499th Anniversary of what, you might ask? On October 31st Protestants around the world will celebrate The Reformation. Some of you may be saying and what is that? In a nutshell, on that day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed a list of 95 points that the Church was ‘out in left field’ on, to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. I’ll include some of them below, but most importantly it launched the evangelical church as we know it. In the years since the Resurrection, it is probably the most important and far-reaching event in Christian history.
Luther’s theses are engraved into the door of All Saints’ Church, Wittenberg. The Latin inscription above informs the reader that the original door was destroyed by a fire, and that in 1857, King Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered a replacement be made.
There were some interesting practices in the Church during that time period. And Luther’s 95 Thesis address them. I’ve included some of the most interesting and applicable to my belief’s below. If you want to read them all, in modern English, Check them out here.
2. Only God can give salvation – – not a priest.
4. Sin will always remain until we enter Heaven.
37. Any Christian – dead or alive – can gain the benefit and love of Christ without an indulgence. Indulgences are prayers and pay-offs to the Church for the person who has died. The belief is that a person can be paid or prayed into Heaven. Several of the Thesis Points cover this concept but I think 46 sums it up… A Christian should buy what is necessary for life not waste money on an indulgence.
62. The main treasure of the church should be the Gospels and the grace of God.
94. Christians must follow Christ at all cost.
What is most interesting to me is that the Word of God then, and now, is interpreted in ways that benefit those who are ‘in leadership’. Check out Paul’s words in 2 Peter 3:16
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Some will choose to distort the scripture to meet their own objectives and get others to do what they want or to believe as they do. This is not acceptable in any way and Peter clearly says it will lead ‘to their own destruction’. If our ‘treasure’ is truly ‘in the Gospel’ (see #62) then we have all we need when we know and keep ‘His Word in our heart’ (Psalm 119:11).
I truly hope that all of my readers understand that we cannot buy our way into Heaven through indulgences and the prayers of others. (see #37) Eternal life is secured by our belief in Jesus, the One and Only Son of God. And that is all that matters!
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
A Satisfied Spirit 
Yes it is sad Marie that they not only distort the Scriptures but ignore them as we can see confirmed with Number 4…..
4. Sin will always remain until we enter Heaven.
They seem to be saying that we will always Sin until we die even when we are Born Again but this is not what the Scriptures confirm as we can see below. When we are Born Again we have God’s seed or Nature and the mind of Christ and He does not choose to Sin ever.
1 John 3:9 No one who is Born of God will continue to Sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on Sinning, because he has been Born of God.
1John 5 18-20 We know that no one who is Born of God Sins but He who was Born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
God tells us to to reckon ourselves dead to Sin not to say we will or do sin and we are to put to death by the Spirit our evil flesh which causes us to Sin and Aim to be Perfected in Love and we can do this because Jesus has set us free and no Temptation is greater then we can bear.
Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto Sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What we believe in our heart dominates our thoughts and becomes our words and actions. Proverbs 23:7a K.J.V
John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who Sins is a slave to Sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from Sin and become Servants to God ye have your fruit unto Holiness and the end Everlasting Life. For the wages of Sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What people get confused about are weaknesses and shortcomings, which we all have but they are not judged as Sin, such as Anger when it comes from grief or confusion is not a Sin but we do not hold onto bitterness an resentment and seek revenge instead of forgiving if we do it is Sin. Jesus came to heal not condemn , man judges critically and without Love and Compassion because he looks on the outside but God sees the heart and knows the motivation or the reason.
1John 3 – No one who lives in Him keeps on Sinning. No one who continues to Sin has either seen Him or known Him. Dear children do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is Righteous, just as He is Righteous.
Romans 6:18-20 Being then made free from Sin, ye became the servants of Righteousness.
1 John 2:4-6 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the Love of God Perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
Colossians 3:4-6 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
1John 4:16-17 And we have known and believed the Love that God hath to us. God is Love; and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our Love made Perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.
Romans 6:6- 7 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of Sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to Sin because anyone who has died has been freed from Sin.
If we claim we have not Sinned an don’t need Salvation we are calling God a lair but if we continue to Sin we are still in darkness(1John1) yes we can be-forgiven if we come to heart repentance but that means we reject Sin and no longer Sin by the empowering of The Holy Spirit as we can see clearly confirmed in Scripture.
Christian Love and Blessings – Anne.
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Hi Anne! It breaks my heart that so many people don’t get this.
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
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