[quote:2i379emw]How do we know for sure, without any ambiguty, that purgatory is what he’s talking about? With all due respect, this, ‘ala purgatory’ conclusion just isn’t working for me.[/quote:2i379emw]

I wasn’t meaning that the doctrine of purgatory is fully proved or justified by the Scripture in question, Mat 12:32 – just that the principles associated with what Christ was saying are congruent with the doctrine of purgatory so far as forgiveness of sins pre/post earlthly life go. As others have said here, purgatory doesn’t rise or fall on any one Scriptural proof text, rather on the whole of the Scriptural evidence, as well as the testimony of time, aka Tradition.

There are many senses that Scriptures are interpreted according to, such as the literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical (check out the Catechism[/url:2i379emw] concerning these). I don’t think Jesus was speaking directly about purgatory in Mat 12:32, but I dont’ think he need be doing so for it to be pertinent to the topic of purgatory. The end of the gospel of Mathew reads “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” – I think Jesus’ immediate concern was the order he was giving to the deciples to go out and baptize folks and teaching them, but the verse is also used for proof of the doctrine of the Trinity. I wouldn’t read Mathew 12:32 or 28:19 and say “shazam, purgatory!” or “viola, Trinity!”, but those doctrines are certainly to be found in principle (not necessarily [i:2i379emw]fully[/i:2i379emw] explained) in said verses, as well as a number of others.