PURGATORY & TREASURY OF MERIT ARE NOT BIBLICAL
Purgatory is not biblical.
Intermediate present heaven is not the same as the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory (Council of Trent, Session VI, Canon 30 Concerning Justification, January 13, 1547), which teaches that after death, you are purged or purified for venial (non-mortal or less serious) sins until you are spiritually purged or purified enough to enter the gates of heaven.
Purgatory is the unbiblical doctrine that you must be purged or purified of your venial (non-mortal or less serious) sins before you enter the gates of heaven.
Purgatory is not biblical. God told us through the Bible that Jesus Christ paid the complete spiritual price for the atonement of your sins. You can do nothing to add to it. (Romans 4:2-8; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus, through one sacrifice, had made perfect forever, Christians who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus received in his own body all the punishment that Christians deserve for their sins, absolutely satisfying God’s justice on behalf of all Christians (Romans 3:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 john 2:2). Jesus’s spiritually perfect sacrifice of his life paid the spiritual debt of Christians once and for all (John 1:29; Romans 6:23) to the point where Jesus cried out on the cross, “It (the payment of the spiritual debt for sin) is finished!” (John 19:30 NIV). Randy Alcorn, Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions booklet, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2004), 8.
Norman L. Geisler and Ralph E. McKenzie, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1995), 331-346.
Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 111-113.
The treasury of merit is not biblical.
Another Roman Catholic teaching related to purgatory is the treasury of merit, which is meritorious works for the dead. According to Roman Catholic theology, in addition to the merit obtained by Jesus Christ on the cross, there is a storehouse of merit deposited by the saints on which other Christians can draw for spiritual help to achieve salvation. The concept of merit or reward involves the dispersion of mercy over and above justice, but such merit is required for salvation nonetheless. In essence, those saints who have done more good deeds than necessary for their ultimate salvation have put spiritual money in the bank of heaven on which others in need can draw for their salvation. These good works are called works of supererogation, that is, works over and above those necessary for themselves. By prayers and good deeds on behalf of the dead, their stay in purgatory can be shortened as they draw on the surplus in the one big treasury of merit. The treasury of merit is not biblical because it is contrary to the all-sufficiency of Jesus’ atonement. The most important reason to reject a treasury of merit is the very concept of merit. Specifically, salvation is not merited; it is obtained by grace through faith.
Treasury of merit is the meritorious works for the dead.
The apostle Paul said explicitly, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). Likewise, as Paul explained, “the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5 NIV). Paul does not only refer to the works of the law, as Catholic scholars often claim, but of any kind of work in general. God “saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NIV, emphasis added). Merit and grace are mutually exclusive. “And if by grace, then it (salvation) cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6 NIV). Finally, as Martin Luther objected to Roman Catholic abusive practice of indulgences as repugnant, the apostle and Roman Catholic Saint Peter himself agreed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19 NIV, emphasis added).
Geisler and McKenzie, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, 340-346.