Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 04:1 (Fall 2017)
Article: The 95 Theses And Luther’s Doctrine Of Repentance
Author: C. J. Williams

RPTJ 4:1 (Fall 2017) p. 15

The 95 Theses And Luther’s Doctrine Of Repentance

C. J. Williams

Professor of Old Testament Studies
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

95 Theses: Man, Moment, And Motive

Great events of church history, like the Reformation, are liable to be oversimplified as the passage of time brings greater distance from the many factors that brought these events about. Of course, the providence of God is the determinative factor, but on the historical level, Reformation history is an intricate web of personalities and influences, stretched over time and space, each playing a different part in the unfolding event that known as the Reformation. That is why the study of the Reformation remains a fertile field, with much room for edifying research. Still, the basic historical outlines of the Reformation have become distinct through hindsight, and certain men, certain moments, and certain motives are identified as the defining features of the Reformation. Ongoing research brings different men, moments, and motives to our attention, but only a few of these are universally recognized as being decisive to the initiation and the outcome of the Reformation. One such decisive combination of a man, a moment, and a motive will be the topic of this paper. The man is Martin Luther. The moment was October 31, 1517, when he made public his Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, now famously known as the 95 Theses. His motive, however, was more than a simple objection to the sale of the indulgences which the Roman Catholic church claimed to guarantee forgiveness of sins There was a very pastoral concern that prompted Luther to speak out when he did. Luther feared that the sale of indulgences, along with other institutional practices of the Roman Catholic Church, would replace the sense of need for personal repentance in the believer’s life. This oft-overlooked motive behind the 95 Theses will be the subject of this paper.

Preaching Against Indulgences And For Repentance

The Roman Catholic Church had been selling indulgences to reduce punishment for sins for centuries, but by 1517, the practice had reached a level of absurdity, overtly preying on people’s fears for profit. In 1476, Pope Sixtus IV extended the benefit of papal indulgences to the souls in purgatory.1 So, when Johann Tetzel, a Dominican monk, was appointed commissioner for the sale of indulgences in the province of Magdeburg in 1517, his sales pitch became, “When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.” Playing on the fear and guilt of his audiences, Tetzel would exhort his hearers to have pity on their dead relatives, to not let them languish in purgatory, but to free their souls to glory in return for cash down.