How has Matthew 12:32 been interpreted in discussions about forgiveness after death?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Anastasis (Christ ascending from hell), apse fresco, c. 1320; in the Church of the Holy Saviour at the Monastery of the Chora (now the Kariye Museum), Istanbul. — purgatory *Anastasis* (Christ ascending from hell), apse fresco, c. 1320; in the Church of the Holy Saviour at the Monastery of the Chora (now the Kariye Museum), Istanbul.

In discussions regarding the doctrine of purgatory, theologians and advocates have interpreted Matthew 12:32 as a scriptural basis for the possibility of forgiveness for certain sins in the world to come.

By stating that some sins will not be forgiven "either in this age or in the age to come," the passage implies that there are sins that may indeed be forgiven in the afterlife. This interpretation supports the belief in an interim state where those destined for salvation undergo purification or correction before the Day of Judgment.1