INDULGENCESIsaiah 64:6- “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;” |
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ROME SAYSWhen a man sins against a holy God, there are both eternal consequences as well as temporal consequences. The eternal consequences are removed by the absolution of the priest after a good confession is made and a perfect act of contrition is said. However, the temporal consequences of sin still remain and must be dealt with by the individual. The stains of sin are washed away in the sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. (See link to Confession) However, the sinner must continue to make amends for the sins. The remnants and effects of the sin are still present after it has been forgiven and must be gradually removed by prayer, good works, fasting, almsgiving, bearing our cross and other acts of penance.
An indulgence (from the Latin indulgentia) is understood to be the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment of sin remaining after the forgiveness of the guilt of sin. This remission is valid in the sight of God, and it is granted by the Church out of Her treasury of satisfaction. There are two types of indulgences being a plenary (full) and partial. Only the Pope can grant a plenary indulgence. In 1967, Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences, the revised conditions for obtaining a plenary indulgence are: “the person must be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin; must perform the indulgenced work as perfectly as possible; and, within several days before or after doing so, must receive sacramental Confession and Eucharistic Holy Communion, and offer prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father. One Our Father and one Hail Mary would satisfy the latter requirement. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day, and, if each condition is not fulfilled perfectly, the indulgence gained will only be partial.” In The Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find the following statement concerning indulgences. 1471-“An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due to sins that have already been forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance. This temporal punishment exists because every sin, even venial (See link to Sin), entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in a state called Purgatory (See link to Purgatory). Indulgences are obtained through the Church, which opens to us the treasury of merits of Christ and the saints. 1473-The remission can by plenary or partial, depending on whether it removes all or only some of the temporal punishment attached to sin. The indulgence can be applied to the person performing the works of devotion, penance, and charity of to a soul in Purgatory. 1476- We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church’s treasury, which is ‘not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the treasury of the Church is the infinite value which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father, in Christ, the redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy. 1477- This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. they are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body. 1478- An indulgence is obtained only through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance and charity. 1479- Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.” In Session 14 of The Council of Trent, the following is noted concerning THE NECESSITY AND FRUIT OF SATISFACTION and THE WORKS OF SATISFACTION: For without doubt, these satisfactions (penances and indulgences) greatly restrain from sin, check as it were with a bit, and make penitents more cautious and vigilant in the future; they also remove remnants of sin, and by acts of the opposite virtues destroy habits acquired by evil living. Neither was there ever in the church of God any way more certain to ward off impending chastisement by the Lord than that men perform with true sorrow of mind these works of penance….The priests of the Lord must therefore, so far as reason and prudence suggest, impose salutary and suitable satisfactions, in keeping with the nature of the crimes and the ability of the penitents; otherwise, if they should connive at sins and deal too leniently with penitents, imposing certain very light works for very grave offenses, they might become partakers in the sins of others. But let them bear in mind that the satisfaction they impose be not only for the protection of a new life and a remedy against infirmity, but also for the atonement and punishment of past sins; for the early Fathers also believed and taught that the keys of the priests were bestowed not to loose only but to bind. It [the council] teaches furthermore that the liberality of the divine munificence is so great that we are able through Jesus Christ to make satisfaction to God the Father not only by punishments voluntarily undertaken by ourselves to atone for sins, or by those imposed by the judgment of the priest according to the measure of our offence, but also, and this is the greatest proof of love, by the temporal afflictions imposed by God and borne patiently by us. Canon 13- If anyone says that satisfaction for sins, as to their temporal punishment, is in no way made to God through the merits of Christ by the punishments inflicted by Him and patiently borne, or by those imposed by the priest, or even those voluntarily undertaken, as by fast, prayers, almsgiving, or other works of piety, and that therefore the best penance is merely a new life, let him be anathema. Canon 14- If anyone says that the satisfaction by which penitents atone for their sins through Christ are not a worship of God but tradition of man, which obscure the doctrine of grace and the true worship of God and the beneficence itself of the death of Christ, let him be anathema.
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THE BIBLE SAYSThe word indulgence is completely foreign to the New Testament. Nowhere do we find Jesus or any of the apostles granting indulgences. There are eternal consequences to unconfessed sins by a person who has never experienced God’s gift of salvation by grace through faith plus nothing. The consequence for this is an eternity separated from God in hell. The Bible makes it so crystal clear that works have absolutely nothing to do with forgiveness of sin. Ephesians 1:7- “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Colossians 1:14- “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Titus 3:5- “Not be works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Catholic apologists attempt to use this verse to prove baptismal regeneration. This is not the case however. The Greek word translated washing is loutron ou and means through a washing and not through a laver or basin for washing. The washing referred to is absolutely spiritual. It is the concept of regeneration and renewing and has absolutely nothing to do with baptismal regeneration. In Berkhof”s Systematic Theology, an excellent definition of this verse is given. “Regeneration is that act of God by which the principle of the new life is implanted in man, the governing disposition of the soul is made holy, and the first holy exercise of this new disposition is secured.” In Isaiah chapter 53 we are told that God was satisfied with the offering of His Son for the sin of the world. The entire 53rd chapter deals with the suffering Savior. We note in particular verses 10 and 11: “Yet it pleased the LORD (Jehovah) to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” It is completely impossible for any person to make satisfaction to God for sin. The justice of God can only be satisfied by Christ’s obedience and death. Hebrews 7:24-28- “But this man (Jesus), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood (one that does not pass to another). Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the peoples: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” John adds to this in 1 John 1:7,9- “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Christians are not redeemed by the sufferings of Saints, holy men or even by prayers or good works of the “Blessed Virgin Mary.” By Mary’s own testimony, she was a sinner saved by grace. Luke 1:47- “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (See link to Mary) Christians are redeemed because of the finished work of Christ on Calvary. We are clearly told in Romans 11:6 that grace and works cannot be combined. “And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Obviously then, no dead saints or even Mary can have any part in the work of redemption. Christ alone was worthy to suffer and pay all the sin debt. There is ample evidence in the New Testament that His work alone on the cross is sufficient to satisfy God the Father. Romans 5:9- “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Ephesians 2:13- “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Hebrews 9:12- “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” 1 Corinthians 6:20- “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Peter, the supposed first Pope, emphatically tells us that our redemption has absolutely nothing to do with anything corruptible and cannot be purchased. 1 Peter 1:18-19- “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your father; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” In Acts chapter 8, and account is given of a man who attempted to buy spiritual gifts with money. He saw miracles and signs that were done by Philip. He also observed that change that occurred in the believers after they experienced salvation and received the Holy Ghost. Peter and John are sent for by Philip and Simon the sorcerer offers them money to receive the spiritual gifts. Notice how Peter condemns the man. Romans 8:18-23- “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” Furthermore, to even imagine that any human has the power to grant any type of indulgences or to attempt to add to Christ’s redemptive work, is an insult to the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who would even dare to offer indulgences usurps the authority of an Almighty God who alone is able to forgive sin and to remit all the punishment due to sin. Mark 2:7- “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” It is an historical fact that the Catholic Church sold indulgences in the past. It must be understood that some act must always be fulfilled by the person gaining the indulgence in order to receive an indulgence. Pope Paul VI regrettably admitted, “The practice of indulgences has at times been improperly used either through ‘untimely and superfluous indulgences’ by which the power of the keys was humiliated and penitential satisfaction weakened, or through the collection of ‘illicit profits’ by which indulgences were blasphemously defamed.’ Catholic Priest John Hardon, a reported conservative theologian in his CATHOLIC CATECHISM, admits the following: “As the Church extended the mitigation, i.e., indulgence, in the form of equivalent prayers and good works, abuses crept in, and by the sixteenth century they became the focus of justifiable criticism. The Council of Trent felt it necessary to denounce the ‘traffic of indulgences’ that helped provoke the Reformation.” The fact of the matter is that Martin Luther openly condemned the practice of selling indulgences. There is ample historical proof that indulgences were sold by the Roman Church and we will only cite a couple of examples here. Pope Leo X (1513-1521) offered plenary indulgences for sale and promised forgiveness of sins for the living and deliverance from Purgatory for the dead. Pope Clement VI (1342-1352) proclaimed that the Church had control over the “treasury of merit” and for a certain price, one believer could purchase the excess merits of another. In spit e of all the window dressing and all the claims of Rome that indulgences are not still being sold, there is still ample proof that indulgences are being sold. My mother went home to be with the Lord in 2006. She had accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior many years before and left the Catholic Church. Since she and my father had burial plots in a Catholic cemetery; she desired to be buried beside my father. Less than six weeks after her death, I received a letter from the Catholic Cemetery Association informing me that for a donation, I could have Masses said on behalf of my mother. A few days later, i received another letter, this time from a local Catholic priest, informing me that for an offering, he would say a Mass every day for one week for my mother. I have the letters in my office. I wrote a terse letter to both informing them that my mother had trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and I had absolutely no confidence in the prayers of a Roman Catholic priest. I have never heard any thing else. HUM?
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