Is Purgatory Biblical? What 1 Corinthians 3 Actually Means. The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory teaches that people who die in God’s grace but remain imperfectly purified undergo a final purification after death before entering the fullness of heaven. It is not officially described as a second chance for the unsaved or as another form of hell. The Catholic Catechism connects this doctrine with a “cleansing fire,” prayers for the dead, indulgences, and works performed on