Translated from Latin.
For the investigation of the truth and for the consolation of frightened consciences, these [sentences] will be disputed under the venerable Father Martin Luther, Augustinian, in the Circular Disputations according to our custom.
1. Among the two forgiveness in the church, namely punishment and guilt, the forgiveness of guilt is by far the more excellent.
2) The forgiveness of guilt makes the heart calm and takes away the greatest of all punishments, namely the evil conscience because of sin.
3. the remission of punishment sometimes increases the evil conscience, sometimes it feeds the even worse presumption.
4. the remission of guilt reconciles man with God, the remission of punishment reconciles man with man, that is, with the Church.
*These sentences, which were intended for one of the Friday disputations in Wittenberg, first appeared in placard form, on a folio leaf, the reverse side of which is blank, under the title: Dro vsritats mquirsncka st tlmoratis 6on86i6ntÜ8 6ou8olaucli8. Hare 8ud R. k. ^lartiuo butbsr ^uZuMmano cki^utaduntur per visss sirsularsZ pro uo8tro mors. 1518, presumably from a Leipzig officin. Then they are found in a small collection of Luther's theses published in Wittenberg in the same year (16 leaves) and in a collection of theses by Luther, Melanchthon, and Carlstadt published in Basel in 1522; also in the later collections of theses in Wittenberg in 1530, 1531, and 1538; in Basel in 1538. In the collective editions of Luther's works: Latin in the Wittenberg (1545), Dom. I, col. 53b; in the Jena one (1579), Dom. I, toi. 25a; in the Erlanger, opx. var. arZ., vol. I, p. 378; in the Weimarschen, vol. I, p. 629; in Löscher, Reformations-Acta, vol. II, p. 580. German in Hallischer Theil, p. 133 and in the Leipziger Ausgabe, vol. XVII, p. 155. We have translated according to the Weimarschen edition.
5. when the guilt and the evil conscience are remitted, the punishment is no longer a punishment but a joy in tribulation.
Man can be saved without the remission of punishment, but not without the remission of guilt.
(7) It is more beneficial to salvation if the one who has been absolved from guilt keeps the release from punishment pending.
8. the remission of guilt is not based on the repentance of a sinner, nor on the power of the priest,
9. rather, it is based on the faith that adheres to the word of Christ that says Matth. 16, 19.st "what you will solve on earth" 2c.
(10) For it is true that it is not the sacrament of faith, but faith in the sacrament (that is, not because it happens, but because it is believed) that makes righteous.
11. Christ did not want man's salvation to be in the hand or will of man:
12. but as it is written [Heb. 1:3.st "He bears all things with His powerful word"; and [Acts 15:9.] "He purified their hearts through faith."
(13) Those who say that the forgiveness of sins is uncertain because of the uncertainty of repentance err to the point of unbelief.
(14) However uncertain both the priest and the sinner may be about repentance, absolution is powerful when the person believes he is absolved.
15 Therefore it is certain that sins are forgiven, if you believe that they are forgiven. For the promise of Christ the Savior is sure.
(16) He who is absolved by the key should rather die and renounce all creatures than doubt his absolution.
Whoever doubts that his absolution is pleasing to God doubts at the same time that Christ is telling the truth in what He says [Matth. 16, 19.st "Everything you will solve on earth" 2c.
18 Those who base the forgiveness of sins on repentance build the faith of God on the sand, that is, on the work of man.
19. who do not believe that man is ab
solvirt, until repentance is certain, do dishonor to the Sacrament and lead to despair.
20 Yes, whoever wants to build the trust of his conscience on repentance in such a way, makes God out to be a liar, but himself out to be truthful.
21. such rely extremely ungodly, not on the mercy and on the word of Christ, but on their own works and powers.
(22) Yes, they want to make the word and faith certain themselves in a completely wrong way, and not rather be made certain by the word and faith.
23. the priests are not authors of forgiveness, but ministers of the word to the faith of forgiveness.
24. the office of the keys works a certain and infallible work by the word and command of God, if you are not full of evil deceit (dolosus).
25 The priest has enough clear signs of repentance when he realizes that the sinner desires absolution and believes.
(26) Rather, he should be asked whether he believes he will be absolved, rather than whether he is truly repentant.
(27) The priest should also be careful that he does not search so much for repentance alone that a person might think that he must be absolved for the sake of repentance.
28 Rather, he should be reminded of Christ's word [Matth. 9:2], "Be of good cheer, my son, your sins are forgiven you," than be questioned about his worthiness.
29. it follows that the word of Christ [Joh.
20, 23]: "Whom you remit sin" 2c. not from the punishment but from the guilt must be understood.
(30) Just as the priest teaches, baptizes, and truly administers the sacrament, yet these alone are works of the Spirit who works inwardly:
31 Thus he truly forgives sins and releases from guilt, and yet this is a work of the Spirit alone, who works inwardly.
32. in all these things, acting on the word of Christ, he exercises at the same time the faith by which the sinner is inwardly justified.
764 L. i. p8i f. 117. L.'s Thesen von Erlassung d. Schuld u. Strafe. W. xix, 955-957. 765
For nothing makes one righteous except faith in Christ alone; and to obtain it (ad quam), the ministry of the Word through the priest is necessary.
Without this faith, repentance of sins is a work that causes despair (operatio desperationis), and offends God more than it reconciles Him.
The priest can misuse the key and sin by absolving someone whom he should not have absolved, namely if he [the priest] does not have the power to do so in any way. 1)
36 But absolution is not incapable for this reason, unless at the same time the faith of the Absolver is also light.
(37) Just as in baptism and the Lord's Supper (synaxi) even the bound (restricta) and forbidden key truly baptizes and administers sacrament:
38 Thus it truly absolves also in repentance, no matter how much it [the key] may be forbidden, if only there is no fraud in the absolver.
(39) Even the priest who acts recklessly and mocks, or who knowingly acts against the prohibition, still baptizes and absolves truly.
(40) Suppose the case (which is impossible): The absolver has no remorse, but if he believes that he will be absolved, then he is truly absolved.
41 Here no reservation of cases, nor any prohibition can be opposed, but only if the same was and remained unknown.
42. the sacraments of the new testament
1) rsstriotus - restricted. It is meant: "by reserved cases". If the priest arrogates to himself the same, he sins by disobedience to his superiors. This is confirmed by what follows, especially in the 41st thesis.
are not such powerful means of grace that it is enough not to put a bar on their reception.
(43) Yes, whoever goes to any [sacrament] without faith goes to his judgment fraudulently and for the sake of it.
44. the sacraments of the old and new testaments are thus distinguished: those were justifications of the flesh; but these are justifications of the spirit.
45 In the sacraments of the New Testament, the word of the one who promises forgiveness is present; in those of the Old Testament, it was absent, and therefore the faith of the one who receives forgiveness.
(46) Just as venial sins do not belong in the confession and absolution of the keys, neither do all mortal sins.
If a man were to confess all mortal sins and be absolved from them, he would be required to do something that is absolutely impossible.
No man knows how often he commits a mortal sin, even in his good works, because of vain honor.
(49) Therefore, he should confess only those sins that either he or others know with certainty are mortal sins, that is, gross offenses.
50. in the others he shall despair and confidently go to the depths of the mercy of GOD, who faithfully promises him [the forgiveness of sins].
Summa Summarum.
The righteous does not live by works, nor by law, but by faith. [Rom. 1, 17. ] 2)
2) In the second edition cited by us, it is noted in print at the end: "The author gives the proof of these theses in his explanations on indulgences. (Weimar edition) These "explanations" are found in Walch, St. Louis edition, Vol. XVIII, 101 sf.
The following text in the old edition, Christi Ablaßbrief, gestellet durch D. Martin Luther, is a piece of Luther's interpretation of the Holy Father-Unsers, Walch, old edition, vol. VII, 1154-1156, § 132-135; therefore omitted here. Compare the introduction to this volume.