These are the 95 Theses that Martin Luther Wrote,
that Caused Him to go against The Catholic Church
By Bible Study
“Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate
it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and
ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following
statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those
who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall
do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
It
is shocking that the Lutheran church has
signed up with the Catholic Church going against their founder.
1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said,
“Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of
repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood as referring
to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered
by the clergy.
3. Yet it does not mean solely inner
repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various
outward mortification of the flesh.
4. The penalty of sin remains as long as the
hatred of self (that is, true inner repentance), namely till our entrance into
the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope neither desires nor is able to
remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the
canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by
declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by
remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant
remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain
unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one unless at the
same time he humbles him in all things and makes him submissive to the vicar,
the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on
the living, and, according to the canons themselves, nothing should be imposed
on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit through the pope
is kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees always makes exception of the
article of death and of necessity.
10. Those priests act
ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical
penalties for purgatory.
11. Those tares of
changing the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently sown
while the bishops slept (Mt 13:25).
12. In former times
canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of
true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by
death from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon laws are
concerned, and have a right to be released from them.
14. Imperfect piety or
love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and
the smaller the love, the greater the fear.
15. This fear or horror is
sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the penalty
of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and
heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation.
17. It seems as though for
the souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love increase.
18. Furthermore, it does
not seem proved, either by reason or by Scripture, that souls in purgatory are
outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love.
19. Nor does it seem
proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and
assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of
it.
20. Therefore the pope,
when he uses the words “plenary remission of all penalties,” does not actually
mean “all penalties,” but only those imposed by himself.
21. Thus those indulgence
preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and
saved by papal indulgences.
22. As a matter of fact,
the pope remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to canon law,
they should have paid in this life.
23. If remission of all
penalties whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all, certainly it would be
granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few.
24. For this reason most
people are necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding
promise of release from penalty.
25. That power which the
pope has in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any bishop or
curate has in a particular way in his own diocese and parish.
26. The pope does very
well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of the
keys, which he does not have, but by way of intercession for them.
27. They preach only human
doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the
soul flies out of purgatory.
28. It is certain that
when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but
when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all
souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in St.
Severinus and St. Paschal, as related in a legend.
30. No one is sure of the
integrity of his own contrition, much less of having received plenary remission.
31. The man who actually
buys indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he is
exceedingly rare.
32. Those who believe that
they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters
will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.
33. Men must especially be
on guard against those who say that the pope’s pardons are that inestimable
gift of God by which man is reconciled to him.
34. For the graces of
indulgences are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental satisfaction
established by man.
35. They who teach that
contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of
purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine.
36. Any truly repentant
Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without
indulgence letters.
37. Any true Christian,
whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the
church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
38. Nevertheless, papal
remission and blessing are by no means to be disregarded, for they are, as I
have said (Thesis 6), the proclamation of the divine remission.
39. It is very difficult,
even for the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to commend to
the people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true contrition.
40. A Christian who is
truly contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of
indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them — at least
it furnishes occasion for hating them.
41. Papal indulgences must
be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are
preferable to other good works of love.
42. Christians are to be
taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in
any way be compared with works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be
taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed
than he who buys indulgences.
44. Because love grows by
works of love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however, become better
by means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties.
45. Christians are to be
taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for
indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God’s wrath.
46. Christians are to be
taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for
their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.
47. Christians are to be
taught that they buying of indulgences is a matter of free choice, not
commanded.
48. Christians are to be
taught that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires their
devout prayer more than their money.
49. Christians are to be
taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in
them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them.
50. Christians are to be
taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he
would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up
with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be
taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even
though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom
certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money.
52. It is vain to trust in
salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even
the pope, were to offer his soul as security.
53. They are the enemies
of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God
in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done to the
Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is
devoted to indulgences than to the Word.
55. It is certainly the
pope’s sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very insignificant thing, are
celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one ceremony, then the gospel,
which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a
hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The true treasures of
the church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not sufficiently
discussed or known among the people of Christ.
57. That indulgences are
not temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many indulgence sellers do not
distribute them freely but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the
merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always
work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.
59. St. Lawrence said that
the poor of the church were the treasures of the church, but he spoke according
to the usage of the word in his own time.
60. Without want of
consideration we say that the keys of the church, given by the merits of
Christ, are that treasure.
61. For it is clear that
the pope’s power is of itself sufficient for the remission of penalties and
cases reserved by himself.
62. The true treasure of
the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.
63. But this treasure is
naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Mt. 20:16).
64. On the other hand, the
treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to
be first.
65. Therefore the
treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of
wealth.
66. The treasures of
indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men.
67. The indulgences which
the demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually understood to be
such only insofar as they promote gain.
68. They are nevertheless
in truth the most insignificant graces when compared with the grace of God and
the piety of the cross.
69. Bishops and curates
are bound to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence.
70. But they are much more
bound to strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their own dreams
instead of what the pope has commissioned.
71. Let him who speaks
against the truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed.
72. But let him who guards
against the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed.
73. Just as the pope
justly thunders against those who by any means whatever contrive harm to the
sale of indulgences.
74. Much more does he
intend to thunder against those who use indulgences as a pretext to contrive
harm to holy love and truth.
75. To consider papal
indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the
impossible and had violated the mother of God is madness.
76. We say on the contrary
that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as
guilt is concerned.
77. To say that even St.
Peter if he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy against
St. Peter and the pope.
78. We say on the contrary
that even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces at his
disposal, that is, the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it
is written. (1 Co 12[:28])
79. To say that the cross
emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence preachers
is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates,
and theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the people will have to
answer for this.
81. This unbridled
preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the
reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions of
the laity.
82. Such as: “Why does not
the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the
souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of
miserable money with which to build a church?” The former reason would be most
just; the latter is most trivial.
83. Again, “Why are
funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not
return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is
wrong to pray for the redeemed?”
84. Again, “What is this
new piety of God and the pope that for a consideration of money they permit a
man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a
friend of God and do not rather, beca use of the need of that pious and beloved
soul, free it for pure love’s sake?”
85. Again, “Why are the
penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual fact and through
disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though they were still
alive and in force?”
86. Again, “Why does not
the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus,
build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the
money of poor believers?”
87. Again, “What does the
pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to
full remission and blessings?”
88. Again, “What greater
blessing could come to the church than if the pope were to bestow these
remissions and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day, as he now
does but once?”
89. “Since the pope seeks
the salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why does he
suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have equal
efficacy?”
90. To repress these very
sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving
reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies
and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If, therefore,
indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope,
all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.
92. Away, then, with all
those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Peace, peace,” and there is no
peace! (Jer 6:14)
93. Blessed be all those
prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Cross, cross,” and there is no cross!
94. Christians should be
exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties,
death and hell.
95. And thus be confident
of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false
security of peace (Acts 14:22).
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