A Brief Defense of Indulgences

Written by Jay Torres
2m read  •  Dec 31

St. Peter holding the Keys of Heaven

The word ‘indulgence’ is a very familiar term of history, known ambiguously even by non-religious to be connected with the Church's ‘corrupt extortion of the poor so that they may pay for the forgiveness of sins and enter heaven’ as they imagine. This however, is far from true, for an indulgence does not forgive one's sin, nor can possibly do so since (as we see with the Jubilee indulgence) it takes place after the Sacrament of Penance by which a Catholic receives absolution for all his sins. I will demonstrate the true teaching of indulgences, it's biblical foundation, and it's foundation in Christian antiquity.

The Debt and Punishment Owed to Sin

Sin, in Christian theology, is an act that transgresses the divine law, disordering the soul and incurring a two-fold effect: pollution and debt to God. This debt is illustrated in the 'Our Father' prayer, where we pray to “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Even after God grants forgiveness of sin to our polluted soul, this debt remains, as King David's story with Prophet Nathan demonstrates who was subsequently punished for the debt of his sin after being forgiven:

And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die. Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing the child that is born to thee shall surely die. (2 Samuel 12:13-14 DRA)

Satisfaction of Temporal Debt and the Treasury of Merit

This debt can be remitted in various ways, such as by giving alms to the poor, as it is written, “redeem thou thy sins with alms” (Daniel 4:24), by prayer, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12), and other similar pious acts. In addition to these, there is another way to remit this debt: the indulgence, which applies to us the treasury of merits of the Saints in heaven. As our Lord teaches concerning its existence, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal”. In times of trouble, these merits of the Saints can be applied to us, as the book of Daniel states:

“Do not take your mercy from us on account of your beloved Abraham, your servant Isaac, and Israel your holy one” (Daniel 3:35 DRA)

Furthermore, this concept is supported by the teachings of St. Augustine, a renowned Christian theologian of church history, who wrote in his work Exodum (1,149): “We are advised that when we are cast down due to lack of merit, the merits of those who love God can lift us up.”

The Keys of the Priesthood

The keys of the kingdom of heaven to “bind” and “loose” in heaven is the power by which the Church and Her priests dispense indulgences through the treasury of merit of Christ and the Saints. The Sacrament of Penance, in which forgiveness is given on account of sin, makes this clear: “Whoever sins you forgive are forgiven them” but we also see that the Church has the power to forgive the punishment on account of sin, as seen in the case of the man excommunicated by the Church for sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians 5:1. Saint Paul says “if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven in the person of Christ” and this is not talking about the guilt of sin but the “punishment” (2 Cor. 2:6) by the Church on account of his sexual immorality and excommunication.

Now we have the essence of an indulgence, which is nothing other than the Church, by the power of the keys given to Her by Jesus, remitting the punishment due to sin “in the person of Christ”. And She does this, as seen in the example of the Jubilee indulgence, through the fulfilling of conditions such as praying, giving money to the poor, and going on pilgrimages. In Christian antiquity, Saint Cyprian is noted to have dispensed a proto indulgence to those widows lapsed into sin. He says that they are forgiven by the merits of the Martyrs and the righteous:

“We believe, indeed, that the merits of martyrs and the works of the righteous are of great avail with the Judge” (St. Cyprian. Treatise 3: On the Lapsed. paragraph 17.)

“Those who have received a libellus from the martyrs and with their help can, before the Lord, get relief in their sins, let such, if they be ill and in danger, after confession and the imposition of your hands, depart unto the Lord with the peace promised them by the martyrs”. (St. Cyprian. Epistle 13: To the Clergy. paragraph 2.)