At the writing of this article, the presidency has changed hands from Democrat to Republican. Executive orders are flying off the desk, making sweeping changes that affect many Americans. President Trump’s nominees for cabinet level positions are undergoing scrutiny by the Senate. Many government employees are being offered the choice of returning to work in person or taking a buyout and resigning. Criminals who are in the country without permission are being detained and deported. The country is bracing for a political shift as a new administration takes over.
This is our political system, a representative democracy, where we elect our leaders to make deci sions for us. It’s a system that em braces change. But that change can be difficult for us. We often do not agree with the decisions that are being made. We might be anx ious and worry about the future for ourselves, our loved ones, and our country.
On the other hand, if we like what our leaders are doing, we might relax and feel that our fu ture, at least in the short term, is secure. Things are good. Every thing’s going to be okay.
Psalm 146 says,
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man,
in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs,
he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;”
(Psalm 146:3-6)
The Psalm points us to a reality that we often forget. God is in control. He orders and directs. Great and powerful leaders, super-powers and countries that might be called “bad actors,” none of these can work against the will of the God who made heaven and earth. In 1523, Martin Luther pub lished his Treatise on Temporal Authority. In it, Luther argues that rulers and governments are or dained by God to keep the peace and maintain order in society. They do this by enforcing laws, pursuing justice, and keeping or der in society. This secular king dom wields the sword (power) in order to curb evil and maintain peace. It exists for the welfare of people.
Temporal authority, however, is different than spiritual authority. The spiritual realm governs mat ters of faith and salvation. It is concerned with preaching the Gospel, administering the sacra ments, and guiding Christians in their spiritual lives. Luther empha sized that the Church’s role is not to rule over civil matters, but ra ther to offer spiritual care and salvation through God’s Word. Luther also makes the point that Christians are obligated to obey secular rulers, just as Paul writes in Romans 13:1, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authori ties, for there is no authority ex cept that which God has estab lished.” However, he highlights that rulers are not above God and should rule justly, in keeping with divine principles. If the demands of the governing authorities con tradicts God’s Word, then, as Peter and the apostles confess in Acts 5:59, “We must obey God, rather than men.”
From this treatise comes what we know today as Luther’s Two Kingdoms Doctrine. Luther devel oped this doctrine as part of his Reformation theology. Realizing that we exist and live in both kingdoms can be very help ful, especially during the tumult of political change. We are not to militate for the Church to control secular society. Nor are we to al low the governing authorities to dictate what we believe and how we worship. Keeping the two kingdoms in their place can also bring us heavenly peace in the midst of temporal turmoil. Whatever happens in this tem poral life, we know that the God who made heaven and earth is in control. As good citizens, our faith can help us elect good and capable leaders. But we also know not to “trust in princes,” but to put our trust and hope in God our heavenly Father. Secular kingdoms and rul ers will come and go. Their breath will depart and they will return to the earth. However, both our God and his love for us in Christ are eternal, and his promises are a bed rock foundation on which to place our hope.
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
God’s peace be yours in the name of our crucified and risen Lord Jesus.
Pastor