This is the basis for a lesson I’m developing for our What Lutherans Believe class at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. It’s not polished or complete, but worth putting out there for comment and discussion.
What Lutherans Believe Regarding Human Government, and the Individual Christian’s Engagement with it
Lutherans are generally known for shying away from becoming “political”, especially in election years. In that the Great Commission is focused on spiritual matters and not the secular, this is a reasonable – even if not commanded — tendency. After all, we would not want someone to not hear the Gospel because we turned them off with political messaging. Our calling is to proclaim Christ Crucified for our sins, and to preach the Good News. We know that our salvation lies not in government or secular leadership, but in the power of the Word of God. We seek not to make bad people good, but instead to make dead people alive!
But we live in a secular world that needs to hear all this. The Bible reminds us to be in the world, but not of it. We should bring our Christian influence to our everyday life, and to engage the people God has put in that life in constructive and merciful ways to the extent we can. Can it be God-pleasing to be “political”? Is it possible that God wants us to engage the powers of the present age, even if those powers are unchristian or even antichrist? Should we do what we can to influence, change, or improve the secular lives of people who don’t even believe in Jesus?
The way we answer such questions says much about how we read the Bible, and about how we believe God engages all of mankind, not just His followers.
The Two Kingdoms [1]
Martin Luther recognized that Christians are situated in a struggle between the sacred and the secular. As a result, he developed the idea of the “Kingdom of the Left” and the “Kingdom of the Right”. This model reflects Biblical principles, and teaches us Luther’s understanding of how God interacts with the world.
The two kingdoms are not about Law & Gospel per se, though at times it might seem like that. Rather, the distinction Luther drew between the two kingdoms explains how God is sovereign over both the spiritual and secular realms, because He instituted both. Each kingdom has a distinct purpose and function.
The Kingdom of the Left:
- What is it? The “Kingdom of the Left” refers to the secular realm, where God’s rule is exercised through natural laws, governance, and societal structures. This includes the enforcement of laws, the administration of both civil and criminal justice, and the maintenance of social order. The Kingdom of the Left deals with “worldly” matters that are largely external to the Church and common to all men, as well as the maintenance of order in human society.
- Why did God institute it? The purpose of the Kingdom of the Left is to provide a stable and orderly society. It helps to curb sin and protect the innocent, but it does not necessarily address spiritual or eternal matters, even if it at times intersects with those things. You could think of the Kingdom of the Left as being how God guides the “here-and-now”, rather than our salvation.
- How does it work? God uses earthly authorities like kings, presidents, and governments to maintain peace and order, and to prevent chaos. These authorities do not always know God or even understand that they are being used by Him. This is the arena in which we see human reason and “natural law” being applied to maintain orderliness in our corporate lives.
The Kingdom of the Right:
- What is it? The “Kingdom of the Right” pertains to the spiritual realm, where God’s rule is exercised through the power of the Gospel, which He conveys to the world via the church and sacraments. The Kingdom of the Right deals with spiritual matters internal to the Church, the salvation of souls, and keeping and preserving us, His saints.
- Why did God institute it? The purpose of the Kingdom of the Right is to maintain the presence of God’s Word of life and hope, and to offer salvation and eternal life to mankind, as long as man lives on Earth. It is how God communicates and nourishes faith, offers grace and redemption to all people, and is His mechanism for guiding believers as they live and grow in the Christian faith.
- How does it work? God works through the Holy Spirit to bring people to faith, by which they are afforded forgiveness of sins, and ultimately eternal life. The Kingdom of the Right is concerned with inner transformation of individuals (justification), and their continuously growing relationship with God (sanctification).
It’s interesting to contemplate how profound this was for Luther, who desired to completely separate himself from the word via the monastic life, which he joined in no small part out of fear. He despised his sin, and thought the only way he could overcome the world was to effectively leave it. Ultimately, with the help of his father confessor, he grew out of the attitude of fear and isolation, to the benefit of all of us!
With this background and understanding, let us not isolate from the secular, but consider how best to engage and constructively influence it.
The Biblical Foundation for Government
Read Romans 13:1-7
It’s not always easy to accept or admit that “governing authorities” are ordained by God to maintain order and justice, because we often don’t like how the government does that.
Read 1 Peter 2:13-17
Submission to governing authorities is a function and reflection of our faith. The balance between respecting authority and standing for righteousness is not always easy to maintain, but this is God-pleasing, and in accordance with His will for our lives. Darn it!
What about Unjust Governments or Laws?
The Old Testament offers several accounts of the people of God being in terrible circumstances, yet having influence and success in both the secular and spiritual realms. Let’s look at two of them.
A familiar story that exemplifies this is the story of Joseph. Read Genesis 41. Joseph used his influence for both the common good of the foreign people he lived amongst, and the furthering of God’s plan to the extent he was able.
Another impressive example is Daniel, whose life serves as a striking and remarkable model for living one’s life in the midst of a decided ungodly nation and governmental system (Babylon!) Read Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 to learn how Daniel remained faithful in the face of extraordinarily unjust laws, and how he balanced being obedient to God’s ordinances while at the same time providing remarkable levels of civic duty amongst an unbelieving nation.
What did Jesus say?
Read Matthew 22:15-22
This rather well-known command, often quoted per the KJV as “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”, tells us it is God’s will that we understand — and live out — our civic responsibilities. We are to recognize God at work via the Kingdom of the Left. Darn it again!
We are also to understand that Jesus often talked of the Kingdom of the Right. For example, in John 18:36:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not [a]of this realm.”
Here we hear Jesus distinguishing between spiritual and earthly realms. The two kingdoms are both in evidence!
The Christian’s Role in Society
Why can’t we just be like monastic Luther, and avoid all this unpleasantness?
Read Matthew 5:13-16
We are called by God to be Salt and Light. We have Influence, and impact both our secular and sacred worlds by what we believe, teach, and confess, and by how we treat and serve all people. We are to conduct ourselves with integrity, kindness, and mercy. Speaking of which…
Read Micah 6:8
Read Isaiah 1:17
Isn’t it interesting that these passages seem to deal more with the Kingdom of the Left than the Right? Maybe by honoring God in one, we ultimately honor Him in both!
What about Voting?
We should do what we can to promote the selection of good people into leadership positions. Solomon recognized both the positive and negative results that arise from the quality of the nation’s leaders:
Read Proverbs 29:2
We find in Esther’s story that speaking up for what is right is a godly thing. Mordecai reminded her that there are times when the decision-making process is critical to those affected!
Read Esther 4:13-14
Read Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents)
This parable is about using one’s resources, intellect, and influence – all given to us by God, our Master — wisely.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
The diversity of gifts and responsibilities given to the body of Christ are to be used for “common good”. It is not exclusively for the household of faith, but for all. Spiritual gifts definitely apply here, and those include discernment, generosity, and so on. We can and should apply those to both the Kingdom of the Left and the Kingdom of the Right. Just as we take seriously the governance of our congregation, we should also take seriously any opportunity we have to influence our government, and voting is perhaps the most fundamental way to do that short of running for political office ourselves.
And if you are gifted in administration, leadership, etc., perhaps God will call you to do just that! Be open to it!
Christian Voting Practices
Practice Informed Decision-Making. Learn what you can about candidates, their policies, and their past performance. Researching candidates and understanding platforms is something we can all do easily with the resources available to us on the Internet.
Pray and Practice Discernment – Seek God’s guidance in voting decisions, and use the intellectual gifts He has given you to make the best decision(s) you can.
Be salt and light – in BOTH Kingdoms!
[1] https://www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/life-ministry/library/two-kingdoms
Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms in this (and any other) Political Season
This is the basis for a lesson I’m developing for our What Lutherans Believe class at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. It’s not polished or complete, but worth putting out there for comment and discussion.
What Lutherans Believe Regarding Human Government, and the Individual Christian’s Engagement with it
Lutherans are generally known for shying away from becoming “political”, especially in election years. In that the Great Commission is focused on spiritual matters and not the secular, this is a reasonable – even if not commanded — tendency. After all, we would not want someone to not hear the Gospel because we turned them off with political messaging. Our calling is to proclaim Christ Crucified for our sins, and to preach the Good News. We know that our salvation lies not in government or secular leadership, but in the power of the Word of God. We seek not to make bad people good, but instead to make dead people alive!
But we live in a secular world that needs to hear all this. The Bible reminds us to be in the world, but not of it. We should bring our Christian influence to our everyday life, and to engage the people God has put in that life in constructive and merciful ways to the extent we can. Can it be God-pleasing to be “political”? Is it possible that God wants us to engage the powers of the present age, even if those powers are unchristian or even antichrist? Should we do what we can to influence, change, or improve the secular lives of people who don’t even believe in Jesus?
The way we answer such questions says much about how we read the Bible, and about how we believe God engages all of mankind, not just His followers.
The Two Kingdoms [1]
Martin Luther recognized that Christians are situated in a struggle between the sacred and the secular. As a result, he developed the idea of the “Kingdom of the Left” and the “Kingdom of the Right”. This model reflects Biblical principles, and teaches us Luther’s understanding of how God interacts with the world.
The two kingdoms are not about Law & Gospel per se, though at times it might seem like that. Rather, the distinction Luther drew between the two kingdoms explains how God is sovereign over both the spiritual and secular realms, because He instituted both. Each kingdom has a distinct purpose and function.
The Kingdom of the Left:
The Kingdom of the Right:
It’s interesting to contemplate how profound this was for Luther, who desired to completely separate himself from the word via the monastic life, which he joined in no small part out of fear. He despised his sin, and thought the only way he could overcome the world was to effectively leave it. Ultimately, with the help of his father confessor, he grew out of the attitude of fear and isolation, to the benefit of all of us!
With this background and understanding, let us not isolate from the secular, but consider how best to engage and constructively influence it.
The Biblical Foundation for Government
Read Romans 13:1-7
It’s not always easy to accept or admit that “governing authorities” are ordained by God to maintain order and justice, because we often don’t like how the government does that.
Read 1 Peter 2:13-17
Submission to governing authorities is a function and reflection of our faith. The balance between respecting authority and standing for righteousness is not always easy to maintain, but this is God-pleasing, and in accordance with His will for our lives. Darn it!
What about Unjust Governments or Laws?
The Old Testament offers several accounts of the people of God being in terrible circumstances, yet having influence and success in both the secular and spiritual realms. Let’s look at two of them.
A familiar story that exemplifies this is the story of Joseph. Read Genesis 41. Joseph used his influence for both the common good of the foreign people he lived amongst, and the furthering of God’s plan to the extent he was able.
Another impressive example is Daniel, whose life serves as a striking and remarkable model for living one’s life in the midst of a decided ungodly nation and governmental system (Babylon!) Read Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 to learn how Daniel remained faithful in the face of extraordinarily unjust laws, and how he balanced being obedient to God’s ordinances while at the same time providing remarkable levels of civic duty amongst an unbelieving nation.
What did Jesus say?
Read Matthew 22:15-22
This rather well-known command, often quoted per the KJV as “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”, tells us it is God’s will that we understand — and live out — our civic responsibilities. We are to recognize God at work via the Kingdom of the Left. Darn it again!
We are also to understand that Jesus often talked of the Kingdom of the Right. For example, in John 18:36:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not [a]of this realm.”
Here we hear Jesus distinguishing between spiritual and earthly realms. The two kingdoms are both in evidence!
The Christian’s Role in Society
Why can’t we just be like monastic Luther, and avoid all this unpleasantness?
Read Matthew 5:13-16
We are called by God to be Salt and Light. We have Influence, and impact both our secular and sacred worlds by what we believe, teach, and confess, and by how we treat and serve all people. We are to conduct ourselves with integrity, kindness, and mercy. Speaking of which…
Read Micah 6:8
Read Isaiah 1:17
Isn’t it interesting that these passages seem to deal more with the Kingdom of the Left than the Right? Maybe by honoring God in one, we ultimately honor Him in both!
What about Voting?
We should do what we can to promote the selection of good people into leadership positions. Solomon recognized both the positive and negative results that arise from the quality of the nation’s leaders:
Read Proverbs 29:2
We find in Esther’s story that speaking up for what is right is a godly thing. Mordecai reminded her that there are times when the decision-making process is critical to those affected!
Read Esther 4:13-14
Read Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents)
This parable is about using one’s resources, intellect, and influence – all given to us by God, our Master — wisely.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
The diversity of gifts and responsibilities given to the body of Christ are to be used for “common good”. It is not exclusively for the household of faith, but for all. Spiritual gifts definitely apply here, and those include discernment, generosity, and so on. We can and should apply those to both the Kingdom of the Left and the Kingdom of the Right. Just as we take seriously the governance of our congregation, we should also take seriously any opportunity we have to influence our government, and voting is perhaps the most fundamental way to do that short of running for political office ourselves.
And if you are gifted in administration, leadership, etc., perhaps God will call you to do just that! Be open to it!
Christian Voting Practices
Practice Informed Decision-Making. Learn what you can about candidates, their policies, and their past performance. Researching candidates and understanding platforms is something we can all do easily with the resources available to us on the Internet.
Pray and Practice Discernment – Seek God’s guidance in voting decisions, and use the intellectual gifts He has given you to make the best decision(s) you can.
Be salt and light – in BOTH Kingdoms!
[1] https://www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/life-ministry/library/two-kingdoms