Catholic
Roman Catholic
An indulgence is the Church’s remission of the temporal punishment still due to forgiven sins, drawn from the treasury of Christ’s and the saints’ satisfactions.
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Indulgences
Forgiveness, merit, and the treasury — what indulgences are, what the Church teaches today, and why the Reformers objected.
Key versesMatthew 16:18-19Matthew 18:18John 20:21-23Colossians 1:241 Corinthians 3:11-152 Maccabees 12:43-46James 5:162 Maccabees 12:43-46
Review status: initial-release
An indulgence, as the Catholic Church defines it, is the remission of the temporal punishment still due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, granted through the Church from the "treasury" of Christ’s merits and the saints’ satisfactions. The doctrine grew out of the early Church’s practice of penance and prayer for the dead; its sale and abuse in the 1500s helped spark the Reformation. Today the Catholic Church still teaches and grants indulgences in reformed form, while Orthodox and Protestant traditions reject the doctrine — each for reasons rooted in its own understanding of grace, merit, and Christ’s sufficiency.
Content review notice: Initial release — under theological review. Positions summarize official denominational sources; named reviewers from each tradition are being onboarded.
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In 30 seconds
Catholics believe that even after God forgives a sin, there can still be a kind of cleanup left over — like apologizing for breaking a window but still needing to fix it. An indulgence is the Church’s way of helping with that cleanup, drawing on what Catholics call the "treasury" of Jesus’ and the saints’ extra goodness. In the 1500s, some churchmen sold these like products, which outraged Martin Luther and helped start the Protestant Reformation. Today the Catholic Church still grants indulgences but condemns any selling of them. Orthodox Christians pray for the dead but don’t have indulgences at all, and Protestants generally say Jesus’ work needs no supplement — so there’s nothing left to dispense.
At a glance
Six traditions, one line each
Tap a tradition to jump to its full column below. Traditions aren't ranked — shown in historical order, with your tradition first if you've picked one.
| Tradition | In one line |
|---|---|
| Catholic | An indulgence is the Church’s remission of the temporal punishment still due to forgiven sins, drawn from the treasury of Christ’s and the saints’ satisfactions. |
| Orthodox | The Orthodox Church has no doctrine of indulgences and no equivalent practice — prayer for the dead asks God’s mercy; it does not dispense merit. |
| Lutheran | Lutherans reject indulgences as contrary to the Gospel: Christ’s satisfaction is complete, received by faith alone, with no treasury of surplus merit. |
| Reformed | The Reformed reject indulgences as a profanation of Christ’s finished work: His satisfaction needs no supplement, so there is nothing to dispense. |
| Baptist | Baptists reject indulgences: salvation is God’s free gift through faith alone in Christ alone — no Church can broker forgiveness. |
| Methodist | United Methodists reject the framework behind indulgences: no one has surplus merit, and pardon comes by justifying grace through faith. |
Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox
The Orthodox Church has no doctrine of indulgences and no equivalent practice — prayer for the dead asks God’s mercy; it does not dispense merit.
Lutheran
Lutheran
Lutherans reject indulgences as contrary to the Gospel: Christ’s satisfaction is complete, received by faith alone, with no treasury of surplus merit.
Reformed
Reformed
The Reformed reject indulgences as a profanation of Christ’s finished work: His satisfaction needs no supplement, so there is nothing to dispense.
Baptist
Baptist
Baptists reject indulgences: salvation is God’s free gift through faith alone in Christ alone — no Church can broker forgiveness.
Methodist
United Methodist
United Methodists reject the framework behind indulgences: no one has surplus merit, and pardon comes by justifying grace through faith.
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How we got here
The story of this doctrine across the centuries — how the early church practiced it, where the traditions diverged, and why.
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What the early church said
Quotes from the early church on this topic — its writers, councils, and creeds: what Christians believed before the traditions split, with full source citations.
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Common objections, answered
The pushback each view tends to hear — and how that tradition answers it, steelmanned fairly with sources.
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Verse breakdowns
The key passages behind this topic, verse by verse — tap any verse to see how each of the six traditions reads it.
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Word studies
The Greek and Hebrew terms where the meaning shapes the debate — what each word actually says, and why traditions read it differently.
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Go deeper
Keep exploring
Related topics where this conversation continues.
Purgatory and the Afterlife →
Indulgences presuppose the Catholic doctrine of purgatory — the final purification where temporal punishment is worked off. Compare how each tradition reads "saved, but as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15) and whether any such state exists.
Sacramental Confession →
An indulgence presupposes sins already forgiven — normally in sacramental Confession. Compare how each tradition understands the Church’s power to forgive or retain sins (John 20:21-23).
Salvation →
At stake is whether Christ’s work needs any supplement and whether merit can be transferred. Compare each tradition’s account of how salvation is received and whether anything remains to be "paid."
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