What is the treasury of merit?

Answer

In Roman Catholicism, the treasury of merit is the superabundant store of righteousness and good works belonging to Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. The treasury of merit is filled with the merit of Christ and Mary (who were sinless), and the saints, who had more than enough merit to enter heaven themselves—they had earned more spiritual rewards than they needed. This merit is now available to others to “supplement” their own meritorious works.

According to Rome, just a drop of Christ’s blood would contain enough merit to save the whole world, so the excess blood Christ shed on the cross was stored in a treasury of merit in heaven. Of course, the Bible says nothing about the number of drops of blood Christ shed or how many were sufficient for salvation. The emphasis in the Bible is not on the physical volume of Jesus’ blood but on the act of sacrifice. Jesus’ blood was spilled to fulfill the Old Testament requirement for blood sacrifices so that such sacrifices were no longer necessary (Leviticus 17:11;Hebrews 9:11-18).

Catholic doctrine teaches that not only is the excess of Christ’s meritorious work stored in the treasury of merit, but also the righteous works of Mary and other saints. Mary, Catholicism maintains, was sinless, and she gained far more merit than what she needed for entrance into heaven, so her “extra” merit was added to the treasury. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unit.

of the Mystical Body.”

The philosophy behind the treasury of merit is entirely unbiblical. In fact, the idea is the complete opposite of the teachings of Christ and the apostles. To start with, the Catholic belief that individuals can enter heaven by performing enough good deeds essentially removes the necessity of a Savior. If some individuals possess more merit than required to enter heaven, then it implies that good works, not grace, form the foundation of salvation. However, Ephesians 2:8–9 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

No one gains access to heaven based on their own merit. The Bible explicitly states that “a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” «knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. », (Galatians 2:16). Refer also to Romans 3:20–27.

Moreover, the concept that Mary was sinless and her good deeds could be transferred to others contradicts clear scriptural teachings. Paul was clear on this matter: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23). He did not say “all have sinned except Mary.” He said “all”; every person, each individual, is a sinner. He also stated, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10; cf: Psalm 14:3). The term “no one” includes Mary. Mary herself acknowledged this truth, meaning that all individuals have sinned and require a Savior. She proclaimed, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” «And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. », (Luke 1:47, emphasis added). Mary not only lacked adequate merit to secure the salvation of others but also fell short of having enough merit to secure her own salvation! This is why she found joy in her “Savior.”

Arguably the most concerning aspect, Roman Catholicism asserts that the treasury of merit is overseen by the Pope, who exclusively holds the authority to allocate merit as he sees fit through what are known as “indulgences.” He has the ability to extract merit from the treasury of merit and assign it to individuals, enabling them to progress closer to heaven than they could based on their own merits. Historically, the Roman Church permitted individuals to purchase this merit by, for instance, contributing funds towards significant church initiatives. The purchase of indulgences from the treasury of merit could also benefit those in Purgatory by reducing their time there. The sale of indulgences, which allowed for the acquisition of merit, was a source of contention for Martin Luther and others. Consequently, the notion of a treasury of merit played a role in triggering the Protestant Reformation.