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With this post (Part 9), I conclude a series comparing the teachings of evangelicals and Roman Catholics, exploring both areas of agreement and disagreement. For ease of access, here is Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Today, I examine one last area in which evangelicals and Roman Catholics disagree, the doctrine of purgatory, and then offer a few concluding remarks.

The doctrine of purgatory and its related issues (the treasury of merit, prayers for the dead and good works for the dead), accepted by Catholics, is rejected by evangelicals. The Council of Trent pronounced excommunication on anyone who rejects this dogma. Catholic teaching staalsotes that purgatory is a place for believers, those who will be ultimately saved, and is a place of purification that must take place before one enters heaven. Catholic sources admit that this doctrine is not taught explicitly in Scripture, but neither is it to be found implicitly. Purgatory is rejected by evangelicals because it is a denial of the sufficiency of the cross. It is also contrary to the immediacy of heaven after death, as taught in Scripture (2 Corinthians 5:8). The concept of a treasury of merit (from saints who have done more good deeds than necessary for their own salvation) is also contrary to the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. Romans 8:1 declares, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Most importantly, salvation is not merited at all; it is a free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). The whole idea of indulgences is seen as distasteful and repugnant (2 Peter 1:18-19). Regarding prayers for the dead, once again, there is no scriptural support. Likewise, there is no biblical support for praying to the saints. God alone is the proper object of our prayers. Prayer is a form of worship, and only God should be worshiped (Exodus 20:3). The Old Testament condemns attempting to communicate with the dead as necromancy. This practice also practically denies the mediatorship of Christ and is an insult to the intercession of the Holy Spirit.

In conclusion, this series illustrates that despite a number of substantial areas of agreement between Catholics and evangelicals, any hope of ecclesiastical unity is probably rendered impossible by the doctrinal differences between the two groups. This does not need imply that Catholics and evangelicals are enemies. There are many areas of common spiritual heritage and many practical areas of social and moral cooperation. Protestants and evangelicals face the common enemy of secularism and the moral issues which flow from that worldview on such topics as abortion and homosexuality. The significance of our joint doctrinal and moral beliefs and the significant evils of secularism and relativism encourage cooperation, perhaps even demands such. J. Daryl Charles noted:

The real cleavage in Christendom today is… between biblical orthodox and heterodox worldviews. Even the most reactionary of Protestant fundamentalists has more in common with Cardinal John O’Connor and John Paul II than with Joan Campbell and John Spong.