Acts 15:18 *Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world*.
Several centuries ago, all Christians in the world belonged to the Catholic Church whose headquarters is in Rome. There was nothing like protestant, Lutheran, pentecostal as we have it today. A reformation happened that led out those called protestants. This protest gave birth to all other streams of churches.
However, over time, the Catholic church at that time became corrupt, political and syncretic to the extent that her theology became corrupted with mithraism. All these put together led to a schism popularly known as protestant reformation.
One of the unbiblical practices at that time was sales if indulgences. It is a practice where the church gives certificates that promise to reduce a soul's punishment for sins after death while in purgatory, this is done in exchange for money. This is like buying eternal life.
Pope Leo X needed money to finish St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He authorized the sale of indulgences in Germany - certificates that claimed to reduce time in purgatory for the buyer or their dead relatives.
Johann Tetzel was the Dominican preacher selling them aggressively in Saxony. His pitch was basically: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”
Roman Catholic church made so much money from this act of selling indulgences. Through this, they built big Cathedrals and became the wealthiest church institution that is unmatched by anyone. Till date, they are the wealthiest church. Why? Their theology of slavation by works opened their door to wealth.
This is one of the things that hit Martin Luther hard. He was a professor of theology and an Augustinian monk who was already wrestling with guilt and the idea of God’s justice. The scripture that led to his liberation from the Catholic works centred salvation was Romans1:17, *"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith*”.
Seeing what the church has turned into, he wrote 95 theses in protest against Roman Catholic doctrines&traditions and posted it at the door of Wittenberg Church. That was the beginning of what we know today as protestant reformation. We shall come to this later but let's learn doctrine.
*Is purgatory a biblical doctrine*?
In Catholic theology purgatory is the place where a Christian’s soul goes after death to be cleansed of the sins that had not been fully paid for during life. Is the doctrine of purgatory in agreement with the Bible? Absolutely not!
An idea foundational to the doctrine of purgatory is that some of a believer’s sin has not yet been paid for. But Scripture teaches that Jesus died to pay the penalty for all our sins.
*"You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins*"( Col 2:13 NLT).
The idea of praying for the dead, doing meritorious works to atone for the sins of the dead is another way of saying the sacrifice of Christ is not enough. This is salvation by works not salvation by grace the bible teaches.
1 John 2:2 says, *"He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world*"( NLT).
*Lesson*: Salvation cannot be bought for the living and the dead. The living should put their faith in Christ's finished work on the cross, he shall be saved. No need praying or paying for the dead, once a man dies, judgement follows( Heb9:27).