Martin Luther and His Errors
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Along with Jan Huss, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin, Martin Luther’s heresies[1] continue to fracture the Christian Religion throughout the world. Unlike what some Lutherans – and even Catholics might think – being a Lutheran is not being “Catholic lite.” Lutheranism is directly contrary to the religion established by Christ. It is not the True Faith, and those who adhere to it cannot enter Heaven.[2] Understanding the errors of Lutheranism is essential to refuting it.
Who Was Martin Luther?
At eighteen, Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt and quickly completed his studies. His father hoped Luther would become a lawyer, but Luther, troubled by fears about his soul’s salvation, decided to become a monk. However, life in the convent didn’t bring him the peace he sought. Despite rigorous fasting, self-mortification, and frequent confessions, Luther remained tormented by his conscience.
In 1507, Luther was ordained as a priest and earned a Doctor of Theology degree in 1512. He was then assigned to teach at the University of Wittenberg. Despite his academic success, Luther’s inner turmoil persisted. A visit to Rome in 1510 only deepened his dissatisfaction with his spiritual state. He eventually concluded that good works couldn’t bring salvation, and that faith alone justified a person before God. This belief led him to assert that, due to Original Sin, humans are incapable of doing anything good and so are inherently sinful.
Luther began teaching these ideas at Wittenberg as early as 1516. In 1517, when Pope Julius II announced a plenary indulgence to fund the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica, Luther publicly opposed the practice. He famously nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on November 1, 1517. These Theses, some of which challenged the Church’s teachings on indulgences and Purgatory, spread rapidly across Europe, gaining Luther widespread support, especially among those critical of the Papacy.
Luther Attacks the Church
Luther’s challenge to the Church did not go unanswered. Catholic theologians like Johann Tetzel, O.P. and Professor Eck published rebuttals, but Luther’s skill as a writer and orator helped him gain a substantial following. The support of powerful personages, like Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony, further bolstered his confidence.
In 1518, Luther met with the Papal Legate, Cardinal Cajetan, in Augsburg, but the meeting failed to resolve his differences with the Catholic Church. Luther refused to accept the Church’s teachings on indulgences and the Sacraments and appealed to a General Council instead.
Despite writing a conciliatory letter to the Pope in 1519, Luther’s later correspondence revealed his deep suspicion of the Papacy. His writings, such as “An Address to the Nobility of the German Nation” and “On the Liberty of a Christian Man,” criticized the Church’s abuses and advocated for the secular power’s right to decide spiritual matters. This stance eventually led to the rejection of Church authority by civil leaders.
Luther and Satan
An article in The Latin Mass Magazine[3] details how Martin Luther chronicled the visits he received from satan. Luther dialogued with the devil, even though every exorcist is taught to avoid this at all costs. An exorcist is only permitted to address the devil with very specific questions sanctioned by the Church according to proper ritual. A human mind simply can’t compete with an angelic mind and will fall to his persuasion. Simply consider what happened to our first parents, Eve and Adam. They were created without sin and were full of preternatural gifts. They lacked the psychological imbalance of Luther and were filled with great knowledge, and despite this they still succumbed to satan’s cunning craft.
Yet Luther actually admitted to having many discussions with the devil himself! In fact, many of the arguments Luther made against the Holy Mass came from the devil. This should not surprise any faithful Catholic. What is surprising is that Luther provides this testimony in his own writings! Luther found himself taking counsel from the devil and agreeing with satan’s arguments against the Mass. Dear reader, let that sink in.
There is clearly a great deal of ignorance on this subject.
What Did Luther Teach Against Catholic Doctrine?
“An Open Letter to Non-Catholics,”[4] by an anonymous author, states:
“Luther’s chief errors are contained in the following propositions:
- There is no supreme teaching power in the Church.
- The temporal sovereign has supreme power in matters ecclesiastical.
- There are no priests.
- All that is to be believed is in the Bible.
- Each one may interpret Holy Scripture as he likes.
- Faith alone saves, good works are superfluous.
- Man lost his free will by original sin.
- There are no saints, no Christian sacrifice, no sacrament of confession, and no purgatory.”
The Bible As the Sole Authority: Luther emphasized the authority of the Bible as the sole source of religious truth in a rejection of any other authority. Luther rejected the Catholic view that Tradition, along with Scripture, held equal authority in matters of faith. This Protestant view is refuted by both Scripture itself and 1,500 years of actual Church history.[5]
Justification by Faith Alone: Luther held to the doctrine of “sola fide,” or justification by faith alone. He taught that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone and does not require us to live out our faith through any works, which contradicts the teaching of Our Lord directly.[6]
Denial of the Visible Hierarchy Established by Christ in the Priesthood: Luther opposed the hierarchical system of the Church, which was established by Christ to have a physical presence on earth, including the authority of the Pope. The Church, as established by Christ, has four marks: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. She also has three attributes: infallibility, indefectibility and authority.[7] The visible hierarchy of the Church serves an indispensable role in these necessary marks and attributes.
Rejection of Church Tradition: Luther objected to the veneration of saints and the use of images and relics. He also denied Purgatory and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice. Such rejections are contrary to the Bible and actual practice of the Christian Religion as it was actually observed back to the time of the Apostles.[8]
Conclusion
The same “An Open Letter to Non-Catholics” states it best:
“Is it possible to believe that Jesus founded a Church to mislead the world, and then after 1500 years approved of over 500 contradictory churches founded by men? But, you may say, the Protestant Church [sic] is the Church of Christ, purified of error, and only this purified form dates from Luther. I answer that you must choose between Luther and Christ. Jesus said His Church would never teach error (John 14:26); Luther says it did teach error. If Luther is right, Christ is wrong; if Christ is right, Luther and all his followers are wrong.”
We must work for the conversion of all Protestants – as well as all other non-Catholics – to the Catholic Faith, which is the actual religion practiced by the Apostles and the early Church. Their salvation depends upon it.
Prayer to Our Lady, Exterminatrix of All Heresy
May Our Lady of Fatima deign to open our hearts and minds to Her urgent appeal to the world, that She shall once again conquer the great destroyer of souls and the sin of heresy, which justifies every sin.
Ave Maria! Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
ENDNOTES:
[1] A heretic who persists in obstinate heresy expels himself as a member of the Catholic Church. To fall into the sin of heresy is a mortal sin and, like any mortal sin, must be confessed and repented of before death. If this does not happen, the soul will be damned. The heretic – like the schismatic, apostate, and pagan – is not a part of the Catholic Church. St. Peter Canisius, who was instrumental in fighting Protestantism in Germany, wrote the first catechism in 1555, known as the “Catechism of St. Peter Canisius.” When asked who may be called a Christian, he answered as follows: “Whoever has been initiated by the Sacrament of Baptism of Jesus Christ, true God and man, and confesses the salutary doctrine in His Church, and not those who adhere to any sects or beliefs foreign to the Catholic Church.” https://fatima.org/news-views/catholic-apologetics-199/
[2] If the Church is true and cannot teach error, then what she teaches on “no salvation outside of the Church” must be true. And if that is true, then we have a responsibility to bring the Lutheran heresy to extinction for the good of souls.
[3] See “A Colloquy with Satan, or The Spirit of Martin Luther” by Anne Barbeau Gardiner (The Latin Mass Magazine, Summer 2016). This source can be read at A Catholic Life blogspot.
[4] https://ourcatholicfaith.org/openlettertononcatholics.html
[5] Luther’s position is inconsistent and self-contradictory, because the Bible itself does not claim such authority. In fact, in the Bible the Holy Ghost states the Church (not Scripture) is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). It is the Church that has given us the Scriptures and confirmed which 73 books are the inspired and inerrant word of God. As one priest once astutely stated to a convert: “It is not the Bible that justifies the Church, but the Church that justifies the Bible.”
[6] Luther confused good works made by men on their natural power alone and good works performed by a soul in the state of grace. The former has no power to save. The latter however are the works of the Holy Ghost with man in cooperation. Therefore, they can save and rightly earn supernatural merit from a just and perfect God.
These two types of work are vastly different realities! But a false Protestant theology fails to recognize this difference. In effect, it fails to acknowledge the very power of God!
[7] See questions 152-169 of Baltimore Catechism No. 3. Note, both the marks and the attributes are necessary in the Church. The marks teach us about its visible or external qualities, whereas the attributes teach us about its invisible or internal qualities. Since the marks are, to some degree, perceptible by the senses, they are easier to discover. If the Church were purely spiritual (invisible) as Protestants maintain, then the four marks would not be possible. In such a case, a pagan of good will who desired to join the Mystical Body of Christ would not be able to identify Christ’s true Church amidst all the false claimants.
[8] The Church’s teaching concerning Tradition is clearly and powerfully taught by the Second Council of Nicea (787 A.D.). This was the 7th Ecumenical Council and the last one accepted by all the Catholic Churches in the East as it was prior to the Great Schism (1054 A.D.). In one of its infallible canons, it succinctly states: “If anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him be anathema.”
The Council Fathers explained: “To summarize, we declare that we defend free from any innovations all the written and unwritten ecclesiastical traditions that have been entrusted to us … Therefore all those who dare to think or teach anything different, or who follow the accursed heretics in rejecting ecclesiastical traditions, or who devise innovations, or who spurn anything entrusted to the Church … or who fabricate perverted and evil prejudices against cherishing any of the lawful traditions of the Catholic Church, or who secularize the sacred objects and saintly monasteries, we order that they be suspended if they are bishops or clerics, and excommunicated if they are monks or lay people.”
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