Luther's 95 Theses & The True Gospel

Martin Luther, Indulgences, and the 95 Theses

So we're continuing in lesson number 10, which is on the Protestant reformers and We ended off on section 3. So we've been talking about Martin Luther who is the man who you could say maybe started the Protestant Reformation.

So we're on section 3 with the 95 Theses and the diet of worms or worms. However, you pronounce it in German. So I'm just gonna read it says. In the previous lesson we introduced Indulgences that is their pardons that supposedly Reduce the punishment for sin and purgatory.

The medieval church issued indulgences in exchange for money or tithes. This selling of indulgences became an important source of income for the Papacy and I think most of you know st. Peter's Basilica like Vatican City that huge structure with the dome.

The head.

Headquarters of the Catholic Church. That was all paid for through indulgences. So these priests and salesmen went all throughout Europe and collected I don't know how much money and say yeah, if you donate money, this will get your loved one out of purgatory.

They'll get them out early and all that money was used to build st. Peter's Basilica in Rome. And that's part of what led to the Reformation that kind of corruption. It says in 1517 church authorities commissioned a monk named Johann Tetzel to sell indulgences throughout Saxony.

So did everyone have Tetzel? That's the name you were supposed to fill in if you're following along in the book. It says by this time Luther was teaching at the University in Wittenberg and when Tetzel began selling indulgences near Wittenberg Luther was Incensed.

Now, what does it mean to be incensed? Yeah to me, it's it's not just angry. You're really angry. I mean you're incensed, right? To articulate his concerns Luther drafted a list of 95 Arguments against the abuse of Indulgences this treatise was written in Latin and was intended for inter church debate so Luther a lot of people have kind of the wrong idea that he went up to the church door and Nailed the this document in and he was trying to just create a stirred.

He was trying to start something like the Reformation. That is not what Luther was trying to do. He viewed himself at least at that moment as a faithful Catholic and He wanted to start a conversation a dialogue.

He did not intend to start the Reformation, but you know later down the line. He realized that the Catholic Church.

Was.

Unreformable if that's even a word, right? He wanted to reform the Catholic Church and then he realized this isn't gonna work and then then he broke away and was opposing the church. But at least at this moment This was not meant as some sort of rebellion.

He just wanted to start a conversation because this is a real problem. So can we address it, please? That's what he was trying to do. Somehow Luther's Latin document was translated into German. Remember we talked about the printing press.

And how the Reformation probably couldn't have happened without the printing press. So it looks like somebody took took his document down made a bunch of copies Put it back up and then sent them all all around which started the whole Reformation process so the printing press made it possible for copies to be quickly distributed throughout Saxony in the surrounding regions.

Luther had been given or had given voice to popular concerns about corruption in the church. In spite of the growing outcry Roman Catholic authorities were slow to respond initially. The Pope hoped It would be handled within the Augustinian monastic order of which Luther was a part.

Does anyone have any? Scripture references any verse in the Bible that might Counteract or something you could quote in relation to indulgences. If somebody said, okay, why are indulgences wrong? Use the Bible tell me why they're wrong.

Although I'll just let you think about that for a minute, okay. Salvation is a free gift. You should shouldn't have to pay for salvation. Okay, Roman 623 salvation is a gift that that's a good one.

Okay.

Okay, so whether or not someone's going to heaven isn't gonna matter whether you're giving the Pope money. It's gonna matter whether you believe in Jesus.

Yeah.

These are good arguments, I think says in July 1519 Luther debated a man named Johan Eck on the topic of papal authority. Luther admitted that he admired the teachings of John Huss which was a dangerous thing to do since Huss had been executed as a heretic in June 1520 Pope Leo the 10th issued a decree called a papal bull That threatened to excommunicate Luther if he did not recant.

When Luther refused to relinquish his views. He was excommunicated in January 1521. He was subsequently summoned by Emperor Charles the fifth to an Imperial Council called a diet and the City of Worms.

Luther arrived in April and was presented with a list of his alleged heresies, but Luther still refused to recant. He said since then your majesty and your lordship's Desire. A simple reply. I will answer without horns and without teeth.

Unless I am convinced by scripture and plain reason I do not accept the authority of Popes and councils for they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything.

For to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen, and some of you are probably familiar with that that phrase. It's not right to go against Conscience, it's not that neither right nor safe.

So Luther you hear him. He said I need to be convinced by the Word of God. Whatever the Pope says, you know. It doesn't didn't carry that much weight with him in comparison to the Bible. Okay, the following month in May 1521 Luther was declared a quote notorious heretic by the Emperor.

This Designation made him an outlaw and put his life in danger. Luther's political protector was a prince in the Holy Roman Empire named Frederick the third also known as Frederick the wise of Saxony.

Knowing Luther was an imminent danger. Frederick sent men to kidnap Luther and take him into hiding and this is where Luther was. Spent the next few years in this castle people called him Squire George.

So he had an alias just so no one would figure out Who he was or where he was and when he was in this this castle he translated the New Testament From Greek into the German language. His translation was completed early in 1522.

Why is that important this work of him translating from Latin to German? Why is that important? Well, I mean German is the language of You know the people right? Yeah, how many of the Germans spoke Latin?

Zero.

Maybe I don't know if there's anyone here who attended maybe The Catholic Church when you were young, but I mean we were all familiar with this that a lot of people. Back in the day, they would go to a Catholic mass and it was all in Latin, right?

Nobody could understand what was being said and then they switched it over to English I mean, but that's the way the church the Catholic Church was. Nobody had any earthly idea what was going on? What was being said and then the Bible was in Latin.

So how would people even know what was true? Unless you translate the Bible into the common language and then preach it to people in the common language. You just would have no way of knowing. So this was a very important thing to get the Bible into the vernacular and To start preaching the Word of God because up until this point in churches Just look at our church.

What's front and center in the sanctuary? The pulpit if you look at these old Catholic cathedrals and whatnot the pulpit if there even is one is off to the side and In the front in the center is the communion table.

So it was all about communion it was all about the sacraments and lifting up the thing and bowing and doing this and speaking in Latin and You know people again just didn't know what was going on. So the Reformation changed everything.

You can now have the Bible in your language although people still didn't have it in their hands at this point, but Preaching became the center of the worship service and that's really the difference between churches that are liturgical.

Where it's all about communion and the tables front and center as to as opposed to a Bible-believing church where the pulpits front and center. Okay any questions on that?

All right.

So Luther's German translation would be influential on the translation efforts of Tyndale who? Was translating the New Testament into English and he accomplished that in 1525. Let's think of some more verses.

Why would preaching? be the center of the service as opposed to Communion. There any verses you can think of?

Okay, good.

In this just came to me. I think of the pastoral epistles. What's Paul telling Timothy? I mean, he's stressing that Timothy needs to do what? Preach the word. It's interesting. I'm not even sure Paul mentions the Lord's Supper in the pastoral epistles.

You would think if communion was the center of the whole worship service and that was what it's all about. Why doesn't Paul bring it up in first Timothy second Timothy or Titus? Like I'm not even sure he brings it up at all.

If he does it's in passing. But there's a strong emphasis on teaching and preaching the Word of God. To me that that just settles the issue once and for all so. Again, we always have to go back to what Scripture says and that's going to be the thing that decides it for us.

Okay, and this time in Luther's life illustrates his commitment to the authority of Scripture. He refused to waver in his commitment to biblical truth. Even when threatened by the Pope and the Emperor the same conviction motivated his translation efforts.

Because he recognized the need to make the scripture available to the common people just to kind of pick up on this point because I want to spend some time in the The the Bible so let's turn this first Timothy for a moment.

I just want to look at What Paul is highlighting in the pastoral epistles. Can anyone think of Baptism or the Lord's Supper being. Or the Lord's Supper in particular. Can anyone think of that being referenced in the pastoral epistles?

I'm drawing a blank. I Don't think it's even a reference, but correct me if I'm wrong so first Timothy. Let's look at. Let's look at chapter 3 for a moment first Timothy 3. Paul says this is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a bishop or we call it pastor.

But it's the same office really he desires a good work and if you Go down to verse. Let's see. Yeah verse 2 He says, you know, he must be blameless husband of one wife temperate sober minded. Good behavior hospitable, then what does he say apt to teach?

He needs to be able to teach. So when the church would come together, I mean you're there to learn. So there has to be teaching and you're also there to get Motivated and encouraged through the preaching and the fellowship.

But again, I don't I just don't see anything about The Lord's Supper here, but turn to 2nd Timothy for a moment. Just this is the first verse that really came to mind. 1st Timothy chapter 4. Sorry 2nd Timothy chapter 4.

Thank you 2nd Timothy chapter 4. Paul starts out. In verse 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ Who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom so he's charging Timothy here's what you need to do and he says number one.

Preach the word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and Teaching so teaching and preaching. You think of our worship service or nearly any? Evangelical Protestant Church Baptist Church Bible-believing Church, the majority of the time is dedicated to what?

Yeah, teach teaching and preaching so I mean I would just argue that's the way It should be and you could go back to Jesus when he would enter into the synagogue. Remember the time he went in and he took the scroll he read from the scroll and he sat down.

To teach this has just always been the way it was but with with the Catholic Church it became about communion which Communion the Lord's Supper is very important. I'm not trying to downplay that at all, but that just became everything and you were safe.

Remember we talked about this a week or two ago. How do they understand you know what it means to receive Christ? To them receiving Christ is receiving the wafer. So you're saved you're forgiven. Salvation is by receiving Christ.

It's by eating the bread. So everything just kind of got switched around. Ray you had a hand up.

I'm not really with a Catholic Church. They built their Church on Peter not not all.

Jesus yeah.

Yeah, all right. Let's go to Matthew 16 since you brought that up. This is the idea. And you're right. They they say that the church is built on Peter. Because we're reading about the Reformation and Martin Luther, and he's opposing the Pope and that's really.

That's really the battle are we gonna follow the Bible, or are we gonna follow the Pope? Like how did the Pope even get in like how did he even get involved like what is a Pope? Where's that in the Bible well according to them?

They say it's all from this passage here in Matthew 16 I'll get there. You know preaching through Matthew. I'll be there in a month or two, so we'll go over this again, but Matthew chapter 16. Let's look at verses.

Let's see yes. Starting in verse 13 this is known as the Caesarea Philippi confession. It says when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked his disciples saying who do men say that I the Son of Man am so they said some say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets and he said to them, but who do you say that I am in Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God Jesus answered and said to him blessed.

Are you Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood is not revealed this to you? But my father who is in heaven and I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades.

Shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever. You loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven so Where did the papacy come from?

Where does this idea come from that the church is built on Peter? The Pope or the Catholic Church would point to this passage right here now. What's the problem with that? And I'm assuming you think there's a problem because if you know if you agreed with that I assume you'd be Catholic but.

Ray.

He was supposed to be making a church of.

Okay, okay.

Mark.

Caesarea Philippi is a is a huge rock face.

And.

And I think that that's what he chose. That place but the rock.

That.

Jesus is referring to is is Peter's statement of the fact that Jesus is the Christ. I'm the sign the anointed one that is that's the rock.

Yeah.

Jesus is the rock. He's the cornerstone.

We're.

We're living stones, yeah.

Now we're reading an English translation of the Bible. Thanks to men like Wycliffe and others We have the Bible in English. Okay, great. Well, here's the thing though. Sometimes reading it in English you miss a few Nuances that are in the Greek.

Okay. I want to say this you can understand the Bible Without without knowing Greek we can read it in English and understand the message. However, there's something that is in the Greek that you wouldn't know.

Otherwise unless you studied it. But let's start with this Peter the name Peter means what? Rock, right. Peter is Cephas the rock and Jesus seems to be saying on this rock. I will build my church. I mean I can at least understand somebody's like yeah, well Peter his name means rock on this rock I'll build my church.

The church is being built on Peter. I mean, I at least understand that logic. However There's two different Greek words being used so let's go back to verse let's look at 18 and Jesus said I say to you that you are Peter which in Greek is Petra's which means a small stone as you reference Peter in his epistles Peter and all Believers are stones in the larger building.

We're a small star. Peter was a small stone. And then Jesus says on this rock, which is a different Greek word Petra I will build my church in other words your Peter. Petra's the small stone. But on this Petra this large boulder this immovable stone Which is where the rock face might come in at the location I will build so in other words He's not saying that the church is built on Peter because Peters the small stone the church is built on the large immovable stone which is Christ and the profession of faith in Christ.

How is the church built? How is Christianity spread by? People placing their faith in Christ. It's all about him. He's the cornerstone. No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is in Christ Jesus first Corinthians 311.

It's about him not Peter. But again, the Catholic Church says no it's about Peter because he's the first Pope. So now it's all about the Popes and that really is what they're doing. They're following a false Christ.

Who is this? Man who stands in the place of Christ, so it's all been kind of Reversed on people. Yes.

Okay. All right. Yeah.

Christ but the Apostles are like Christ is a cornerstone and the Apostles are.

Foundational.

Stone. Yeah, okay. Let's say and then we are living stones, right? Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 2.

Yeah, the temple in Israel they've excavated down to the original street level and and there is a stone.

A.

Foundational stone. That's the size of a school bus.

There.

They just I don't know. I couldn't help but think of that. And then as you go along the the original foundation. There's the place where you are closest to the to the altar.

Okay Ephesians chapter 2. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20. Says. Well, let's go back to verse 19 for context. Paul says now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

Ephesians 2 20. So here it sounds like the Apostles are the foundation. I thought Jesus is the foundation. Well, listen the Apostles what were they doing? They were preaching Christ. You know, they were laying the foundation by preaching Christ and now.

Now let's go to first Peter because we're you know again, we're talking about Luther and the Reformation and Martin Luther. To start out with he was not looking to oppose the church or start a new church.

He saw the corruption but what this led to. He realized that it wasn't just the Catholic Church was corrupt with indulgences and trying to swindle people out of their money. It was bigger than that. He realized that the the Catholic Church was preaching a false gospel.

So once Luther realized that then this became his his life mission to restore The preaching of the true gospel, and of course, this is the whole issue with the Reformation Protestant salvation by faith grace through faith faith alone as opposed to faith plus works.

Aaron.

And if your footings are bad, which is a cornerstone the entire foundation fall apart and crumple. Yeah, and so the fact that they're the first to be preaching the gospel. You can see that as being foundational.

But there is again about Christ. He's if that's not right and the whole foundation is just.

Right, right and You know the way I look at that verse the foundation of the prophets and the Apostles. I mean, I think of the Old Testament prophets who preached Christ, although they didn't really see it clearly.

And then you have the Apostles. Jesus is what kind of ties it all together, you know, the Old and New Testament the prophets and Apostles. He's the cornerstone. He's the one who brings the two together.

Maybe that's not what's intended by Paul, but. That's the way I've kind of all always thought of it. Look at first Peter chapter 2. He says starting in the first verse therefore laying aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and Evil speaking as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

Of course back here in the 1500s the average Christian or Catholic just they weren't they weren't getting the word and that that was the problem. Verse 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Here's the part that we're going to focus on. Coming to him who's him? Christ writes capital letter coming to him as to a living stone. Rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious you also as what?

Living stones are being built up into a spiritual house a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the scripture. Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone elect Precious and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.

Does it sound to you like Peter thought that he was the foundation of the church. Peter's thinking I'm I'm the rock. It's all about me and I'm the fat. No, it's all about Christ, obviously. So Peter was a small stone.

We're all small stones in the building, but it's. It's about Christ and I know that's kind of like obvious. So the Christian Church is built on Christ right, but It wasn't as obvious back then. Yeah, I mean you have to consider these Roman Catholics and the 1500s if you're brought up being taught From from a little child.

You're always taught and told the same thing. From the time you're you know, three years old to 35. That's just what you're gonna think and believe because that's what you you've always been told and everyone around you thinks that now.

How would you know different? But Luther changed all that. Okay, so the discussion question going back to Luther. What or it says look at what Luther said at the Diet of Worms to what authority did Luther appeal.

This is the easy question what? Okay, so the Bible it's all about the Bible. To what authority was his conscience bound? Same thing. I Have a lot simple enough, okay.

But.

He was opposing. What authority. The papacy. Okay, and the problem is with the papacy and the Emperor and of course You know the the church and the the state were kind of together By opposing them. Obviously he was risking his life.

The Authority of Scripture at the Diet of Worms

Section four is called the heart of the gospel. So now we're getting into the whole crux of the matter. Any questions on Luther. Anything. We've read up until this point. Okay, so this because it started with indulgences.

But then it quickly moved to this being the main issue. It says in keeping with their commitment to the what? Authority it should be authority. In keeping with their commitment to the authority of scripture.

Luther and his fellow Reformers looked to God's Word to define the heart of the gospel. Says. During the Middle Ages the doctrine of justification had become confused and distorted. Roman Catholics saw justification as a gradual process By which the sinner was made righteous over a long period of time.

This process involved both God's grace and the sinners efforts to perform good works. Okay. So now let me ask you is salvation a process.

Okay.

Sanctification we can say as a process but not salvation. I would argue salvation happens in a moment in time. Now some of you can remember The the day in the hour that you are saved. I'm sure there's somebody in this room who can say yeah, it was June 9th.

You know, whatever 1972. Or can anyone can anyone give a date 55 55?

Yeah.

So you remember the moment you remember the moment and even if God was working in your heart and you are actually Regenerated, you know an hour before you didn't confess the work. There's still a moment in time where you you didn't have faith before and now you do.

Well, some say that it happened before the foundations of the earth. Well, God chose before the foundation. That's the whole other thing, but God chose them, but you believed in a moment of time. That's when God declared you righteous or justified.

Not everyone knows the day. I. For me, I know about when it was. I Can kind of narrow it down within a few months. But I just don't. I don't remember a day where it became. But that happens in a moment.

It's not a process. But that was that's what the Catholic Church was teaching. It's a long process and unfortunately with the Catholic Church The process goes on until your death and you still don't know when you die.

Because they say you cannot know whether or not you're truly saved. First John 5 13 says that you can write first John 5 13. These things I've written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know.

That you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Right now, you know. You're I agree with you. Yeah, I I do agree with that. However, I mean, I I think there were probably a lot of Catholic priests and bishops.

Who really in their heart they were well-meaning. I mean, I think they were wrong or they were deceived but. Because because the opposite is well, hey, you know. You guys you evangelicals think you can just say a prayer and just go and do whatever and not like there are potential problems on both sides that you could point to but Salvation does happen in a moment in time.

Okay. Does anyone want to give a Bible verse for that? Yes something else.

Okay.

Oh.

Good the thief on the cross. What it remember when the thief started out Jesus is is in the middle. He has two thieves on both sides. To start out. They're both reviling him.

But.

Before they died one of them at some something happened and he he realized that We deserve this we're guilty and then he rebukes the other thief, you know, we deserve to be here. But this man has done nothing wrong and then he says Lord.

Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Before that thief was nailed to the cross. He was an unsaved man while he was being nailed to the cross. He was an unsaved man. But when he was hanging there before he died He had faith.

He.

Expressed his faith. He was saved and we know he's saved because Jesus is the one who assured him today Thou shalt be with me in paradise. Great example.

What?

You.

Right. Yeah. Yep. So salvation happens in a moment of time. So going back to the book here part of the confusion about justification was due to the Latin. Translation of the Greek term. The Latin term in justificare Could mean to make righteous and lent itself towards a process.

But the Greek term and I don't know how to pronounce this But the Greek term for the same word means to declare Righteous, which speaks of a judicial verdict issued in a moment in time. In other words if you're reading it in the Latin It sort of sounds like the Catholics are right that it sounds.

It's the word that would imply a process but when it's in Greek. When it's in Greek, it's a declaration made in a moment. Well, how do you decide which is right? Well, the New Testament was written in what.

Latin or Greek? Greek so you got to go with the Greek not the Latin.

Um.

Jesus said you must be born again and talked about being born in the flesh that which is born in the flesh His flesh and that which is born in the Spirit. So the same way that our birth certificates all say that at 127 a .m. November 30th so-and-so was born.

Yep, and just by Assumption you can think of being born of the Spirit.

Also happens. Okay, that's good. Jesus uses the analogy of being born again now. I know there's gonna be women who say yeah, but birth is a process and lasts for hours and it's painful. Well, but you know, it still happens in the day in a moment.

The baby's born at a certain at a certain moment.

Okay. Yep.

How are you saved.

Yeah.

Yeah, so if you look in the New Testament it does talk about salvation in kind of three tenses that Saved is in past tense. We've all been saved. You're being saved and then you will be saved. So the way the best way I've heard that explained is we have been saved from sins penalty.

You know, we're going to heaven we're saved from sins penalty. We will we are currently being saved from sins power so. That's sanctification. You are more free. You you have been you're being saved from sins power doesn't have that hold on you that it once did and but you're still growing.

You're still in that process one day. We will be saved from sins presence where sin isn't even a.

Thing anymore.

But yeah, that's but still we were saved in a moment from sin and it's been declared righteous. So in Greek, it means to declare righteous in a moment of time. With the rediscovery of biblical Greek The Reformers were careful to correct the erroneous notion that justification was a process procured in part by good works, you know and the sacraments and going to the priest for confession and Donating money and doing this and doing that.

That's the punctilious.

Rather it is a divine pardon issued at the moment of conversion in which God declares the sinner to be righteous or justified based on the atoning work and imputed righteousness of Christ. It really is like a transaction.

Some people might not like that. Would how to describe it that way but it really is like a transaction. You go to a bank. You give them the money. They Give this lid. They do. Press a few buttons. The transaction has been made.

The the righteousness of Christ has been imputed into our accounts. Bought with a price. Thus the Reformers taught that believers are saved by grace alone. Through faith alone in the person and work of Christ alone.

All the glory for their salvation goes to God.

Alone.

They recognized the vital importance of repentance, but clearly saw good works as the evidence or fruit of Justification not the cause or root of it. Luther distinguished the biblical gospel from Roman Catholic teaching by Differentiating between the quote theology of the cross, which is the biblical view and the theology of glory.

Which was the Roman view? The theology of the cross emphasized that human beings can do nothing to earn their own righteousness before God. Nor can they add anything to the righteousness provided to them through Christ.

Any Righteousness given to them comes from outside of them. It is an alien Righteousness, what does that mean an alien righteousness? What's from outside right. So the righteousness that you have is it yours.

Well, I mean, it's yours you possess it but it was given to you by Christ you you possess Christ's Righteousness, so when God looks at us when we stand before God, he doesn't see you for all the thing.

Okay, let's look at all the remember the books in Revelation the books are open. Okay, let's go through Going back 50 years. You did this remember that time you said that remember this time or you did this?

Would anyone want to be in that situation? Go over the books of all the things you've ever said thought did wrong. No instead when God looks at us he sees He sees Christ.

Yeah Right.

All our righteousness is as filthy rags. Can you imagine someone standing before God and I'm sure there's people who think yeah when I stand before God. This is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make my case God.