Whether he realized it or not, Martin Luther was starting a cultural revolution when he pinned the 95 Theses to the chapel door in Wittenberg, Germany. This revolution rippled through society, first and foremost affecting religion, but it also affected geopolitics, wars, and economics.1 Despite this, it was not Luther’s intention to start a revolution. The 95 Theses were only a list of topics that needed to be debated for the Church to retain its integrity; indulgences being the primary focus of the 95 Theses. That being said, the historian Tom Woods argues that it is unfair to call Martin Luther a “reformer” because he sought to address the root of the perversions in the Catholic Church through abolition, not reformation.2 The members of the Council of Trent (1563) sought to “reform” the perversion of indulgences and saint veneration because it had gone too far. Luther, on the other hand, believed saint veneration and indulgences should be abolished entirely. However, whether he was technically a “reformer” or “revolutionary” in this sense may just be an issue of semantics and not a debate of any significance.
First, it is necessary to define what indulgences are and how they were perverted—even by Catholic standards. Many believe that indulgences were the purchase for forgiveness from sin. This is not the historic or modern Catholic view of indulgences. Rather, Catholic doctrine says the forgiveness of sins comes from the sacrament of confession. By confessing, one’s sins are imputed onto Christ, and they are freed from the eternal judgment they deserve in Hell. However, Roman Catholicism holds two forms of punishment one must endure for their sins: temporal punishment and eternal punishment. Although the eternal punishment is satisfied through Jesus when someone confesses, there is still a temporal, earthly punishment they deserve. If this due is not paid on this earth, they must journey through Purgatory before reaching Heaven. Since the pope allegedly has authority over Purgatory, he can free people from their obligations if they undergo some form of penance on this earth. Often, these indulgences were given when people went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or engaged in various forms of self-denial like fasting, but as time progressed, the Catholic Church began accepting monetary donations to erect buildings in exchange for indulgences. This practice became increasingly corrupt. By the 16th century, pardoners such as John Tetzel guaranteed that indulgences provided absolute pardons.
The first thing Luther does in the 95 Theses is question the concept of forgiveness from confession. He argues that external confession will not save an individual without internal repentance. Confession and repentance are not the same thing. This distinction is important. The first is an acknowledgment of personal sin. The second is an effort, through the grace of God, to pursue sanctification and purity. It is possible to recognize personal wrongdoings (sin) without making an effort towards self-improvement. This is not repentance. Luther argues that this will not save someone. Since a pope or pardoner cannot know the internal state of the personal conscience, they cannot say that someone is freed from the guilt of sin with certainty. In actuality, they have no idea whether someone is truly repentant, irrespective of what they say. Anyone promising that someone is forgiven is making a very dangerous false promise.
The second thing Luther does is argue that God would show more grace towards someone who feeds the poor than someone who purchases an indulgence. As Jesus says: “And whoever gives one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). “For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me…. Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of one of My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40). As Luther put it, “Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does better work than buying pardons. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons, man does not grow better, only more free from penalty. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need and passes him by, and gives his money for pardons, purchases not the indulgence of the pope, but the indignation of God.”3
In conclusion, Martin Luther saw the devastating effect of pardon preaching during his era. Indulgences were heavily perverted, and he believed people were placing too much emphasis on them. Preachers were preaching about them too much, and the laymen were putting too much weight on their value. Luther’s 95 Theses made two major claims: (1) Bishops cannot promise salvation to indulgence/pardon-buyers because bishops do not know whether the repentance is legitimate, and (2) God favors people who feed the poor over those who buy indulgences.
- Walter Kirchner, Western Civilization Since 1500, (New York, New York: Barnes and Noble, 1965), pp. 38, 42-44. ↩︎
- Tom Woods, “The German Reformation, Part 1,” Western Civilization Since 1500, (Powder Springs, GA: The Ron Paul Curriculum), lecture, 3:39. ↩︎
- Martin Luther, The 95 Theses, (Wittenberg, Germany: 1517), theses 42-45. ↩︎
Asher Sisneros 