Purgatory – Part 3

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, in this lecture, addresses the scriptural proofs used by the Catholic brethren to establish the doctrine of purgatory, clarifying the correct Orthodox interpretation of these biblical texts, and affirming that these verses do not indicate the existence of purgatory, but rather speak about other matters such as testing of works, eternal judgment, or the universal submission of creation to God.

First: The Meaning of “As Through Fire” in First Corinthians

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the Apostle Paul’s statement, “he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire,” does not speak about punishment after death, but about the testing of works in service.
The fire here is the fire of examination and testing, which tests the quality of the work: whether it is gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw.
The burning concerns the work and not the person, and the fire does not mean expiatory punishment, but spiritual testing that reveals the value of the work.
Salvation “as through fire” means salvation with difficulty or effort, not through a purgatory.

Second: Forgiveness in the Age to Come

When the Lord Christ says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven “neither in this age nor in the age to come,” His Holiness Pope Shenouda III clarifies that the age to come means eternity, not purgatory.
Forgiveness in the age to come happens through God’s mercy, not through expiatory suffering.
Forgiveness comes through repentance and the blood of Christ, not through punishment, because suffering does not produce repentance.

Third: “In Heaven, On Earth, and Under the Earth”

The phrase means the universal submission of all creation to God, not a reference to a place called purgatory.
It is a figure of speech indicating all creatures and all places, and even the demons are subject to God, yet this does not mean they are in purgatory.
Thus, the expression refers to the comprehensive authority of God, not to an intermediate state after death.

Fourth: “Until You Pay the Last Penny”

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that this statement came in the context of urging quick reconciliation.
It cannot be understood literally as a temporary period of suffering that ends by paying the debt.
A human being cannot pay his spiritual debts by himself, because the price of sin is paid only by the blood of Christ.
Also, the word “until” in the Holy Scripture may indicate continuity, not necessarily a temporary time limit.

The Spiritual Message

The lecture affirms that human salvation is based on sincere repentance, God’s grace, and the blood of Christ, not on expiatory suffering after death.
It also calls for understanding biblical texts in their proper context without isolating them from their meaning.
It highlights the Coptic Orthodox faith that forgiveness is a divine gift received through repentance, and that works are tested but do not atone for sins.

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