Doctrine and Mission

Tag: Roman Catholicism

  • When Salvation was For Sale:

    How the Reformation Exposed the Costly Error of Indulgences and Reclaimed the Gospel of Grace

    In the early 16th century, the church in Western Europe was in crisis—not from outside enemies, but from within. The gospel of Jesus Christ, once proclaimed as the free gift of salvation to all who believe, had become entangled in a system of works, payments, and spiritual debt. The very message that “by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8–9) had been overshadowed by a practice that suggested forgiveness could be purchased. That practice was the sale of indulgences.

    The Protestant Reformation was not born from political ambition or personal rebellion—it arose because the truth of salvation had been obscured. And if the gospel is obscured, everything is lost.

    The Rise of Indulgences: A Financial Crisis in Rome

    In the early 1500s, the Roman Church faced a massive architectural project: the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome—one of the largest and grandest churches in the world. The project was expensive, and the church needed funds. The solution devised was to expand the system of indulgences.

    An indulgence was originally framed as a church-declared remission of the temporal punishment due to sin (distinct from forgiveness itself). But in practice, indulgences became something much worse: a spiritual transaction. With the purchase of an indulgence, one could supposedly reduce time spent in purgatory—a place the Church taught was a temporary state of purification before entering heaven.

    And the sale was not just for the living. People were told they could buy indulgences for deceased loved ones—reducing their suffering and hastening their entry into heaven.

    This culminated in the infamous fundraising campaign led by Johan Tetzel, who advertised indulgences with slogans like:

    “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”

    It was an offer that tugged on fear and affection—what loving child wouldn’t want to ease their parents’ suffering?

    But what Tetzel was selling was not hope—it was a lie.

    The Unbiblical Nature of Purgatory

    The entire indulgence system depends on the existence of purgatory, yet purgatory itself has no foundation in Scripture. The Bible teaches two—and only two—eternal destinies:

    “It is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
    —Hebrews 9:27

    Jesus told the thief on the cross:

    “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
    —Luke 23:43

    Not after centuries of cleansing. Not after purification by fire. Today.

    The Bible presents heaven and hell as final and eternal states (Matthew 25:46). There is no middle place. There is no second chance. There is no postmortem purification process.

    And there is no price—no payment, no gift, no offering—that can shorten or avoid judgment.

    Martin Luther and the Spark of Reformation

    When Martin Luther, a German monk and professor, saw indulgences being sold as spiritual escape tickets, he recognized the danger. In 1517, he wrote the 95 Theses and nailed them to the door of the Wittenberg Church—not to start a revolution, but to call for honest debate.

    His central argument was simple:

    Salvation cannot be bought. Forgiveness cannot be sold. Christ alone saves.

    The gospel had been replaced by a marketplace. Grace had been replaced by greed. The Church had entered the business of selling what God offered freely.

    The Reformation was born not because Luther wanted to tear the church apart, but because he wanted to restore the gospel.

    The True Gospel: Salvation by Grace Through Faith

    The Bible declares without hesitation:

    “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
    —Ephesians 2:8–9

    Grace is not earned.
    Faith is not purchased.
    Salvation is not for sale.

    Christ paid the full price—once for all—at the cross:

    “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

    There is no leftover debt.
    No remaining punishment.
    No divine invoice waiting for payment.

    When the Gospel Is Sold, Christ Is Diminished

    The sale of indulgences was not just a theological error—it was a denial of the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. To suggest that money could reduce punishment is to say that the blood of Jesus was not enough.

    And that is a lie no Christian can accept.

    The Legacy of the Reformation

    The Reformation recovered five essential truths:

    1. Scripture Alone — The Bible is the final authority.
    2. Christ Alone — Christ is the only mediator.
    3. Grace Alone — Salvation is God’s gift.
    4. Faith Alone — We receive salvation through trusting Christ.
    5. To the Glory of God Alone — Salvation is for God’s praise, not human power or profit.

    These were not new doctrines—they were the original teachings of Christ and the Apostles, rediscovered and reclaimed.

    Conclusion: Salvation Cannot Be Bought

    The gospel is the best news the world has ever heard:

    God saves sinners—not because they earn it, deserve it, or buy it—but because He is gracious.

    Poverty cannot bar someone from heaven.
    Wealth cannot purchase a single moment of salvation.

    Heaven is not a marketplace.
    Grace is not a transaction.
    Christ is not for sale.

    Salvation is the free gift of God, secured by Christ, received by faith, and guaranteed by the promise of God Himself.

  • Sola Scriptura and the Problem with Apostolic Succession

    One of the central tenets of the Protestant Reformation was sola scriptura: the principle that Scripture alone is the final authority for faith and practice. This principle emerged in direct opposition to the Roman Catholic emphasis on apostolic succession and the authority of church tradition. While Catholicism argues that the Pope and bishops inherit an unbroken line of authority from the apostles, a careful biblical and theological examination shows why this claim is both unnecessary and ultimately unbiblical.

    Apostolic Succession in Catholic Thought

    Catholics defend apostolic succession by asserting that Christ established the apostles as the authoritative leaders of the church, with Peter as the “rock” (Matthew 16:18-19) and the rest of the apostles commissioned to teach, govern, and safeguard doctrine. From this, they argue that bishops, as successors of the apostles, inherit their authority, and that the Pope, as the successor of Peter, possesses supreme teaching authority.

    Catholic apologists often appeal to passages like 2 Thessalonians 2:15—“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter”—claiming that oral tradition, preserved and interpreted by the church, carries divine authority alongside Scripture.

    The Biblical Problem with Apostolic Succession

    Several key issues arise when comparing this model with Scripture:

    1. Authority is rooted in Christ, not men. While apostles were indeed authoritative, their authority came from Christ Himself. Acts 1:15-26 and 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 emphasize that their legitimacy came from Christ’s calling and commissioning, not from a humanly traceable succession. Once the apostles completed their work—teaching, writing Scripture, establishing churches—the basis for claiming special authority through lineage vanishes.
    2. The apostles themselves foresaw the completion of their teaching in Scripture. Paul repeatedly instructed churches to test all teaching against what he and other apostles wrote (Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). The New Testament repeatedly stresses the sufficiency of apostolic teaching, implying that no later bishops or popes can add to it.
    3. Tradition is inherently unstable. Unlike Scripture, human tradition is mutable. Popes and councils have historically disagreed, sometimes drastically, on doctrine. Even the claim of “progressive revelation” within tradition is theologically problematic because God Himself does not progress in truth. His character, His commands, and His moral law do not evolve (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). If Scripture reveals God’s eternal truth fully and finally, then any claim that tradition can develop new doctrine risks contradicting that truth.
    4. Scripture warns against elevating human authority. Jesus warned against those who would place human traditions above God’s Word (Mark 7:7-9). Paul rebuked the Galatians for turning from the gospel to human instructions (Galatians 1:6-9). The implicit critique of apostolic succession is clear: no lineage of men can stand above or replace the authority of God’s revealed Word.

    The Misconception of “Progressive Tradition”

    Some Catholic apologists respond by arguing that the Church grows in understanding over time, refining doctrines like the nature of the Trinity, Mary’s role, or moral theology. But there’s a critical distinction: understanding Scripture more deeply is not the same as Scripture itself progressing. God’s truth does not change; His commands are eternal. What the Church discovers in reflection must always be measured against the fixed truth of Scripture. Any claim that papal authority or tradition can create new moral imperatives risks putting the Church above Christ.

    For example, God’s teaching on marriage (Matthew 19:4-6) has not evolved, despite centuries of differing papal interpretations or disciplinary accommodations. To suggest that truth progresses as “tradition develops” undermines the very notion of divine immutability.

    Conclusion

    Sola Scriptura is not a denial of church authority or history; it is a safeguard against the instability and mutability of human traditions. Apostolic succession, when taken as a claim to infallible authority, contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture: authority rests in Christ, His Word is complete, and human intermediaries cannot add to or redefine divine truth.

    Churches may honor the historical apostles and the faithful men who followed, but Christ’s Word alone is sufficient to guide, correct, and preserve the church for all generations. In this light, Scripture is the final court of appeal—not bishops, not popes, and not tradition.