‍The word “Purgatory” doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible

  Gary Hoge  ·  October 8, 2026

‍Biblical doctrines do not necessarily have to bear biblical names. There are many theological terms Christians use that do not appear in the Bible: Trinity, incarnation, original sin, and others. That proves very little. The question isn’t whether a particular word or phrase appears in Scripture, but whether the concept expressed by that word or phrase does.

‍In the case of Purgatory, we are told to “pursue … the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), and that “nothing impure will ever enter” the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27). Hebrews also describes the heavenly assembly as including “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22–23).

‍Taken together, these passages make three relevant points: we must be sanctified to see the Lord; nothing impure enters his heavenly presence; and the righteous in heaven have been “made perfect.”

‍Yet few Christians would claim that they have already been made perfect or that every trace of sin and its effects has disappeared from their lives. So what happens if a Christian dies before that sanctification is complete?

‍According to the evangelical apologetics website GotQuestions.org,

‍The third and final stage of sanctification occurs in the future. When believers die, their spirits go to be with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). Since nothing unclean can enter heaven (Revelation 21:27), we must be made perfect at that point.¹

‍That postmortem purification is the essential idea behind what Catholics call Purgatory: the final purification of those who die in God’s grace but have not yet attained perfect holiness.

‍Purgatory is often imagined primarily as a place, but Catholic doctrine defines it primarily as a purification. The Catechism says that those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified “undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030).

‍Whatever further questions one may have about Purgatory, the basic concept of a final purification is therefore not unbiblical merely because the word Purgatory does not appear in Scripture.

‍For more on this, see my  paper “The Final Sanctification.”

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^‍1 Got Questions Ministries, “What is Progressive Sanctification?”, GotQuestions.org, accessed September 30, 2026,  https://www.gotquestions.org/progressive-sanctification.html