MARTIN LUTHER & THE 95 THESES THAT TRANSFORMED CHRISTIANITY (PART II)

“When the Church Turned God’s Grace Into a Money-Making Enterprise”

By Akin Ojumu

In Part I of this commentary, we examined the first thirty-one of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, issued on October 31, 1517.

We saw how an inconsequential Augustinian monk and professor of theology began questioning the extravagant claims being made by indulgence preachers within the Roman Catholic Church.

Luther wanted to know how ecclesiastical officials could claim authority to remit penalties, deliver souls from purgatory, and dispense spiritual benefits in ways that appeared to exceed the authority granted to them.

But the controversy was about much more than the theological limits of papal authority.

It was also about money.

Lots of money.

At the heart of the controversy was a religious system in which spiritual privileges had become closely associated with financial contributions.

Ordinary people were being persuaded to part with their money in exchange for promises of spiritual benefits, including supposed relief from the penalties of sin.

The problem was especially disturbing because the people being targeted often included the poor, the vulnerable, and those frightened about their eternal destiny or the fate of departed loved ones.

And so, Luther began asking questions that went beyond theological abstractions.

Why should the poor surrender money they needed to feed their families?

Why should contributions toward Church construction take precedence over acts of Christian charity?

Why were indulgence preachers promising spiritual benefits that Scripture did not establish?

And why was the proclamation of the Gospel being overshadowed by the relentless promotion of indulgences?

These questions became particularly forceful in Theses 32–62.

THESES 32–62

I. THE FALSE SECURITY OF PURCHASED FORGIVENESS (32–40)

32. Those who believe that possessing indulgence certificates guarantees their salvation, together with the teachers who encourage such confidence, are in danger of eternal condemnation.

33. Christians must be especially suspicious of anyone who claims that Papal indulgences are God’s priceless gift through which sinners are reconciled to Him.

34. The benefits claimed for indulgences concern only penalties associated with humanly established acts of sacramental satisfaction. They do not constitute divine forgiveness of sin.

35. Those who teach that repentance is unnecessary when purchasing the release of souls from purgatory, or when obtaining special privileges of confession, are preaching doctrine contrary to Christianity.

36. Every genuinely repentant Christian has a rightful claim to the complete forgiveness of guilt and remission of penalty, even without purchasing a single indulgence certificate.

37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, shares in the blessings of Christ and His Church. These blessings come from God Himself, independently of indulgence certificates.

38. Nevertheless, Papal declarations of forgiveness and blessing should not automatically be dismissed, for they may serve as proclamations of forgiveness already granted by God.

39. Even the most learned theologians find it extremely difficult to praise the supposed benefits of indulgences while simultaneously teaching the necessity of genuine repentance.

40. A truly repentant Christian willingly accepts the consequences associated with his sins. Indulgences, however, encourage people to escape such penalties and may consequently produce resentment toward genuine discipline.

II. THE EXPLOITATION OF THE POOR AND THE CORRUPTION OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY (41–55)

41. Papal indulgences must be preached with extreme caution so that Christians do not mistakenly regard them as more valuable than genuine acts of Christian love.

42. Christians must understand that the Pope does not intend the purchase of indulgences to be placed on the same level as acts of mercy.

43. Christians should be taught that giving money to the poor or lending assistance to those in need is a far better deed than purchasing indulgences.

44. Acts of genuine love strengthen love and contribute to spiritual growth. Indulgences do not make anyone spiritually better; they merely claim to release people from penalties.

45. Christians must understand that anyone who sees a needy person, refuses to help, and instead spends money purchasing indulgences is not acquiring God’s favor but inviting His judgment.

46. Christians must be taught that they have a responsibility to provide for their families. Unless they possess resources beyond their necessities, they must never squander their money on indulgences.

47. The purchase of indulgences is entirely voluntary. It is not a commandment of God or an obligation imposed upon every Christian.

48. Christians should understand that the Pope needs their sincere prayers far more than he needs their money.

49. Indulgences can only be considered beneficial when people do not place their trust in them. They become spiritually dangerous when they encourage believers to abandon the fear of God.

50. Christians should be taught that, if the Pope knew how indulgence preachers were exploiting the faithful, he would rather see St. Peter’s Basilica reduced to ashes than have it constructed through the suffering and impoverishment of Christ’s sheep.

51. Indeed, the Pope should be willing to use his own wealth, even if it required selling St. Peter’s Basilica, to assist the poor people whose money indulgence sellers are extracting.

52. It is utterly foolish to trust indulgence certificates for salvation, even if the indulgence preacher—or the Pope himself—were to offer his own soul as a guarantee.

53. Those who silence the preaching of God’s Word in one Church so that indulgences may be promoted in another are enemies of Christ and, by implication, enemies of the Pope.

54. God’s Word is dishonored whenever sermons devote as much time, or more time, to indulgences as they devote to the proclamation of Scripture.

55. If indulgences, which are comparatively insignificant, deserve bells, processions, and elaborate ceremonies, then surely the Gospel, which is infinitely greater, deserves a hundred times more attention and celebration.

III. THE TRUE TREASURE OF THE CHURCH (56–62)

56. The true treasures of the Church, from which the Pope supposedly distributes indulgences, are neither adequately explained nor properly understood among Christians.

57. These treasures cannot simply be material wealth, because indulgence sellers are generally more interested in collecting money than distributing it.

58. Neither can they simply be identified with the merits of Christ and the saints, for the merits of Christ accomplish their work independently of Papal control, bringing grace to the inward person while the outward person remains subject to suffering, death, and the cross.

59. St. Lawrence once described the poor as the treasures of the Church, although he was using the expression in the sense understood in his own day.

60. Without being reckless, we may say that the keys entrusted to the Church through the merits of Christ constitute a genuine treasure.

61. It is evident that the Pope’s authority is sufficient to remit penalties and settle cases that fall specifically within his own jurisdiction.

62. The true treasure of the Church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.

WHEN THE GOSPEL BECOMES MERCHANDISE

Pause for a moment and consider the implications of Luther’s arguments.

In Thesis 43, he declared that helping the poor is better than purchasing indulgences.

In Thesis 45, he warned that neglecting a needy neighbor while spending money on indulgences invites divine judgment.

In Thesis 46, he insisted that Christians must provide for their families rather than squander their resources on religious transactions.

In Thesis 50, he argued that the Pope should prefer the destruction of St. Peter’s Basilica to its construction through the financial exploitation of God’s people.

And in Thesis 62, Luther made the declaration that stands at the theological center of his critique:

“The true treasure of the Church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.”

What a devastating indictment of a religious establishment that had allowed the proclamation of God’s grace to become entangled with the pursuit of wealth.

And what a timely rebuke to the contemporary religious entrepreneurs who have transformed Christian worship into a marketplace of spiritual commodities.

Five hundred and nine (509) years later, the products have changed, but the underlying temptation remains.

Indulgence certificates have given way, in some religious circles, to anointing oil, miracle water, prophetic seeds, miracle money, spiritual impartations, and special financial offerings supposedly capable of unlocking supernatural blessings.

The terminology has changed.

The packaging has changed.

The marketing strategies have changed.

But the basic proposition remains disturbingly familiar.

Give money to the religious intermediary, and receive a spiritual benefit supposedly controlled by that intermediary.

One preacher promises supernatural financial breakthroughs in exchange for a seed offering.

Another claims that a particular contribution will activate a divine intervention.

Yet another presents himself as a custodian of spiritual power who can distribute anointing, impart grace, transfer virtue, or release blessings upon those who submit to his ministry.

And whenever these claims are questioned, the response is often an appeal to spiritual authority rather than an explanation grounded in Scripture.

But where does the Bible teach that God’s grace is a commodity administered through financial transactions?

Where does Scripture establish that the believer must pay a spiritual middleman before receiving divine favor?

Where do the Apostles instruct Christians to purchase access to the blessings of God?

The answer is not difficult to find.

Scripture teaches no such commercial arrangement.

Indeed, when Simon the magician attempted to purchase the ability to confer the Holy Spirit, Peter responded with a condemnation that ought to terrify anyone who treats spiritual gifts as merchandise.

Acts 8:20

“May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”

The Apostle Peter did not offer Simon a discounted price. He did not negotiate a payment plan. He did not create a special category of partnership giving through which Simon could acquire access to spiritual power.

He condemned the entire proposition.

Why?

Because the gift of God is not for sale.

The same principle applies to the Gospel itself.

Salvation is not a commodity. Forgiveness is not a financial transaction. Divine grace is not an asset owned by a religious institution.

And no ecclesiastical office, pastoral title, prophetic designation, or supposed supernatural experience gives a human being ownership of the blessings of God.

This is precisely why the commodification of Christianity is so dangerous.

It replaces the sufficiency of Christ with dependence upon religious personalities.

It directs attention away from the Gospel toward the supposed extraordinary powers of spiritual intermediaries.

And it encourages believers to place their confidence in rituals, objects, financial contributions, and human authorities rather than in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 3:24

“And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

As a gift.

Not as a reward for purchasing a religious product. Not as compensation for financing the ambitions of a spiritual celebrity. Not as a benefit dispensed at the discretion of a self-appointed custodian of supernatural power.

The Gospel is the proclamation of what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ. It is not an advertisement for what a preacher claims he can do for you if you give him enough money.

Martin Luther was right to insist that the true treasure of the Church is the Gospel.

That treasure has not changed. And the Church has no authority to replace it with another.

In Part III, we will examine the remaining thirty-three theses, including Luther’s penetrating questions about the wealth of the papacy, the claims of indulgence preachers, and the proper response to a religious establishment that cannot satisfactorily defend its teachings.

We will also consider why the principles raised by Luther remain relevant to Christians confronting spiritual manipulation and authoritarian religious leadership today.

To be continued.