Many argue the story of the good thief on the cross disproves Purgatory’s existence. But was Purgatory always rejected by Protestants? Dr. Karlo Broussard explores the surprising history of the doctrine and reveals why the good thief might not be the slam dunk some believe.
Transcript:
Questions I often get from Protestant converts are obviously about saints intercession, but another big one is purgatory.
They tend to really struggle with the belief of purgatory.
One thing they usually bring up is the thief on the cross to reinforce that, “Oh, there’s no purgatory.” But I was just wondering, when did the belief in purgatory kind of end? Was it with the Reformation?
That’s a good question. So with regard to the ending of the belief in purgatory, Martin Luther initially believed in purgatory. So for example, in his 95 Theses in 1517, he wrote, “The Pope does very well when he grants for a mission to souls and purgatory, not by the power of the keys, which he does not have, but by way of intercession for them.” So there you have implied in there an affirmation of purgatory elsewhere in 1521, he would write the existence of a purgatory I’ve never denied. Yet in 1537, he calls purgatory a specter of the devil. And so there you have evidence of Luther rejecting the doctrine of purgatory, and many would follow suit after that. As far as the specific argument that Luther would give to reject purgatory, I’m not quite sure I would have to do more research on that to see which specific articles he uses, arguments he utilizes, and whether it maps on with contemporary arguments that Protestants will give, such as the good thief on the cross, or maybe 2 Corinthians 5-8, where some will interpret that passage to reveal that heaven is given to the saved immediately after death. With regard to the good thief on the cross, I actually wrote an article at catholic.com, and it’s entitled, “The Good Thief Isn’t Good for Protestant Doctrine.” I think that’s the title of it, yeah, “The Good Thief Isn’t Good for Protestant Doctions.” And they’re in ideal with this idea that the good thief reveals purgatory is not necessary, and it’s based upon our Lord saying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” I also deal with this objection in my book, “Purgatory is for Real,” but you can get a snippet of that for free at catholic.com with that article. And our response there, Michael, is that even, first of all, it’s not quite certain that whenever our Lord says, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” he’s referring to heaven. It’s most likely he’s referring to Sheol, or the righteous abode of the dead before the ascension of Christ, where the Old Testament righteous souls received a beatific vision. So Jesus literally would have been telling him, “You’re going to be with me in this righteous abode of the dead,” or “Abraham’s bosom,” not heaven. And that would in no way exclude purgatory. The good thief may have to have undergone a final purification immediately after death before entering into Abraham’s bosom. But let’s say, Michael, even if Jesus were promising the good thief heaven on that day such that the good thief did not need purgatory, that fits with the Catholic understanding because the Catholic Church does not teach that purgatory is absolutely necessary for everyone. The Catholic Church actually teaches it’s possible for someone to die with such a fervent degree of charity where no final purification would be needed after death such that the soul could immediately enter into the presence of God in the beatific vision. So it’s possible that that could have been the good thief. The good thief could have fit that bill, so to speak, and met that description such that he would not need purgatory. So depending upon how we interpret what our Lord is telling the good thief on the cross, neither interpretation excludes or refutes the doctrine of purgatory. And so that’s a sketch of what I say in more detail in my book, Purgatory is for Real, and then also in that article, The Good Thief Isn’t Good for Protestant Doctions.
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