Now let's move on to Martin Luther.
Now, Martin Luther was the member of John Bunn,
who supposedly got saved while reading a commentary
on relations by Martin Luther.
Well, who's ever heard of this, the 95 Theses?
This is one of the most famous pieces of writing ever.
Martin Luther, on October 31st, 1517,
took the 95 Theses and he nailed it on the wall.
This is where I was taught, growing up in church
and in independent fundamentalist churches and schools.
I was taught, man, he nailed that 95 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 works.
Let's say he managed to boast.
Man, it was great.
Now look, is that reality?
'Cause 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 wall.
See, you can see the ink on the page.
This is only how many page one, two, three,
four, five, six, seven pages, you know.
How long would it take to read it?
You know, before a preacher gets up
and preaches how wonderful Mark Luther is,
what a great preacher is,
do you think they can just read like seven pages
of what he wrote or what the ninth act piece 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 the 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.
And so it was Protestant, Protestant Reformation.
She had her grandkids in this Protestant school.
She didn't really like what I was saying about that.
So she raised her hand.
And I was taking questions and answers at this point.
And I called her, and I said, and she said,
well, wait a minute.
I thought Martin Luther, you know,
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 comes with 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 churches have all the same idolatry
as the Catholic church.
I said, it's the same thing.
The priests 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 jumped out of his seat.
OK, he came over and took the microphone from me.
And he said, actually, ma'am, let me answer this question.
He said, actually, Martin Luther, I believe, was saved.
But he said it's just that there was a man that came after him,
Philip Melanthon, that corrupted the Lutheran church to what it is today.
He said, I hope that answers your question.
So I went, don't.
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 gonna go through all these for sake of time.
I'm just gonna read a few of them.
How about number seven, 'cause there's 95 points here.
And they're just about a sentence each.
But we're not gonna 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.
Do you hear that?
How about number nine, 'Therefore the Holy Spirit in the Pope is kind to us.'
Do you hear that?
'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 of 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 do 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, okay?
And then, 'assurance of safety is heavy.'
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, in purgatory, the Catholic Church is invented and made up of 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, as in the legends of
saints Severinus, and he's saying maybe some people are blind to third purgatory.
I mean they don't want you to buy them out with indulgences.
Okay, how about number 30, no one is sure that his own contrition is sincere, much less
that he has attained full remission.
I know I've attained full remission of sins, huh?
I know it 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, it's just some
of your sins, you might have to go to the almost despair of purgatory.
How about this, 71, he who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, that's talking
about whether the pope and the priest can forgive your sins, okay.
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 on a curse, okay.
But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardoned preachers, let him be blessed.
Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their head, through
penalties, deaths, and hell.
I'm gonna follow Christ and hell, okay.
And it says, "And thus be confident of entering into heaven, rather through many tribulations
than through the assurance."
You don't have any assurance, you don't know.
You may go to purgatory for a little while, a long time, and maybe you might like it.
'Cause at first you're gonna be horrified when you're burning in purgatory, but then
you're just gonna start to love God more.
You're not gonna be scared anymore.
Now, does this sound like a, "Boy, wow, great, hero of faith, great, Baptist preacher, wow!"
And yet, how many times have I heard him lift it up, as a hero, he was a Christian, he was
saved, and he moved 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.