Well, welcome back to this very special episode of five minutes in church history.

It is October 31st, 2017.

This is the 500th anniversary of the posting of the 95 theses to the church door here in

Wittgenburg and we are here in Wittgenburg in front of the church door to

celebrate this historic moment not only for church history but really for all of history.

We have been walking through Luther's life together these past 31 days and now we are back

to this crucial text, this text that sort of started at all

of the Protestant Reformation, the 95thies. We left off with thesis number 56 and in there Luther is telling us that these truths are not sufficiently taught among the people.

Well Luther is going to continue as he gets to thesis number 62 he says the true

treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.

Now what Luther is referencing there is this Treasury of

merits and the idea is that Saints had accumulated more grace than they need and

all of that accumulated grace is literally in a treasure chest in heaven somewhere.

And of course at the top of that chain of saints is Mary and she is full of grace.

And so we lowly sinners down here,

we can tap into those graces,

we can tap into those treasuries,

we can tap into those merits.

Luther says, oh no, that's not the true treasure of the church.

And the true treasure of the church

is not this indulgence sale.

The true treasure of the church is the Gospel.

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