 14:13-23). Here, God, although pardoning the sin of the Israelites, clearly imposes upon them a temporal punishment: a denial of the promised land that they have so long yearned for. And the same type of forgiveness was granted to Moses. While Moses was clearly one of the saved (cf. Matthew 17:1-5), he undoubtedly suffers a temporal punishment: "And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them'" (Num. 20:12; cf. 27:12-14).

A possible New Testament example is that of Ananias and Saphira, who were Christian disciples at Jerusalem, and appeared to be among the saved, but who were struck dead by Peter (or more specifically, God's power working through Peter) for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). And even in the New Testament, people still experienced the temporal punishments of pain in childbirth and the curse of the soil on which people worked. Death itself is a prominent temporal punishment. It was a consequence of Adam's sin. But this part of the liability of the sin of Adam was not relieved by God. Even the forgiven die!

Protestants and Catholics alike recognize the realty of temporal punishment in their actions. When a Christian steals, he may obtain forgiveness. But this forgiveness does not include letting him keep the stolen item! While the Christian can obtain forgiveness from the eternal consequences of his sin, as well as from the guilt, he still has the liability of temporal punishment, and the Christian thief must undergo restitution and return the stolen item.

The nature and significance of temporal punishment are well describe in the New Testament. "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Just as a father punishes a child for misbehaving, while forgiving him of his actions, so our Heavenly Father punishes and forgives us.

Purgatory should not be seen as a place of suffering or torment brought about by God to impose wrath upon all that dare to sin during their lifetime. Rather, it should be seen as a second chance to atone for the temporal penalties of our sin that are not atoned for during our lifetime. Purgatory’s fiery qualities should not be seen as the scorching flames from the deepest pits of hell, but as the intense radiance of God’s love and mercy for His people.

A common myth that constantly come up concerning the doctrine of Purgatory is that Catholics mean Purgatory to be some type of place that a person goes to work for hundreds of years and suffer in order to make up for the temporal punishment of their sin. But the Catholic teaching on Purgatory is very different. The Catholic teaching is actually quite simple, consisting only of three parts: 1) After death, there will be a process is which the liability for the remainder of our temporal punishment of our sin will be remitted. 2) This process involves some type of discomfort, suffering, or unrest. 3) Prayer of the living is beneficial to those going through Purgatory.

Notice that the Catholic teaching does NOT state that Purgatory takes up time or space. Because nobody knows how time and space work in the afterlife, we cannot define or explain Purgatory in terms of time and space. In other words, the Catholic teaching allows that Purgatory may very well be an instantaneous removal of temporal penalty; and is not necessarily a realm or place.

Why must there be a process in the afterlife by which the remaining temporal punishment of our sins is undergone? Because in order for us to enter Heaven, all of our sins, and all of the punishment that follows from them, must be eliminated or undergone. We must be free and clean from all ties with sin and its punishment before we can enter eternal happiness and presence with God. And it would be ridiculous to assume that everybody will undergo the temporal punishment for their sins here on Earth. (for instance: a lifetime thief who converts to Christianity on the death bed will not have time to go through with the entire sum of punishment he has tallied up for all of his former sinful thefts. Also, a person who commits suicide would be a valid example.). Therefore, if a person has not yet gone through with the temporal punishment for any of his sins here on Earth, he must have these excess liabilities for temporal punishment removed before entering Heaven. And this is the very core and essence of the doctrine of Purgatory.

Why must Purgatory involve some sort of pain or discomfort? Because it follows the nature of how one undergoes temporal punishment here on Earth: through suffering (this was proved in the first section of this defence). Hence, because temporal punishment involves suffering on Earth, it will involve suffering in Purgatory as well (suffering is the ultimate temporal punishment of sin).

Why is it that prayer can help the souls in Purgatory? The reason is completely due to Scriptural evidence.

2 Maccabees 12:43-46:

He then took up a collection among all of his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. 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 fallen 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 their sin.

What do the Scriptures note about Judas’ praying for the dead? They note: "he acted in a very excellent and noble way… it was a holy and pious thought." Indeed, the Scriptures confirm the importance of prayer for the dead. What was the result of Judas’ pious prayer for the souls? It was, "he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from their sin." These people had "gone to rest in godliness." So, if God had forgiven them of their sins and atoned for the eternal punishment due to them, why would God still require that these people be atoned and that they be freed from their sin? The answer: God required that they make up for the temporal liabilities of their sin before entering heaven. By doing this, they were being freed from their sin. Hence, we have purgatory.

Many Protestants will often say something like, "Well, Purgatory doesn’t exist because it is never mentioned in the Bible." But they should be reminded that the words "Trinity" and "Incarnation" are never found in the Bible, and yet they are doctrines that are accepted by all orthodox Christians. Besides the passage in Maccabees, does the Bible anywhere teach the reality and specifics of Purgatory? Yes, a number of passages implicitly teach the doctrine of Purgatory. Purgatory is described as a cleansing fire that burns away the evil works of a Christian before he can enter heaven:

"each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Cor 3:13-15)

Without the doctrine of Purgatory, a person’s explanation of the above passage becomes futile, awkward, and unconvincing. Each man’s work, of course, is what each man does here on Earth, whether it be for the Lord or against Him. The "Day", which is capitalized, obviously refers to the judgment day. Notice the last words in the passage: he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. "He" here refers to the person’s whose works have been tried and condemned at judgment day. Although this person’s works are evil, he himself is saved. It cannot refer to hell, for hell cannot save people. It definitely does not refer to Heaven, because people’s works will not be burned in Heaven. This leaves only one explanation for this saving fire: The fire refers to the cleansing, but painful or uncomfortable conditions of Purgatory.

Purgatory is also describes as a prison out of which a person cannot escape until he has worked off his dues:

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Mat 5:25-26)

At first, the above verse may seem quite a bit laughable as a means to prove the existence of Purgatory. But when one considers the fact that in all of Christ’s parables, the judge is God, and also that the context suggests that this passage is indeed symbolic (besides, Christ simply doesn’t give legal advice about how to get out of trouble to his people. This would be a ridiculous claim.), the passage becomes a very probable support of the doctrine of Purgatory, and must at least be examined. How can the passage be explained? The last sentence is crucial: Thou shalt by no means come out [of prison] thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Prison cannot be hell, because hell is inescapable. To claim that prison is heaven is nothing more than ludicrous. What does this leave? A third realm, and a realm in which a person works off his wages for the Lord; this leaves only Purgatory.

An extremely interesting verse used to support Purgatory is 2 Corinthians 5:10:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Notice the explicit words: every one. Every one includes Christians, of course. Notice also that this takes place after death (when we "appear before the judgment seat of Christ.") The verse is rather clear in saying that upon judgment, even Christians will receive the things due to them according to their works, whether it be good or bad. Indeed, each one’s work will become manifest, and each ones work, if it has not already been punished or rewarded will be so at judgment. And that goes for every one.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,...And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev 21:10,27)

It is apparent from the above verse the purity will be necessary in order to enter the New Jerusalem. The passage directly implies that all who "defileth" including the making of lies and the working of abominations, are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. And we know that Christians have, at the least, made a few lies here and there. Does that mean that Christians will not enter New Jerusalem because of their lies? No. It means that before they enter New Jerusalem, if it is necessary, God must purify them of their lies. Thus, purification after death exists.

Purgatory also seems to be expressed in Paul’s prayer for his recently deceased friend Onesiphorus:

The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. (1 Tim 1:16-18)

Without Purgatory, Paul's prayer is a little difficult to explain, in light of what we have seen above. For if Onesiphorus was not perfectly free from sins, then he couldn't go to heaven. If there's only heaven and hell, but no Purgatory, then there's no point to Paul praying for mercy on behalf of his friend, since it was already too late once Onesiphorus died - any sins that stained his soul would send him to hell. However, his prayer makes sense if the mercy Paul asks for is in relation to Onesiphorus' sufferings in Purgatory.

The Bible nowhere claims that it by itself and alone is to be used as the sole authority for the Christian. Rather, it points to other sources as authoritative. One of these sources is Tradition. "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." (2 Thess. 2:25). And: "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." (2 Tim 2:2). And so we turn to the early Church Fathers, to see what they thought on the issue of Purgatory: