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One Purgatory Passage Protestants Can’t Explain Away

One Purgatory Passage Protestants Can’t Explain Away

Last updated on: August 7, 2026 at 2:31 pm by Dave Armstrong

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One Purgatory Passage Protestants Can’t Explain Away 2026-08-07T14:31:53-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (RSV) For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — 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.

It’s an extremely serious business when we meet God face-to-face. There won’t be any more “imputation” — merely “covering over” of sins — then. No, to stand in His presence we must be literally, actually sinless, because that is how we were created to be in the first place, in his image. We have to be cleansed of actual sin (“sanctification,” in Protestant theological language).

There is no Protestant-Catholic difference on this particular point. The only difference is a quantitative one: Catholics think this cleansing will involve a process, like our life on earth. And that process of sanctification can continue after death: in purgatory. Protestants, on the other hand, seem to think this all occurs in an instant.

One Protestant I was interacting with, stated: “God will certainly remove the filth of the flesh prior to the resurrection of our bodies.” Precisely, and that is what purgatory is; no Protestant should have the slightest objection to it. The big beef is (or should be) about how long this removal of filth takes, and exactly when it occurs. Both sides agree that the thing itself does occur in some fashion.

Obviously, human beings want to avoid suffering as much as possible. The Protestant view, whether consciously or not, often in practice appeals to the natural human desire to avoid suffering: instant heaven, instant glorification at death, instant salvation, instant eternal security and assurance of our saved status, and so forth. The problem with this desire is that the Bible constantly refers to suffering as a means of attaining to holiness and wisdom (e.g., Rom 5:3-5; 2 Cor 1:5, 12:7-9; James 1:2-4, 12; 5:10-11; 1 Pet 5:10).

Childbirth offers a close parallel to purgatory, I believe. I have seen the births of my four children, and at each one, I marveled at how my wife went through such tremendous agony, yet had a peace and joy even during the suffering, and an ecstatic joy upon the birth and seeing her child, immediately forgetting what had just gone on. I believe that is how we will feel after emerging from purgatory finally clean and gazing upon our Lord’s beautiful and glorious face.

There will not be a moment’s thought then as to whether the preparatory suffering was worth it (Rom 8:18). And we will understand even more fully than while in purgatory why it was necessary and wonder how we could ever have been so silly to have ever denied the necessity of it for a moment. The great Anglican apologist (and my favorite writer), C. S. Lewis, wrote:

I believe in purgatory . . . Our souls demand purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, “It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy”? Should we not reply, “With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.” “It may hurt, you know” – “Even so, sir.” (Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1964, 108-109)

John Calvin vainly attempts to make 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 not refer to the Day of Judgment (so as to escape any implication of purgatory):

The Spirit is that fire by which they will be proved. This proof Paul calls the day of the Lord; using a term common in Scripture. For the day of the Lord is said to take place whenever he in some way manifests his presence to men, his face being specially said to shine when his truth is manifested. It has now been proved, that Paul has no idea of any other fire than the trial of the Holy Spirit. (Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, 5, 9)

This is a clever attempt to evade the inherent eschatological, judgmental aspects of this passage, but it fails. Modern biblical scholarship does not agree that day here has to do with every manifestation of the Spirit, but rather, to the Day of Judgment. Hence, writes the linguist Gerhard Kittel:

[Gk., hemera] In Paul the “day” is the great day of judgment for the church (1 Cor. 1:8) or himself (2 Cor. 1:14) as well as non-Christians; it serves as an ethical incentive . . . In the absolute, “day” is the day of judgment in 1 Th. 5:5; 1 Cor. 3:13; Heb. 10:25 (cf. “that day” in Mt. 7:22 etc. and “great day” in Jude 6; Rev. 6:17, etc.). The day of Christ’s manifestation and the day of judgment are, of course, the same. (Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, one volume edition, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985, 310)

The Baptist Greek scholar A. T. Robertson likewise regards the “day” in 1 Corinthians 3:13 (contra Calvin’s “proved” view) as “the day of judgment as in I Thess. 5:4 . . . Rom. 13:12; Heb. 10:25” (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930, vol. 4, 97). Marvin Vincent also believes that St. Paul has in mind “a final and decisive test at the day of judgment, when the true value of each teacher’s work shall be manifested” (Word Studies in the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1946, from the 1887 edition; New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons; vol. 3, 203).

Robertson, however, echoes Calvin’s common shortcoming of describing fairly accurately what Catholics believe occurs in purgatory, yet denying, for no observable reason, that the passage could pertain to purgatory:

There is no escape from this final testing . . . This metaphor of fire was employed in the O.T. (Daniel 7:9; Malachi 4:1) and by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:16). It is a metaphor that must not be understood as purgatorial, but simple testing . . . The man’s work (ergon) is burned up . . . But he himself shall be saved (autos de sothesetai). Eternal salvation, but not by purgatory. His work is burned up completely and hopelessly, but he himself escapes destruction because he is really a saved man. (Robertson, ibid., vol. 4, 97-98)

This is about as descriptive and accurate a summary of purgatory as could be expected from a Baptist, but of course, the doctrine itself is impermissible, so Robertson cannot go there. He does not inform us why (if indeed he has a reason), but in the meantime he describes (almost despite himself) why the text is an excellent proof indeed for purgatory.

Finding corroboration of Catholic views like the above statement is often the joy of Catholics (especially apologists like me), when consulting Protestant biblical scholarship. The scholars themselves are usually not aware of such corroboration, and sometimes even deny it in so many words. This is the sort of ironic result that ignorance of Catholic doctrine, even among highly educated men devoted to the Bible (and no doubt also to God, in most cases), often brings about. On the other end of the spectrum, however, the Methodist Adam Clarke opines in his Commentary:

The popish writers . . . might with equal propriety have applied it to the discovery of the longitude, the perpetual motion, or the philosopher’s stone; because it speaks just as much of the former as it does of any of the latter. The fire mentioned here is to try the man’s work, not to purify his soul; but the dream of purgatory refers to the purging in another state what left this impure; not the work of the man, but the man himself; but here the fire is said to try the work: ergo, purgatory is not meant.

Presbyterian commentator Matthew Henry does likewise, preceded by the following most unscholarly observation:

On this passage of scripture the papists found their doctrine of purgatory, which is certainly hay and stubble: a doctrine never originally fetched from scripture, but invented in barbarous ages, to feed the avarice and ambition of the clergy, at the cost of those who would rather part with their money than their lusts, for the salvation of their souls. It can have no countenance from this text.

But we need not indulge Henry’s speculations about the nefarious motives that caused “barbarous” medieval Catholics supposedly to invent purgatory. St. Augustine was certainly as good an exegete as any of the men just mentioned and is generally highly regarded by Protestants. Yet he often espouses the doctrine of purgatory (and he lived long before the Middle Ages):

In this life may You cleanse me and make me such that I have no need of the corrective fire, which is for those who are saved, but as if by fire . . . For it is said: “He shall be saved, but as if by fire” [1 Cor. 3:15] . . . plainly, though we be saved by fire, that fire will be more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life. (Explanations of the Psalms, 37, 3)

But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, . . . (The City of God, 21, 13)

Some of the faithful may be saved, some more slowly and some more quickly in the greater or lesser degree in which they loved the good things that perish, — through a certain purgatorial fire. (The Enchiridion of Faith, Hope, and Love, 18, 69)

Alas, we are fortunate to have John Calvin to correct the hapless, gullible St. Augustine and the many Church Fathers who believed in purgatory or some reasonable facsimile thereof:

Surely, any man endowed with a modicum of wisdom easily recognizes that whatever he reads among the ancient writers concerning this matter was allowed because of public custom and common ignorance. I admit that the fathers themselves were also carried off into error. For heedless credulity commonly deprives men’s minds of judgment. (Institutes, Book III, 5, 10)

Calvin seems to think that his own ability to read hearts and minds (and to judge even the greatest and most intellectually brilliant of saints) is equal to his exegetical abilities. I submit that both were not quite as lofty and unquestionable as he imagined. Purgatory is a biblical doctrine.

Reformed Baptist, anti-Catholic apologist James White, in an article entitled, “1 Cor 3:10-15: Exegesis and Rebuttal of Roman Catholic Misuse” (1-11-02), attempts to make these verses apply only to Christian workers; those in ministry; the ordained, etc. I think this fails because, while there are indeed references to Christian workers: those who evangelize and teach, etc., there are just as many indications that Paul also generalizes his teaching. Even beyond that, one must remember that Paul is writing to the entire church at Corinth. The all-inclusiveness of what he is writing about is indicated more than once:

3:11: For no other foundation can any one lay . . .

3:12: Now if any one builds on . . .

3:14: If the work which any man has built . . .

3:15: If any man’s work is burned up, . . .

The next two verses after the passage under consideration (also the context) are clearly general: intended for all in the Corinthian church to whom he is writing:

[16] Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? [17] If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.

Anyone who has God’s Holy Spirit inside of him is a Christian, because all who are truly God’s are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. This can’t possibly refer to simply Christian workers. Paul continues the general language in the next verse (3:18):

. . . If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Moreover, in verse 4:5 Paul refers again about rewards after death:

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.

Most of the entire context of the passage (both before and after) is in generalized language. Paul even explains exactly why he mentioned himself and his co-worker Apollos:

[6] I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. [7] For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?

As usual, Paul uses his own example (by the grace of God) as one to imitate (4:14-16). Thus, we see the parallelism of the example of himself as a Christian worker and apostle applied generally to all Christians

Note how he writes in 3:7:

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

That was in the immediate context of his work with Apollos. But he clearly generalizes that to all Christians in similar language in 4:7:

For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?

In other words, all men are under God; He gives the grace; we cooperate with Him in that grace or can reject it (see. e.g., 9:24-27). And man’s works will ultimately be judged and rewarded or burned up. Therefore, considering all of this relevant context (especially 4:5-6), it is clear that the “purgatorial” judgments in 3:13-15 apply to all men, not just Christian workers.

REFERENCE

This is a slightly modified version (minus the reply to James White at the end) of chapter twelve of my book, The Catholic Verses.

RELEVANT WEB PAGE

Saints, Purgatory, & Penance (see section VI)

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Summary: Protestants are unable to dismiss a Bible passage from Paul about a man whose work is burned up, who suffers loss in fire, but who in the end is saved (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

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