Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
Indulgences Are Biblical! (vs. Matthew Everhard)

Indulgences Are Biblical! (vs. Matthew Everhard)

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 1:11 pm by Dave Armstrong

0 Comments

Indulgences Are Biblical! (vs. Matthew Everhard) 2026-06-13T13:11:21-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is a transcript of the initial presentation of the video, Are Indulgences Biblical? Matthew Everhard says no, the Bible says YES! (Catholic Bible Highlights with Kenny Burchard, 4-17-26).

*****

Matthew Everhard is a Presbyterian pastor. His YouTube channel, that goes by his name, has 80,000 subscribers. Today we’ll be taking a look at his video, “Hey Catholics: . . . You’re Still Doing Indulgences?” (12-3-23). Here’s what he says:

[Matthew — 1:53] I want to press you Roman Catholics: why is it that you’re still talking about indulgences in the year 2023 of our Lord?

[Matthew — 2:18] Let me just explain here “what is an indulgence?” Well a plenary indulgence, according to Roman Catholic theology, is the idea that you can do something, okay, that will elicit the mercy of the Pope such that the Roman Catholic Church will dispense for you a little bit of grace. Now, it’s not a lot of grace, okay, because it isn’t intended to entirely save your soul . . .

[Matthew — 4:17] We Protestants are aghast at this, because none of this has anything to do with the actual biblical gospel . . .

If you watch the entire video, you’ll find that Pastor Everhard never cites a Catholic source so that he and his viewers can better understand how we define and apply indulgences. Wouldn’t that be nice if he did what any B-student tenth-grader writing an essay does: cite a source? But I guess that’s too much to ask.

Failing that, he goes on – again in typical Protestant apologetic fashion –, to talk about everything under the sun except the supposed topic at hand (judging by the title of his video). At 4:28 he starts talking about the “gospel” as Protestants define it (which is, of course, boils down to the false doctrine of faith alone). Then he starts in on (you guessed it!) Mary’s Immaculate Conception at 6:25. Then he even disagrees even with most Protestants in attacking Nativity scenes at 7:22, as a type of idolatry, later attacking icons as well. This has something to do with indulgences?

I do agree with one thing he said at 9:30:

[Matthew] “let me show my total Protestant ignorance.”

Then he launches into another discussion a million miles away from the supposed topic: whether a particular church can be a holy place. After that he gets ecumenical and recognizes that Catholics agree with Protestants that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, and monotheism and trinitarianism, and then goes back to his usual rambling till the end of the video, that runs 11 ½ minutes.

Now, having seen how our theological opponent, Pastor Everhard, acts when he is “analyzing” [choke!] a Catholic doctrine, let’s now do the real thing and explain the biblical reasons why Catholics believe in indulgences. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (section 1471) defines it as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.” That’s it! That’s the basic idea. It’s not complicated. But then a Protestant or less informed Catholic will wonder where the idea of temporal punishment for sins comes from? It sounds foreign to them: one of the many “icky” and unbiblical Catholic “inventions” as they wrongly perceive them to be. But in fact, it comes from the Bible. Here are several examples:

2 Samuel 12:13-14 (RSV) David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die.”

David had committed murder and adultery. He repented and God forgave him. But he still had “temporal punishment”. His son died, and later his son Absalom would rise up and lead an armed rebellion against him. But there’s much more than this in Scripture.

We have the story of Moses’ sister Miriam, who “spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married” (Numbers 12:1). 12:9 says that “the anger of the LORD was kindled” and in 12:10 we learn that “Miriam was leprous.” This is a prime example of temporal punishment for sin. But then Moses prayed for her healing (12:13-14) and God complied. And this is exactly what an indulgence is: the removal of temporal punishment for sin. It’s clear as day, right in the Bible. Later, Moses himself suffered temporal punishment: he wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 32:51-52 . . . you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Mer’i-bath-ka’desh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not revere me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the people of Israel.”

The incident is recorded in Numbers 20. God had told Moses to speak to the rock, to make water come out, but in exasperation with the complaining of the people, Moses struck it twice in disobedience, and he also implied that he had the power to make the water come out, rather than God. In this case, Moses wasn’t granted an indulgence.

In Numbers 14:19 Moses prays, “Pardon the iniquity of this people” and in 14:20 God replies, I have pardoned, according to your word.” But then God goes on to say that none who rebelled against him in the wilderness would be able to enter the Promised Land, either (14:21-23). Like Moses, they didn’t receive an indulgence to remove the penalty for sin, but their sin itself was pardoned.

Thus we already see in the Old Testament both temporal punishment for sin and merciful removal of that punishment in some cases, as with Miriam. This is the doctrine of indulgences, explicitly and clearly taught in the Bible. But some might ask at this point, “are there any examples of this sort of thing in the New Testament?” The answer is yes. Paul referred to receiving Holy Communion “in an unworthy manner” (1 Corinthians 11:27). Then he wrote something very interesting and very “un-Protestant” as we say, noting that the one who does this “drinks judgment upon himself” (11:29) and that as a result, “many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (11:30). Once again, this is temporal punishment for sin.

If we want to see an indulgence, we have that in Paul’s treatment of a serious sinner among the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:1-5 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father’s wife. [2] . . . Let him who has done this be removed from among you. [3] For though absent in body I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment [4] in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, [5] you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Paul has pronounced a penance, a temporal punishment, and a “judgment” so that the man can be “saved.” But then he later decided to relax the penance and grant an indulgence:

2 Corinthians 2:6-8, 10 For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough; [7] so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. [8] So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. . . . [10] Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,

Lastly, in section 1478, the Catechism explains further how one receives an indulgence:

An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins.

This power to “bind and loose” was given to Peter in Matthew 16:19 and to the disciples in Matthew 18:18: representing the power of the pope and bishops and priests, respectively. Jesus also told His disciples in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” That had to do with the sins themselves, not punishment for them. The Church has the power – given to it by our Lord Jesus — to withhold forgiveness of sins, or absolution, in the name of God, or to grant pardon. This is a similar but distinct act related to indulgences. The penance given by a priest after confession is similar to the punishment of sin, though it is most often very mild these days.

We’ve provided explicit biblical proof of indulgences, believe it or not! Pastor Everhard seemed to be completely unaware of any of this. Now he won’t be anymore, if he ever sees this. If not, please pray for him – and many others like him — to stop misrepresenting the views of his fellow Christians, that is, Catholics. It’s bearing false witness, and is a serious sin and violation of the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, and the Royal Commandment.

Related Book

God of Love, Fire & Light: A Biblical Defense of Purgatory (Dave Armstrong & Kenny Burchard, November 2024, 137 pages)

Related Articles

Myths and Facts Regarding Tetzel and Indulgences [11-25-16; published in Catholic Herald]

The Biblical Roots and History of Indulgences [National Catholic Register, 5-25-18]

*****

Summary: The ever-controversial and ultra-misunderstood topic of indulgences actually has a thorough biblical basis, connected to the practices of forgiveness, penance, and mercy.

Saints & Purgatory & Penance

Previous Post

April 17, 2026

"Reformation" Debate (vs. Lutheran Nathan Rinne)

Next Post

April 18, 2026 "Reformation" Debate (vs. Lutheran Nathan Rinne), Pt. 2

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Special pleading, and not a serious response to my arguments . . ."

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

""no man needs to teach us."Didn't you just teach us?"

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

""Catholics say they are the only church that can lead people into heaven."In fact, we ..."

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

"And lastly, I belong to no denomination and am free to serve God as He ..."

Mariah

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category & Last Things About Me Anti-Catholicism Atheism & Agnosticism Baptism and Sacramentalism Bible and Tradition Blessed Virgin Mary Books by Dave Armstrong C. S. Lewis Calvinism & General Protestantism Catholic Apologetics Catholic Apologists Catholic conversion Catholic converts Christmas Church (Ecclesiology) Church History Conversion and Converts Development of Doctrine Eastern Orthodoxy Ecumenism & Christian Unity Eucharist & Liturgy Fathers of the Church French Translations G. K. Chesterton Hell Hell & Satan Hell & Satan & Last Things Heresies & Comparative Religion Holistic Health Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals James White Jews & Judaism & Old Testament John Calvin John Henry Newman Liberal / Modernist Theology Life Issues Literary Resume Lutheranism Mariology Martin Luther Music Orthodoxy Papacy & Infallibility Personal Page Philosophy & Science Political & Ethical & Moral Issues Protestant Persecution & Intolerance Protestantism Purgatory Purgatory & Penance Romantic & Imaginative Theology Saints & Purgatory & Penance Salvation Salvation & Justification Satan & Last Things Sexuality and Gender Issues Spanish Translations Traditionalism vs. Radical Catholic Reactionaries Traducciones al español / tradução para português Trinitarianism & Christology Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 October 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 July 2004 May 2004 April 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz