The Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther
October 31, 1517, Wittenberg, Germany
1
The Ninety-Five Theses
The Disputation on the Power and
Efficacy of Indulgences
Posted: October 31, 1517
The Eve of All Saints Day
Castle Church
Wittenberg, Germany
For oral debate on November 1, 1517
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
Luther, 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.
The first three theses statements are for
discussion on the importance of God’s Word in
the Holy Bible for the Christian’s life.
1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said,
“Repent” [Matthew 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.
3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance;
such inner repentance is worthless unless it
produces various outward mortifications of
the flesh.
Theses #4-14 address the power of the
pope, challenge the teachings of purgatory,
address the corruption of the clergy, and
the source of the forgiveness of sins as a
direct act from God.
4. The penalty of sin remains as long as the
hatred of self, that is, true inner repentance,
until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope neither desires nor is able to remit
any penalties except those imposed by his
own authority or that of the canons.
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.
7. God remits guilt to no one unless at the same
time he humbles him in all things and makes
him submissive to his vicar, the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on
the living, and, according to the canons
themselves, nothing should be imposed on the
dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit through the pope is
kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees
always makes exception of the article of death
and necessity.
10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly
who, in the case of the dying reserve canonical
penalties for purgatory.
11. Those tares of changing the canonical penalty
to the penalty of purgatory were evidently
sown while the bishops slept. [Matthew
13:25]
12. In former times canonical penalties were
imposed, not after, but before absolutism, as
tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all
penalties, are already dead as far as the canon
laws are concerned, and have a right to be
released from them.
14. Imperfect piety or love on the part of a dying
person necessarily brings with it great fear,
and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.
