Now, let's move on to Martin Luther.
Now, Martin Luther was the member of John Bunnish who supposedly got saved while reading a commentary on relations by Martin Luther.
Well, who's ever heard of this? The Ninety-Five Theses?
This is one of the most famous pieces of writing ever.
Martin Luther, on October 31st, 1517, took the Ninety-Five Theses and he nailed it on the wall.
And this is where I was taught growing up in church and in independent fundamental Baptist churches and schools.
I was taught, man, he nailed that Ninety-Five Theses on the wall, and man, it was just an attack on the pope.
It was an attack on the Catholic church. He was saying that you're saved by grace through faith, it's not of works.
Lest any man should boast. Man, it was great.
Now look, is that reality? Because I'm holding it in my hand right now.
Now, that's what I was taught, that it was nailed up there and man, it was just faith and it's not works and the pope's wrong and the Catholic church is wrong.
Now look, it's not that long.
You can see the ink on the page. This is only how many pages? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven pages.
How long would it take to read it?
You know, before a preacher gets up and preaches how wonderful Martin Luther is and what a great preacher is, do you think they could just read like seven pages of what he wrote or what the Ninety-Five Theses really is?
It's funny, I came back from Germany. I went on a trip to Germany when I was 18. I spent three months winning souls and trying to help missionaries and do these different things.
And when I got back, I did a slide presentation in front of the church. You know how missionaries do the slides?
I was just 18 years old but they allowed me to come up and do this slide show and talk about my experiences in Germany.
So I stood up in my church and I went through the slide show and I was showing a lot of the different experiences we had and then I showed some of the idolatry in Germany.
Where they have the statues of Jesus and Mary and they're bowing down and all this stuff.
And I showed this idolatry. And a lady who had her child in a school that was like a Reformed, like a Protestant type of a school that would revere people like Martin Luther.
So it was Protestant, Protestant Reformation. She had her kids, her grandkids in this Protestant school.
She didn't really like what I was saying apparently, so she raised her hand.
And I was taking question and answer at this point and I called on her and I said, you know, yes?
And she said, well wait a minute. I thought Martin Luther was pulled out of the Catholic church because of all this idolatry and works and everything.
And yet you're showing us. And I told her, I said, well no. I said the catechism written by Martin Luther says that when you eat the cracker and drink the juice it calms the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ.
I said that's written by Martin Luther's own hand. I said Martin Luther, I said these Lutheran church have all the same idolatry as the Catholic church.
I said it's the same thing. The priest get married. Wow, that's a big difference.
And so there's very little difference. And I was explaining to her these things and the pastor of the church like jumped out of his seat.
And came over and took the microphone from me. And he said, actually ma'am, let me answer this question.
He said, actually, you know, Martin Luther I believe was saved. He said.
But he said it's just that there was a man that came after him, Philip Melenthon, that corrupted the Lutheran church. You know what it is today.
He said, I hope that answers your question. So I went and done.
But let me ask this. Was Martin Luther really saved? Was he really a Christian? Was he really a preacher of God's word?
Let's be. Why don't we just look at it, shall we? How about number seven?
We're not going to go through all of these for the sake of time. I'm just going to read a few of them.
How about number seven? There's 95 points here. And they're just about to sentence each.
But we're not going to go through them all.
God remits guilt to no one whom he does not at the same time humble in all things and bring into subjection to his vicar, the priest.
Did you hear that? How about number nine? Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us.
Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us. Because in his decrees, he always makes exception of the article of death and necessity.
Are you listening to this? Boy, he's really ripping the pope a new one, huh?
How about number 16? Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as to despair, almost despair, and the assurance of safety.
So he's teaching us about purgatory. Almost despair. Wow, I'm on fire, but at least it's temporary.
And then assurance of safety is heaven.
Number 17, with souls in purgatory, it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.
So according to him, while people are in purgatory, they're going to be less scared after a while and start to love God more.
And you know what purgatory is? The Catholic church is invented and made up, temporary hell, where you go and cook for a while before you go to heaven.
It's a lie. How about this one, 25? The power which the pope has in a general way over purgatory,
I mean of course the pope has power over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has in a special way within his own diocese or parish.
Well this is fundamental stuff. Wow! By grace alone, through faith alone, to God alone.
How about this, the pope does well, 26? Man, he's really tearing him up.
The pope does well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of keys which he does not possess, but by way of intercession.
He can pray them out of purgatory.
How about this one, 28? It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money box, gain and avarice can be increased,
yet the result of the intercession of the church is in the power of God alone.
29, who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legends of saints Severinus and Pestle.
He's saying maybe some people are God's third purgatory. I don't know. Maybe they don't want you to buy them out with indulgences.
How about number 30? No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere, much less than he has attained full remission.
I know I've attained full remission of sins. I know for sure, because the Bible says these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
But Martin Luther says it's impossible to know whether you've really been sorry enough.
I don't know if it was enough. That's what he said. He said you can't know for sure. Nobody can be that sure that he was sincere enough.
You don't know if you've had full remission or just partial remission and just some of your sins. You might have to go to the almost despair of a purgatory.
How about this? 71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons...
Let's talk about whether the Pope and the priest can forgive your sins. In the context of this, that's what it's talking about.
He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and a curse.
But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardoned preachers, let him be blessed.
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ their head through penalties, debts, and hell.
I'm going to follow Christ in hell. And it says, and thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations than through the assurance of peace.
You don't have any strength. You don't know. You may go to purgatory for a little while, a long time. Maybe you might like it when you get there.
Because at first you're going to be horrified when you're burning in purgatory, but then you're just going to start to love God more after a while.
And you're not going to be scared anymore. Now, does this sound like a, wow, great hero of faith, great Baptist creature, wow.
And yet, how many times have I heard him lifted up as a hero? He was a Christian, he was saved.
Can you pull him off on a few things? Yeah, I'll say. I'll say he's off on a few things. And yet, I was taught that 95 pieces was wonderful.