The Heidelberg Disputation

The Heidelberg Disputation

The Heidelberg Disputation           

Brother Martin Luther, Master of Sacred Theology, will preside, and Brother Leonhard Beyer, Master of Arts and Philosophy, will defend the following theses before the Augustinians of this renowned city of Heidelberg in the customary place, on April 26th 1518.

THEOLOGICAL THESES

Distrusting completely our own wisdom, according to that counsel of the Holy Spirit, "Do not rely on your own insight" (Prov. 3:5), we humbly present to the judgment of all those who wish to be here these theological paradoxes, so that it may become clear whether they have been deduced well or poorly from St. Paul, the especially chosen vessel and instrument of Christ, and also from St. Augustine, his most trustworthy interpreter.

   1.  The law of God, the most salutary doctrine of life, cannot advance man on his way to righteousness, but rather hinders him.

   2.  Much less can human works, which are done over and over again with the aid of natural precepts, so to speak, lead to that end.

   3.  Although the works of man always seem attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins.

   4.  Although the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits.

   5.  The works of men are thus not mortal sins (we speak of works which are apparently good), as though they were crimes.

   6.  The works of God (we speak of those which he does through man) are thus not merits, as though they were sinless.

   7.  The works of the righteous would be mortal sins if they would not be feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves out of pious fear of God.

   8.  By so much more are the works of man mortal sins when they are done without fear and in unadulterated, evil self-security.

   9.  To say that works without Christ are dead, but not mortal, appears to constitute a perilous surrender of the fear of God.

  10.  Indeed, it is very difficult to see how a work can be dead and at the same time not a harmful and mortal sin.

  11.  Arrogance cannot be avoided or true hope be present unless the judgment of condemnation is feared in every work.

  12.  In the sight of God sins are then truly venial when they are feared by men to be mortal.

  13.  Free will, after the fall, exists in name only, and as long as it does what it is able to do, it commits a mortal sin.

  14.  Free will, after the fall, has power to do good only in a passive capacity, but it can always do evil in an active capacity.

  15.  Nor could free will remain in a state of innocence, much less do good, in an active capacity, but only in its passive capacity.