Lutherna View of Church and State

LESSON SIX

A LUTHERAN VIEW OF CHURCH AND STATE

I. “Lutheran Two-Kingdom Perspective”

A. Labeled in Lesson Five as “Christ and Culture in Paradox”.

B. Origin in distinction of Law from Gospel.

C. Expression “doctrine of the two kingdoms”

1. Recent vintage

2. Arose in Lutheran scholarship in late 19th and early 20th centuries.

II. Luther

A. Spoke of God’s rule in the “three orders” (home, state, church)

B. Other times, of His rule in the “two kingdoms” or “two governments”.

C. Must read Luther in context re “two kingdoms”.

1. Sometimes, warring kingdoms of God and Satan.

2. Can refer to the two governments.

a. spiritual and temporal.

b. both established precisely by God to thwart Satan’s purposes.

D. Interest practical , not philosophical.

E. Secular authority:

1. Grounded in its creation by God.

2. Established to enhance our life in fallen world.

3. Reflects God’s gracious concern for His creation.

4. God is Lord of both, although ruling by different means in each (Law or Gospel).

F. All Christians live in both kingdoms simultaneously

1. Must be clearly distinguished.

2. But without being separated.

G. Recognized that there were two kinds of human righteousness.

1. Spiritual righteousness rooted in faith created by the Holy Spirit - grounded in the Gospel.

2. Civil righteousness rooted in morality of which all are capable, including non-believers - based on the Law.

H. Normative principles

1. Of church - faith and love.

2. Of civil order - reason and justice.

I. Concerning human reason

1. Re: spiritual righteousness - had a well-known contempt.

2. Re: civil righteousness - confidence that it could and often would well serve society, no matter how many or few Christians lived in it.

J. Made clear distinction between the exercise of power that was appropriate to church and that to state.

III. Difference with Puritan-Reformed model of Christ transforming culture.

A. Reformed stress equality of justification and sanctification, faith and obedience.

B. For Reformed, obedient life as important as that people come to justifying faith in Christ.

C. For Reformed, distinction does not preclude the establishment of a Christian state, including direct political intervention.

D. For Lutherans, Reformed approach to the state dangerously confuses Law and Gospel:

“As long as the Law stands ‘on the same footing’ with the Gospel, repentance with absolution, sanctification with justification, obedience with faith, it is no longer the doctrine of Justification which ‘alone shows the way to the unspeakable treasure and right knowledge of Christ, and alone open the door to the entire Bible’.”

(H. Sasse, quoted by CTCR on page 37)

IV. Lutherans: deep-seated and fundamental desire to carefully distinguish the Gospel from the creation-serving purpose of civil government.

A. Smalcald Articles (SA II, I 1-5)

1. Gospel is the “first and chief article.

2. “on this article rests all that we teach and practice.”

3. Therefore, “nothing... can be given up or compromised” regarding the Gospel.

4. “Otherwise all is lost”

B. Measuring a “true faith” by obedience to the Law or how much “transforming” that faith has been in civil realm compromises the true Gospel.

C. Does not mean that the Gospel, church, or faith have no temporal effects.

D. Christians will bring their faith-inspired love for the neighbor to all their secular, civil responsibilities.

E. There are profound limits to what Christian good works can accomplish.

F. Church must not become preoccupied with transforming civil order.

G. For Lutherans

1. Faith can illumine reason.

2. Love can temper justice.

3. But, these transforming virtues can not create a Christian politics or Christian economics.

V. Confessions

A. Augsburg Confession

1. Article XVI, 1-7

a. States five major themes

(1) Recognition of divine approval of the civil realm.

(2) Implication that the earthly welfare of people is a legitimate concern of Christians.

(3) The civil realm should be governed by reason, justice and concern for the common good.

(4) A Christian is called to responsibilities in the civil realm.

(5) There is a danger in perfectionistic notions of Christian spirituality.

2. Article XXVIII, 1-14

a. More themes evident here

(1) The power of the church is the power of Word and sacraments.

(2) The church does not, and must not pretend to, have temporal authority by interfering in government or prescribing legislation.

(3) The chief function of civil authorities is to protect human life and liberty from the power of others.

B. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession

1. Article XVI, 2-4

2. Article XVI, 6

3. Article IV, 189