Martin Luther and the Ninety-Five Theses

On October 31, 1517, German monk Martin Luther nailed a large document to the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Or so the story goes. Many historians think that the famous scene didn’t actually happen.

Posted on

On October 31, 1517, German monk Martin Luther nailed a large document to the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, igniting the Protestant Reformation. Or so the story goes. Many historians think that the famous scene didn’t actually happen. Less dramatically, it seems that Luther sent the theses to the local archbishop by mail, and then they landed in the lap of the pope. The impact, nonetheless, set off a chain of events within the Roman Catholic Church that prepared the stage for the Reformation.

The Ninety-Five Theses were a list of grievances against the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling indulgences. Christians were able to buy certificates from the Church that gave them reduced sentences in purgatory. One German friar, Johann Tetzel, was effectively an indulgences salesman who went on a fundraising spree around Europe selling the certificates. Many people decried Tetzel’s campaign of corruption, but Luther was the first and loudest voice to confront those with authority in the Church.

Luther wanted to reform the Church from the inside and was very much protesting as a Roman Catholic. He didn’t initially intend to lead a theological break from Catholicism. Like a healthy church that may disagree with certain teachings of its denomination, he sought reformation and attempted to call out sinful practices before he walked away altogether from his religious community. He thought that things had gotten out of hand in the Church and that the clergy had forgotten the centrality of Christ and the Gospel. Luther made clear from the first two theses that true repentance is from Christ alone. Christ calls us to repent, which means a change in our whole life, not simply buying an indulgence or going to confession. The real impact of the theses was that someone was publicly criticizing and standing up to the Church.

After being made public, the Ninety-Five Theses were printed and spread around Europe within a few short months. What made the Ninety-Five Theses so compelling was their clarity and detail, allowing laypeople to easily understand what Luther was talking about. But all of the drama surrounding October 31st wasn’t the beginning. Luther had been preaching against corruption in the indulgences system for years before 1517. When that didn’t change anything, he wrote the theses, and after further frustration with the Church’s stubbornness, he began more theological critiques of Catholicism. Luther didn’t write up the Ninety-Five Theses and then run off to start Protestantism. The Reformation was a process over several decades, with Luther and many others standing by their convictions about the Gospel.

Indulgences were the start, and soon Luther began to teach against the Catholic view of justification. In the same way that buying an indulgence falsely declared sinners free from purgatory and punishment, Luther critiqued the belief that good works could save sinners from God’s wrath. He rediscovered the powerful truth that God’s grace through faith alone saves the sinner.

Like the oracles of the Old Testament prophets, the Ninety-Five Theses condemned the hypocrisy and false teachings of religious authorities. God ordained prophets from within the nation of Israel to call out sin and corruption. The prophets usually listed out the Israelites’ offenses against God and His law, showing how they had twisted God’s commandments and forgotten the poor and needy. Oftentimes, the Israelites thought they had appeased God by making the right sacrifices and keeping the letter of the law, all the while worshipping other gods and living immorally.

People have always tried using theology and religious institutions to make a buck. The money lenders and merchants in Jesus’s day had taken over the temple courts, selling sacrificial animals to Jewish worshippers to be offered at the temple. Jesus was having none of that. And Luther was having none of the Church’s profiteering based on twisted doctrine about forgiveness. God sets aside some of his servants to confront and speak truth in a special way to the powers that be. Luther and his theses happened to be a significant and memorable one.

Featured Image by Pexels

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Forrest is a graduate student in Boston, MA, where he studies Philosophy. He's a lifelong reader of everything from ancient history to modern poetry. He thinks music is one of the most important things in life and he loves trying to cook with his family. Forrest is obsessed with ideas and loves how interesting people are.