 | Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
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Religion
2008-10-01 08:48:00
What about Purgatory?
Question: Often you hear of Purgatory, particularly from Catholics. Many say it is never mentioned in the Bible. What is meant in First Corinthians 3:15? Is this verse describing Purgatory?
Answer: Well meaning and thoughtful Christians have wrestled with the idea of the “Intermediate State” which is the time between one’s death and Christ’s coming with, the last judgment. The Jews of Jesus day understood this place was called “Sheol” in the Hebrew or “Hades” in the Greek. We have the idea of what it is in the parable Jesus tells in Luke 16:19-31. There we find a place divided in two where the poor man is carried by the Angels to righteous Abraham’s side (vs22a). The other part is where the cruel rich man is buried and from a lower place where there is torment of fire (22b-24). There is communication and visibility of each other also.
From this understanding the early church went many different ways. Some thought it to be the pre-cursor of the final state before the final judgment. Others saw it as the state before the resurrection of Christ where he at that point made the great proclamation of release to the captives freeing the saved to be with Him in heaven and others to their destruction in Hell (1 Peter 3:19). Still others saw it as a time to pray for their loved ones caught in this state and an opportunity to free them from the one place to the other.
Now, along the path of history it has been written about and wrestled about but there is not much said in the scriptures and there is almost a mystery about it. Some have developed theology and practices about it that have gone beyond scripture and it has had segments of Christians having great disagreement.
This is where we come to finding “Purgatory” which means “to make clean or purify.” The Western (Roman Catholic) Christian Church and the Eastern (Orthodox) Church had their different practices. The Western church progressively moved from Augustine in the 4th Century to the 12th century with Gregory the Great as a full blown doctrine which today is defined in the Catholic Church’s Catechism as “a state of final purification after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God’s friendship, but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven.” It is seen as the place where a person can be cleaned up and made ready for the final entrance into heaven.
When the Reformation came, most Protestant churches rejected the idea of Purgatory and some had differences as to what happened. Luther had the idea of a “soul sleep.” Calvin and others totally disavowed the whole idea and felt that to die; the judgment (Hebrews 9:27) would happen immediately and would be in the immediate presence of the Lord (Philippians 1:21). Salvation is declared by God justifying us (Romans 5:1) through faith in Jesus Christ by His blood at the day of conversion. That salvation is a free gift of God and it is not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9); and that your name is in the book of eternal life
The questioner points to 1 Corinthians 3:15 as a support for the concept of Purgatory. In looking at this passage, Paul is challenging his detractors to see whose work and words will stand the judgment of God. That “the day will show” (judgment day vs 12; 1 Thess 5:2-9) will reveal the believer’s quality of work which will tell if we sowed it in the flesh for ourselves, our fame and our glory, or if it was sown for God’s glory. The reality Paul says is that if it is real, true and sown for God’s glory it will last into eternity and His reward will come with it (Revelations 22:12) according to the Apostle John. As far as seeing purgatory in the passage, I can’t see it. However, what a great reminder to all of us is what does matter is the depth of faith, purity and love on that day of His reward. An old missionary friend once said to me a phrase that would keep what’s really important before me, “All of this life will pass, only what is done in Christ will last.” May that be every Christian’s motto! In Him, Pastor Dave.
