Acts 15:18 *Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world*.
*ASIDE SALES OF INDULGENCE: THE FIVE BIG TARGETS* ( a)
Aside kicking against the sales of Indulgence, there were other things Luther kicked against. Indulgence was just the spark. Luther kicked against a whole system he called “Babylonian Captivity” of the Church.
After the 95 theses of 1517, here are the 5 big targets Martin Luther spoke/wrote against.
i.*Absolute authority of the Pope + Church Tradition*
The Roman Catholic church believes in the absolute authority of the pope because he is infallible( cannot make mistake) when he speaks ex cathedra( in his ecclesiastical office). Is there any man born of a woman that cannot make mistake? In history, several popes made grave mistakes including sexual immorality.
*Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia, 1492–1503)*: Renowned for the rampant corruption of his papacy. He openly had multiple mistresses (most famously Giulia Farnese), fathered several illegitimate children, and used his power to grant them high positions in the church.
*Pope Francis*: Publicly admitted to making "grave mistakes of judgment and perception" in 2018 when he initially discredited victims of clerical sexual abuse in Chile. He subsequently acknowledged his error, apologized directly to the victims, and summoned the Chilean bishops to Rome to force their resignations.
The beginning of any man's fall starts when he thinks he cannot make mistakes. In fact, any believer with such a thinking has fallen already. Why? With such a mentality, he won't take heed
1 Corinthians 10:12 says, *"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall*".
This is not a vendetta against the Roman Catholic Church, I am just teaching what I read in history and bible doctrine here so that our generation can learn from history. The bible says, *"These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age*"(1 Corinthians 10:11NLT)
Those of us in the pentecostal/charismatic circles are victims of some of these mistakes made in history. Some senior pastors, bishops and general overseers have presented to their followers an image of infallibility forgetting that the best of man is man. I have seen believers who deify their pastors as demigods who cannot make mistakes. Little wonder why they become disappointed when the truth behind their secret sins are confirmed.
The only infallible man I know is God. The bible says, *"There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God*"( 1 Sam 2:2 KJV).
In addition to the infallibility of Pope, Martin Luther also kicked against placing church tradition above scriptures. Luther came up with a Latin maxim known as 'Sola Scriptura' meaning that scripture alone is final authority not the pope or church tradition.
He said Matt 15:9 *"Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God*" applied to many Catholic practices. Is it not the same with us in the charismatic circles?
We have many church traditions that are not rooted in scriptures yet we placed those traditions above scriptures making it look like a doctrine. The deception Satan uses is to perpetuate unbiblical tradition is the phrase "It works for me". Little wonder why there is so much error in the body.
In 1520, he burned the papal bull Exsurge Domine ( a written declaration by the pope) that excommunicated him. He said “Council/Pope can err, Scripture cannot.”
*I want you to be a bible following Christian who will stick to the truth written in it even If the bishops and G.O.s of this world says otherwise. When we stand before God, we will be judged by the written word not what our pastor says. God is holy and he will never compromise his standard for any man*.