LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY THESIS APPROVAL SHEET _____A_____ GRADE Dennis R. McDonald, Ph.D. THESIS MENTOR Michael L. Chiavone, Ph.D. READER Liberty University School of Divinity Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord: A Traditional Evangelical Critique of Traditional Roman Catholic and Non-Traditional Evangelical Teachings Regarding Purgatory A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Theology by Thomas J. Gentry II Carterville, Illinois March 24, 2016 ii ABSTRACT ABSENT FROM THE BODY, PRESENT WITH THE LORD: A TRADITIONAL EVANGELICAL CRITIQUE OF TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLIC AND NON-TRADITIONAL EVANGELICAL TEACHINGS REGARDING PURGATORY Thomas J. Gentry II Liberty University School of Divinity, 2016 Mentor: Dr. Dennis McDonald Traditional Roman Catholic theology and certain non-traditional expressions of evangelical theology teach that Christians who die without realizing perfect holiness will enter into a postmortem state called purgatory for the purpose of preparing them to behold the beatific vision of God in heaven. The purpose of this work is to refute these teachings by proving that they are unbiblical. The procedure for doing is to first summarize the traditional Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory; second, present interpretations of select biblical and apocryphal texts related to purgatory from the pro- purgatory perspective, followed by a traditional evangelical response; third, present a four-fold traditional evangelical critique of the traditional Roman Catholic teaching; fourth, present a summary of the non-traditional evangelical argument for purgatory as found in the work of Jerry Walls, followed by a two-fold traditional evangelical critique. Abstract Length: 135 iii Copyright © 2016 by Thomas J. Gentry II All rights reserved iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to Dr. Dennis McDonald and Dr. Michael Chiavone, my Thesis Mentor and Reader, respectively, for their expert input and guidance. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from them during this process. I also want to thank Dr. Gary Yates for his willingness to allow me to pursue studies as a residential student for the purpose of writing this thesis. v To all my Christian loved ones who have already closed their eyes in death and now know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord vi Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction ..................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................1 Statement of Purpose and Procedure .......................................................................1 Statement of the Importance of the Problem ...........................................................2 Statement of the Researcher’s Position on the Problem ..........................................5 Definitions, Assumptions, and Delimitations ..........................................................6 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................9 Chapter 2 – The Traditional Roman Catholic Teaching about Purgatory ................10 Introduction ............................................................................................................10 A Summary of the Traditional Roman Catholic Teaching about Purgatory .........10 Conclusion .............................................................................................................17 Chapter 3 – A Discussion of Select Texts Related to the Issue of Purgatory .............18 Introduction ............................................................................................................18 Six Biblical Texts Related to the Issue of Purgatory .............................................18 Malachi 3:2-4 .............................................................................................18 Matthew 5:25-26 ........................................................................................21 Matthew 12:31-32 ......................................................................................23 Luke 16:19-31 ............................................................................................25 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 ................................................................................28 John 14:1-4.................................................................................................30 2 Maccabees 12:38-46 in Relation to the Issue of Purgatory ................................32 Conclusion .............................................................................................................35 vii Chapter 4 – A Critique of the Traditional Roman Catholic Teaching about Purgatory ..........................................................................................................................36 Introduction ............................................................................................................36 Four Reasons to Reject the Traditional Roman Catholic Teaching about Purgatory ................................................................................................................36 Purgatory Contradicts 2 Corinthians 5:7-8 ................................................36 Purgatory is based on Inconsistencies in the Catechism of the Catholic Church........................................................................................................41 Purgatory Diminishes the Significance of Jesus’ Passive Obedience .......43 Purgatory Diminishes the Significance of Jesus’ Active Obedience .........46 Conclusion .............................................................................................................48 Chapter 5 – The Non-Traditional Evangelical Teaching about Purgatory ................49 Introduction ............................................................................................................49 A Summary of the Non-Traditional Evangelical Teaching about Purgatory ........49 Two Reasons to Reject the Non-Traditional Evangelical Teaching about Purgatory ................................................................................................................53 Purgatory Fails to Explain the Thief on the Cross .....................................53 Purgatory Unnecessarily Bifurcates Free Will and Monergistic Glorification ...............................................................................................54 Conclusion .............................................................................................................56 Chapter 6 – Conclusion ...................................................................................................58 Introduction ............................................................................................................58 A Combined Response to the Doctrine of Purgatory .............................................58 Suggestions for Further Scholarly Inquiry Regarding Purgatory ..........................59 Conclusion .............................................................................................................59 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................60 viii Chapter 1 Introduction Statement of the Problem What happens when Christians die? The official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is that ordinarily Christians enter into an intermediate state called purgatory, where they experience a time of purging for impurities that remain in their souls at the time of death. This purging occurs for varying lengths of time, based on the type of impurities, in order to prepare the Christian to eventually behold the beatific vision of God in heaven.1 Roman Catholics are not, however, the only ones who espouse a doctrine of purgatory. There are also non-traditional evangelicals, who, for different reasons than traditional Roman Catholics, also conclude that upon death Christians are sent to purgatory before actually entering heaven.2 These two view of purgatory are the subject of the thesis that follows. The problem the following research addresses is why the traditional Roman Catholic and non-traditional evangelical arguments for purgatory are wrong in light of the Bible’s teaching. Statement of Purpose and Procedure The purpose of the research is refute the traditional Roman Catholic and non- traditional evangelical teachings of purgatory by proving that they are unbiblical. The procedure for accomplishing this purpose is five-fold. First, the research summarizes the traditional Roman Catholic teaching regarding purgatory. Second, biblical and 1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 291-299. 2 Jerry Walls and others are currently advancing this view. Walls’s work is discussed in detail below. 1 apocryphal texts related to purgatory are presented from a pro-purgatory perspective, followed by a traditional evangelical response. Third, a traditional evangelical critique of the traditional Roman Catholic teaching presents four reasons to reject purgatory: first, it is contrary to Paul’s description in 2 Corinthians 5:7-8 about what happens when a Christian dies; second, it is based on ambiguities and/or contradictions within the Catechism of the Catholic Church; third, it diminishes the significance of the passive obedience of Jesus Christ and its implications for justification; fourth, it diminishes the significance of the active obedience of Jesus Christ and its implications for sanctification. The fourth step in the procedure summarizes the non-traditional evangelical position on purgatory and argues that this position is to be rejected, in addition to the first, third, fourth, and fifth discussed in relation to the Roman Catholic teaching about purgatory, for two reasons: first, it fails to explain how the thief on the cross (cf., Luke 23:32-43) was promised to be with Jesus in paradise upon his death; second, it creates a bifurcation between free will and the possibility of monergistic glorification. The fifth step in the process presents a synthesis of the arguments against the Roman Catholic and non- traditional evangelical positions on purgatory, and provides suggestions for additional scholarly inquiry related to the doctrine of purgatory. In light of this purpose and five- step procedure, the thesis is entitled, “Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord: A Traditional Evangelical Critique of Traditional Roman Catholic and Non-Traditional Evangelical Teachings Regarding Purgatory.” Statement of the Importance of the Problem This problem is significant for three reasons. First, since the time of the Protestant Reformation purgatory has been considered an affront to two key evangelical doctrines 2