The 95 Theses
Martin Luther stood firm on the basis of grace alone, Scripture alone, and faith alone.
Halloween originated from the Celtic festival Samhain, held on October 31. The ancient Celts practiced Druidism and believed that on that date, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become briefly dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. At the festival, bonfires were built to frighten evil spirits away.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints Day, or, in the terminology of the time, All Hallows Day (hallow means “holy”). In time, the observances that had been Samhain became “All Hallows Even,” the evening before All Hallows Day. “Halloween,” which has devolved into a cultural observance, is a contracted form of All Hallows Even.
There are good reasons, of course, that Halloween is not a Christian festival. Its origins are pagan and its current practice is secular.
Out of this history a new, Christian festival has emerged, especially for Lutherans. The festival of the reformation. According to tradition Martin Luther, a zealous Roman Catholic monk and theologian, nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517.
Martin Luther was no radical or vandal. The Castle Church was where many faculty and students of the University of Wittenberg worshiped, and the door was commonly used as a bulletin board. The theses printed and posted by Luther were not an attack on the church as much as an invitation to scholarly debate. Luther disagreed with the church’s practice of selling indulgences and the teaching of purgatory.
This spark of invitation to debate ignited larger fires of debate and discussion in the church, and impassioned Martin Luther to stand firm on the basis of grace alone, Scripture alone, and faith alone.
I have selected a few of Luther’s theses to share with you below, as well as his introduction to the document. May God bless you in your reading of them, your personal repentance, and your celebration of reformation.
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Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the reverend father, Martin Lutther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology and regularly appointed Lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate orally with us will do so by letter.
In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” [Matt. 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.
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.
10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties for purgatory.
21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.
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.
62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.
76. We say on the contrary that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as guilt is concerned.
87. Again, “What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to full remission and blessings?”
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 though the false security of peace [Acts 14:22].
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