Jerry Walls has done a lot of work on the topics of heaven, hell, and purgatory. This book is a condensed version of his scholarly work for the lay audience. Walls makes some good points that I had not thought of before. However, there are some serious disagreements I have with his views regarding purgatory.

Agreement

Before I address the issues of disagreement, I would like to point out one of the comments Walls makes that I thought was insightful. In response to the question of why someone would choose to remain in hell, Walls says, “There is no righteousness or holiness in hell, but it does offer the alternative of self-righteousness. It offers no real joy or happiness, but it does offer the deformed sense of satisfaction from holding on to bitterness, resentment, and hurt. There is no real fulfillment, but it does offer the illusory triumph of getting one’s way, self-destructive though it is" (pp. 89-90). Since people in heaven become perfected in Christ, those in hell remain in a fallen state. I think Walls makes a great point here. Those in hell get to hold onto their self-righteousness. He also makes some insightful points regarding heaven. However, for brevity’s sake, I would like to address the disagreements I have with his position.

Walls’ Position on Purgatory

Walls claims to be a Protestant who believes in purgatory. However, when he says “purgatory,” he does not mean the view that Catholics take. He makes a distinction between what he calls the satisfaction view and the sanctification view. In the satisfaction view, which is held by the Catholic Church, a person must be purged from their sins via punishment. This is an unscriptural teaching since, according to Hebrews 1:3, Christ has already purged our sins. In contrast, the sanctification view, which is what Walls believes, holds that people need more time to be sanctified. When a person dies, Walls does not believe their sanctification is immediately complete. Instead, one needs additional time to grow in knowledge and holiness before entering heaven.  

To argue for his view, Walls points to what he calls “optimal grace.” In optimal grace, God “does all he can to save all persons short of overriding their freedom” (p. 200). Essentially, his argument is that if God truly loves all people and wants them to be saved, then He would provide them with optimal grace. Since not everyone is given optimal grace on this earth, they must have an opportunity of optimal grace in the afterlife. God knows exactly what would get people to repent, and because He loves them, this is what He will do. “Underlying the idea of optimal grace is the conviction that God deeply and sincerely loves all persons and heartily desires the salvation of all” (p. 210).

 

Response to Walls’ Purgatory

Like most of his book, Walls does not base his argument on Scripture. In fact, he offers no Scriptural support for this view. I agree that God desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), but I do not agree that this means He must provide optimal grace. Just because God desires all to be saved does not mean He must then give every single person the same level of knowledge of Himself. This is a false assumption that is not found anywhere in Scripture. What we do see in Scripture is that God provides sufficient evidence for salvation to all people so that all “are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). Thus, God has provided enough knowledge for each person to be saved. Walls refers to this as minimal grace. He seems to think it would be immoral if God only offered minimal grace. However, God has no obligation to give us optimal grace. In fact, to fulfill optimal grace, God would have to bow the knee to every human to make sure that He met each individual’s standard of proof. This is at odds with Scripture since it will be us bowing to God (Phil. 2:10-11), not the other way around. It is true that some have more access to information about God than others, but God, in His sovereignty, has placed all men everywhere at their specific times with enough information for them to be saved (Acts 17:26-27). Will the clay really say to the potter that He messed up (Isaiah 29:16)?

Another problem with Walls’ view of optimal grace is that God knows what would cause each and every person to repent right now on this earth. If God is loving and desires all to be saved, why then does He not do it on this side of heaven? Why does He wait until they go to purgatory to offer optimal grace? If God really loved them, He would want them to immediately be in His presence upon death and should therefore provide optimal grace on earth. Jesus, as atheists often say, could visibly appear before all of us right now and prove that He is real. Why does God wait until after death to accomplish His loving will? Walls seems to forget that there is a factor of faith involved in salvation (Heb. 11:6). God has given us sufficient information so that we can choose whether or not to put our faith in Him.

Walls quotes from Dante’s Comedy and C. S. Lewis more than the Bible. In fact, on page 205, Walls admits that he does not have Scriptural data to back up what he believes. He makes his case entirely on philosophical thought experiments. This is the same tactic that heretic Rob Bell uses to promote universalism. This is not to say that Jerry Walls is a heretic. I believe Walls truly is a Christian. However, the view he is espousing is not only unscriptural, but goes against Scriptural teaching. In the entire book, I can only recall one verse that Walls uses as evidence for purgatory – Philippians 1:6. This verse reads, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (NKJV). Walls argues that this verse does not say you will be complete upon your death, but rather when the Lord returns. “This suggests that Christ will carry on this good work in the intermediate state between death and the final judgment” (p. 114).

Walls here takes one verse to support his view, while ignoring the rest of Scripture. As Christians, we should always look at the entirety of Scripture in order to form an opinion. In Colossians 1:21-23, Paul says that those who continue in Christ are presently reconciled to God. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says that if we are absent from the body, we are “present with the Lord.” In Luke 23, Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” In Matthew 25:46, Jesus says that the righteous go into “eternal life,” and the unrighteous go into “eternal punishment.” Apparently, Jesus forgot the third option of purgatory!

Walls does address 2 Corinthians 5 and the thief on the cross in Luke 23. Essentially, he says these verses “do not… rule out purgatory” (p. 114). He argues that you can be in the presence of God in an intermediate state to complete your sanctification. But this is not found in the text. Also, Walls does not address Colossians 1 or Matthew 25. The New Testament never once speaks of an intermediate state. Rather, the Bible makes it clear from these verses that you are either with God’s manifest presence or separated from it. There is no in-between.

 

Hell is Purgatory

Now one may think that Walls’ position is not too bad. Perhaps there is some intermediate state where people are perfected before entering heaven. This may seem nice until you realize that purgatory, in Walls’ view, is really just another name for hell. According to his view, when people leave hell, they name “it purgatory as they turn their faces toward the gates of heaven” (p. 211). When Walls first presents purgatory, he makes it seem as though there are three places in the afterlife: heaven, hell, and purgatory. However, once you get to chapter 8, you come to find that purgatory is really the same thing as hell. Purgatory, according to Walls, is the name given to hell for those who have been released from hell and now enter heaven. This begins to sound exactly like the universalist position. In fact, regarding eternal hell, Walls says, “I would be delighted if one of the things I have given the most energy defending in my career turned out to be false” (p. 209). In other words, Walls would be happy to discover that eternal hell is wrong and universalism true. I have heard many Christians offer a similar sentiment. However, I think this idea is misleading. The God of the Bible is the God who created an eternal hell. To say that you would like it if eternal hell were not the case, would be to say that you wish God were different than He is.

Once again, Walls offers no Scriptural evidence for the idea that people can get out of hell. Rather than citing Scripture, he cites Donald Bloesch: “It is my contention that a change of heart can still happen on the other side of death. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even sin and damnation (Rom. 8:38-39) …” (p. 207). Here we are at least given a verse in an attempt to defend the view that people can be released from hell. There are several reasons this verse does not support the idea that people can be released from the prison of hell.

First, the book of Romans is written to the saints in Rome. That is to say, the book of Romans is written to fellow Christians. We cannot take verses out of Romans and apply them to just anyone. For example, Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (NKJV). Notice that this verse applies only to those “who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, there is condemnation for those who are not in Christ Jesus, which is consistent with the words of Jesus (see John 3:18). Later, in Romans 8:36, it says, “For Your sake we are killed all day long” (NKJV). Unbelievers are not killed for Christ’s sake. Thus, when we come to Romans 8:38-39, it is not speaking to all people, but rather to believers only. When Paul says that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God,” the “us” in that statement is referring to believers, not all human beings. So yes, nothing can separate Christians from the love of God.

Second, Bloesch misquotes Romans 8. He says that “sin and damnation” cannot separate us from the love of God. Yet, sin and damnation are nowhere mentioned in this passage. It would make no sense for Paul to list damnation since Christians will never experience damnation to hell. Damnation to hell is precisely one of the things that does separate you from the manifest presence of God (2 Thess. 1:9). Yet, only unbelievers will be damned to hell, which is why Paul does not mention it in his list since he is writing to Christians.  

Third, sin does separate us from God. Isaiah 59:2 specifically says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” I believe that many in the church have lost a reverence for God. We often forget just how holy God is and how serious He takes sin. Any believer who has ever experienced a season where they lived in sin, knows that sin can separate you from closeness with Him. I am not saying this means you go to hell. Rather, you experience a separation in your relationship with God. You don’t feel as close to Him as you once did because your sin has moved your heart away from Him. This is why walking in righteousness is so important. If you choose to walk away from God and live in unrepentant sin, then yes, you will be separated from the manifest presence of God.

 

Hell Locked from the Inside

An interesting note is that Walls constantly quotes from C. S. Lewis. In fact, he may quote from C. S. Lewis more than Scripture. One of the main contributions Walls pulls from C. S. Lewis is the idea that the gates of hell are locked from the inside. Walls so firmly believes this that he seems to view it as on par with Scripture. Yet again, he offers no Scriptural support to back up this idea. Walls’ argument is that if the gates of hell are locked from the inside, that is, the person has chosen to be there, then a person at any moment can choose to unlock the door and be released from hell. Therefore, each person in hell holds the keys to their own eternity.

I have heard many Christian apologist say that the gates of hell are locked from the inside. However, if this is true, it seems that Walls may be correct that people can choose to get out of hell. This issue has got me thinking and I will need to do further reflection before I can come to an all-around conclusion. However, I do have some initial thoughts.

My current understanding of hell is like a prison. In our prison system, someone who murders another person, in a sense, chooses to go to prison. They murdered the person knowing that the penalty would be serving prison time. Thus, in this sense, the murderer has locked himself in prison. Yet, the murderer did not freely go to prison. Someone had to capture him, put him through trial, and sentence him to prison. Thus, in this sense, the murderer is locked in prison from the outside. The prison guard is the one who holds the keys, not the convict. When it comes to God, we know that He is the ultimate judge of all (Heb. 12:23). We also know that Jesus holds the keys to Death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Thus, it seems to me that the idea of the gates of hell being locked from the inside is only partly true.

If we stick with the analogy, one might ask, “What about those who get out of prison on good behavior?” First, all analogies breakdown at some point. Analogies are only meant to portray some aspect of a truth, not the full picture. Second, for a person to get free from their sin and come to repentance, it requires the work of the Holy Spirit on their heart. Those who are in an unregenerated state find the things of God foolish (1 Cor. 2:14). To believe that those in hell can come to repentance, would require that the Holy Spirit is actively moving on the hearts of those in hell (John 16:8).[1] But if the Holy Spirit is actively moving in hell, it contradicts the idea that hell is separation from God’s manifest presence; the very idea which Walls holds. Thus, Walls is in a dilemma: either God’s manifest presence is absent from hell and thus no possibility of Him moving on a person’s heart to draw them to repentance; or God is actively working in hell and the idea of separation from God is false. Either option goes against Scripture.

Questions from Walls

Walls goes on to ask several questions: “Is it true… that enteral hell is possible only because God is love and that the doors of hell are locked on the inside? Or is it the case that God locks people in hell against their will? Are some forced to stay there because they repented too late and are simply getting what they deserve?” (p. 198)

Apparently, Walls thinks it is immoral to lock people in prison against their will. I wonder if he thinks it is immoral that our country locks up the child molester, the serial murderer, and the rapist against their will. Should we let everyone out of prison because they don’t want to be there? If the man who molested 1,000 children repents, should we open the doors and release him back into the public? I am willing to bet Walls does not think so.

Walls is misleading when he asks if people are “forced to stay” in hell “because they repented too late.” He assumes here that one can repent in hell. First, I have already shown that this is a false assumption. And second, Walls once again offers no Scriptural support to back up his idea.

 

Forgiveness in Hell?

Walls quotes Donald Bloesch saying, “The gates of the holy city are depicted as being open day and night (Isa. 60:11; Rev. 21:25), which means that access to the throne of grace is a continuing possibility.” Bloesch goes on to say, “Jesus Christ has the keys to this hell and can reach out to us by his grace (Rev. 1:18). Even when one is in hell one can be forgiven” (p. 211).

First, where in Scripture does it say that someone in hell can be forgiven? Walls cites Bloesch as if he is citing Scripture. But nowhere in Scripture does it say that those in hell will be given another chance. How is this argument any different than the universalist position? Walls says his view does not lead into universalism, but from this quote, I do not see a difference. The only difference between the two positions seems to be that Walls thinks there will be some people who will freely choose to remain in hell.

Second, accessing the throne of grace is for those who are in Christ. Hebrews 4:16 and Hebrews 10:19-21 make it clear that because Jesus is our High Priest, we can have boldness to present ourselves before His throne of grace. Again, this is written only to those who have put their trust in Christ, not an unrepentant sinner.

Repentance after Death

Walls offers a response to the idea that there is no opportunity for repentance after death. He believes that most Protestants cite Hebrews 9:27-28 and Luke 13:23-30 as evidence against the possibility of repentance after death. In regard to Hebrews 9, Walls believes it is not speaking about the ultimate judgment, but rather a preliminary judgment. Luke 13, according to Walls, at best rules “out postmortem conversion for those who had every opportunity to truly know Christ in this life but only came to know him in a superficial sense of the word” (p. 204).

My response here is that Walls does his best to try and maneuver Scripture to conform to his view. He ignores the obvious conclusions one should draw from these passages. If Walls believes there is a preliminary judgment that is not final, he must offer Scriptural support for such. Also, if there is a preliminary judgment, could one lose their salvation? Since he thinks one can escape from hell during this intermediate time, can one also choose to no longer be with God during this time? If not, why is it only a one-way street? Walls does not address this question.

In Luke 13, it seems to me this actually goes against his theory. He says the men in Luke 13 “had every opportunity to truly know Christ.” But did they really? According to Walls, they must have been given optimal grace. But how does Walls know that optimal grace had been given in this situation? Would not Jesus have to bodily appear to them in order to fulfill the requirement of optimal grace? In other words, Jesus would have to bodily appear to make sure He had done all He could to draw them to repentance.

Again, I have already pointed out in a previous paragraph that repentance requires the Holy Spirit to move on one’s heart, which is an activity that does not take place in hell.

 

Conclusion

Walls’ position is unbiblical. He does not have the Scriptural support to back up his claim and he admits it. His view of purgatory is really just the idea that people can get out of hell. The idea that people can repent in hell goes against Scripture. Thus, for the reasons I have stated in this paper, Walls’ view on purgatory should not be held by Bible believing Christians.

  

[1] Salvation requires repentance (2 Cor. 7:10; Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1). To come to repentance, one must first be convicted of his sin and acknowledge his sin. If one is not convicted of his sin, he will not repent. According to Jesus, in John 16:8, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts. Thus, in order for those in hell to repent, the Holy Spirit would have to actively move on their hearts.