“Only Four Last Things: Jonathan Edwards, the Dynamism of Heaven, and One More Reason Purgatory is Unnecessary”

Reformed critiques of the doctrine of purgatory have typically leaned upon close exegesis of scripture; restrained reception of patristic thought; and the sufficiency of God’s prevenient grace. This direct approach is necessary, but the debate itself has grown stale. In hopes of reinvigorating discussion, this paper takes the indirect route of addressing one ancillary concern, often cited in support of the doctrine of purgatory. A universe without purgatory, it is said, leaves us in a morally intolerable situation. Those who lived lives of sacrifice and those who did not will simultaneously ‘wake up in heaven’ to the equal enjoyment of heaven's rewards. Drawing broadly from the work of Jonathan Edwards, I argue that it is not purgatory which completes earthly human life and upholds God’s justice. Rather earthly life anticipates the unending growth of God’s self-gift and the soul’s capacity to receive it.