Encore Post: When I was a reference librarian, I frequently get asked whether (and where!) Martin Luther said a quotation people claim he said. Most of the time when I am asked to do so, I cannot find a place where he is recorded as saying or writing such a thing. That is not the case with the Luther quote “sin boldly,” which is often used by his opponents to claim Luther rejects God’s law for Christians. The short answer is: yes, he wrote this phrase, but, no, it does not mean what his opponents think it means.
Over Five hundred years ago, Luther was living in the Wartburg Castle — kind of as a safe house of sorts — under the name of Junker Jorg. At first, he had a difficult time adjusting — his diet switched from that of a monk to that fit for a noble. By August, he was settling in. He was far from idle there. Among the things he did was write an incredible number of letters to friends, allies, his prince and others. Few people knew exactly where he was — the letters all went to his friend Georg Spalatin, who was the chancellor for his prince Frederick the Wise. Spalatin then sent them on.
Soon Luther’s friends used the same channel to reply and to ask advice as to how to proceed in his absence. The letter where Luther writes — in Latin — “sin boldly” was penned August 1st, 1521. In it, Luther addresses the questions of whether monks should be held to their monastic vows and whether priests should be allowed to marry. Luther criticized these vows — among other things — as man-made laws. That these were to be valued more highly than God’s Word was a false commandment. To violate them was not a sin but an imaginary sin.
Serious Christians, such as Luther himself, had tortured themselves trying to observe such traditions. They felt great burdens of guilt for breaking these. Apparently, Philip Melanchthon and Luther’s allies couldn’t decide whether to set these aside. Luther’s advice was not to worry about these so-called sins. Be bold to just live your lives, but believe in Christ, who forgives sins even more boldly.
In this sinful world, Christians will never be free of sin. As another so-called Luther quote (this one he didn’t likely say) goes: “the Old Adam is a good swimmer.” He is drowning in baptism, but doesn’t give up without a good fight! As Christians, we need to remember to look to Jesus. He bore all our real sins to the cross. There he paid the full price due for our sin and the sins it performs and removes them forever. In Christ, we die to rise again on the last day without sin.
So, Luther’s advice to Melanchthon is good. Here is how he put it: “If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory, we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.”
Sermon on Matthew 22:15-22 Monday of the 20th Sunday after Pentecost Our Hope Lutheran Church October 18th, 2020
Text: “Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you trying to trick me, Actors? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore pay Caesar what you owe Caesar, and God what you owe God”
Intro: The year Isaac Watts wrote “Our God, our Help in Ages Past,” Queen Anne was dying. Her reign was an age of religious peace and tolerance. Watts was a dissenting protestant and before Queen Anne, his church was persecuted by the crown. The leading heir to the crown was Catholic, and many worried about a return of persecution. The fear was relieved when the Lutheran George I was crowned. The hymn reminded them—and us — that God is in charge of the world and our eternal home. On Tuesday of the first Holy Week, the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus into a sound bite that would undo him. That day they tried politics. It didn’t work.
God appoints earthly governments—even the bad ones.
Earthly governments maintain order and restrain evil.
We owe them honor, obedience in earthly matters, prayers for their well-being and wisdom.
When governments call on us to sin, only then may we disobey.
When, as in a democracy, we are a part of the government; we are called by God to steer it towards the purposes for which it is ordained.
Yet obedience does not come easily to sinners.
We cherish our freedom, and no one can tell us what to do.
Government is made up by sinners, who often serve themselves more than God or the people.
Even when they mean well, they often make things worse.
We are tempted, then, to take things into our own hands.
God is our Eternal Home
Yet Jesus reigns and will return to judge the world.
He left his throne to die for our rebellion.
He rose to open the grave to all believers.
He has adopted us in Holy Baptism.
We are now citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
Conclusion: So, we gladly serve our Lord, by supporting the government he’s given us, exercising our office of Elector of the Republic for his sake, but seeking first his kingdom, knowing all too soon we will go home where we truly belong.
Prayer: Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home; Be thou our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home. Amen.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
The State, as we learned, is to wield the sword and keep rampant evil and sin at bay. The Church is given to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
So, how do we citizens of the State and the Church fit into both categories? What ought we be doing? The answer, I believe, comes through vocation.
One vocation that we all have is being citizen of the State. This vocation is informed by the many others we have, as well as the Word of God, especially the vocation that comes from being baptized into Christ. Each vocation places duties on us, and the Small Catechism gives us a small picture into some of those duties. Peter in his first letter reminds us to honor all, even the Emperor.
Christ our Lord says in the Gospel of John, be in the world but not of the world. And Paul also reminds us that our citizenship truly lies in heaven. But we aren’t in heaven yet, but we live in that hope. We are here in the world to serve our neighbor through our various vocations, and that includes the State and our government leaders. The Church is in the unique position to inform the State of God’s law and gospel.
We are even given the command that when the state compels us by law to do something against the Lord’s will, we are to obey God rather than men. The Church has a voice in the public sphere, particularly to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How else will the citizens of the state receive the grace of God? Certainly, they will not see that grace from the State. That is not the State’s job or purpose.
What do we do as citizens of the State? We desire peace and prosperity. We pray for our government leaders in our worship services, even those we don’t agree with politically. We pray that the Lord God use them to fulfill their vocation as leaders and give us a peaceful and quiet life that allows us to worship our God and Savior Jesus Christ without fear.
Encore Post: The Church and State have always had an interesting relationship at least here in the U.S.A. And if we look across the pond to Europe, the history is even more blurry because for the longest time the Church and the State were essentially working together. The Holy Roman Empire, for instance, was given that name because of its connections to the Holy Roman Catholic Church. The Pope actually was the one who crowned the emperor. Hence, Luther and the Lutheran Confessions dealt with both the Emperor and the Pope during the time of the Reformation. The Church and State went hand in hand, so it seemed.
However, that is not necessarily always a good thing. St. Paul tells us that the Church and the State serve two distinctly different purposes. The State was given to curb evil and violence. The State wields the sword. You could say that they help people follow and enforce the first use of the Law. The State (government) keeps its citizens from committing rampant sin against other civilians and even themselves.
The Church has the purpose of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world. The Church has no use for the sword in this endeavor. Rather, the Church’s weapon of choice is her pastors’ voices proclaiming the Word of God to sinful men and women in the world. That means the Church is to inform the people, even the leaders of the State, of their sin and proclaim to them forgiveness of their sins in and through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
This post begins a series about the State and Church relationship and we will explore a bit more how we as Christians can and should pray and inform the policies of the State as well as when the State makes us Christians do things that are against our deeply held beliefs and conscience.
Dear saints, the appointed Psalm for this day is the 46th Psalm. It is what inspired Luther to write this morning’s Hymn of the Day, A Mighty Fortress. It is a hymn that brings forth confidence. Not confidence in oneself, but in his God. This makes sense, for by the Middle Ages, the systems of theology preached great insecurity. It rightly preached that you are a sinner, but the prescription for your illness was not the Gospel. It was a series of works that you had to do so that your angry God might be appeased.
And so, you bought indulgences. You paid for masses for yourself and for your dead loved ones assumed to be in purgatory. Some abandoned family to take up residence in a monastery, supposing that your spiritual life there would earn heaven and not purgatory. The abuses of the church and the fear within the churchgoer fueled what became the Reformation. For in the Reformation, we are given the fruits of security.
Luther is a prime example of this. He was a committed son of the church. He believed what the church was teaching and was indeed teaching it himself. He took his sin seriously and it drove him to despair. He almost ended up hating God. But God had mercy. In that mercy, the Lord drove Luther to the Scriptures, especially the Psalms. And in his study of Romans, Luther finally saw that God’s wrath had already been carried out. Not on sinners, but on the perfect Son of God whose blood was shed in propitiation, in atonement, for the sins of the world.
It was in the Scriptures that God showed Luther that man is forgiven and justified not by private masses, indulgences, and works of penance, but by grace. Grace that is received by faith. What God showed Luther is secure and steadfast. In the 46th Psalm, we see how our God gives us security. Let us look at the four parts of the Psalm this morning:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
The opening of the Psalm is the basis of Luther’s great hymn. It is God who is our mighty fortress. It is God who is our help in any trouble. No matter what goes on around us, because of who our God is and because of what He does for us, we shall not fear anything but Him. This is the confidence we have in God. No matter what we go through, He is with us. He keeps our souls. And he will deliver us to life, no matter what trial, trouble, or tribulation you experience in this life.
There are multiple times where God interceded on behalf of His people. He brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered them from Pharaoh’s armies at the Red Sea. He defeated Sennacherib and the armies of Assyria when they were determined to destroy Jerusalem. But the Psalm speaks not simply of earthly rescue. It assures you of your rescue from sin, death, and the devil which culminates on the Last Day. On the Day that Christ returns and completes this psalm’s fulfillment. This is our confidence.
But why do we have this confidence? Because the Lord is with us!
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Though your God is omnipresent, he deigned to be locally present with His people. The holy habitation of God on earth was first in the Tabernacle which traveled with Israel and then the Temple in Jerusalem, the city of God. But Jerusalem did not have a river. What is the river then? St. Ambrose says that the river is the Holy Spirit. This is seen when you recall Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”This living water is the Holy Spirit.
Also, remember the Revelation to St. John. In the vision, he is shown the river of water that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. It flows through the middle of the street and gives water to the tree of life on either side of the river. The leaves of that tree were for the healing of the nations. In that time, nothing will again be accursed. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be present. And as God’s servants, each of you will worship Him.
Our days will never be peaceful. There will be wars, rumors of war, and strife. There will be drought, famine, or other calamities. There will be sickness, plague, and whatever else you can think of. But at the utterance of God’s voice, all will cease. For you, God is your fortress. He is the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. This is seen in the next section:
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
The victories of God are numerous in Scripture beyond what was mentioned earlier. God worked mighty works and brought down powerful men, nations, and armies. Using young David, God defeats Goliath and the Philistines. He used a wicked nation to bring down another. But the greatest work is that of your salvation. And it is through that mighty work that He will end all wars, breaking the bow and shattering spear, and destroy chariots with fire.
While Christ has cried out, “It is finished,” we do not yet see the culmination of His victory. As a result, we still see a restless and raging world. A world that wants to overthrow God and be a ruler and god unto itself. At times, God’s people will be the target of these entities. To all this, God says:
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
As your Lord spoke to the raging wind and it was quiet, so also will He speak to those that rage against Him. And when He says, “Be still,” they will have no choice. And yet He is also speaking to you. He is telling you that He is in control, even when it is chaos around you. He is God, and no man or power can overthrow Him. It has been tried by man and fallen angel.
Therefore, do not be worried when you are afflicted. Do not fret when things look dark. Stand firm and know that God protects His church. Remember that He gives you His Gospel and accomplishes what is good for you and your salvation. Be ready for the day when all wars will come to an end and the new heavens and earth are ushered in by your Lord and Savior. On that day uninterrupted spiritual peace will endure forever. For the Lord is with us. He is our fortress.
He is by your side. He remains omnipresent and here, right now, locally with you. And through His good gifts, even should your adversaries take your goods, fame, child, wife, even your life, your victory is won. The kingdom of God and your reward in it remain. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Trinity Lutheran Church Guttenberg, Iowa and St. Paul Lutheran Church McGregor, Iowa
Encore Post: In most churches, worship is about what Christians do to glorify God. It is about praying, giving contributions to support the work of the Church, singing your song, and dedicating yourself to follow Jesus. Lutherans understand worship as all about what God gives to us — Absolution, God’s Word read, sung by us and preached to us, and the Sacraments, especially the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gives us his body to eat with bread and his blood to drink with wine. In these gifts, his means of grace, mysteriously, God places and strengthens faith in our hearts, gives us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We sing his praises, pray to him at his invitation, and offer the sacrifice of our lives to thank him for these gifts.
So, worship really is not about us — it is about God’s gifts. God invites us to gather together the same way that our mothers and fathers gathered for dinner. When we call us to eat a well-prepared, delicious feast, we don’t say “Do I have to eat it?” or “But we just had a big dinner last week!” We get up and hurry to receive this wonderful gift of our host’s love and enjoy the time together with those we love.
So, the question we should ask ourselves and each other is not: “Do we have to go to church?” but really is “Do we get to go to church?” The Lord and Creator of the Universe is coming to church. He is the same Jesus who loved us so much that he became one of us, suffered, died and rose again so that he could give us his gifts, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. So, let’s go and unwrap them!
Yes, we certainly can. This incenses the enemies of the church, who find their god in the authority of the state instead. Sadly, every election season, this comes up. There are precious few limitations on how or when pastors may exercise our liberties both within and outside the pastoral office. (“Office” here means vocation, job, or duty, rather than the place where my books live).
Rev. Dr. Christopher Thoma, senior pastor of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hartland, Michigan holds an annual conference called the Body of Christ in the Public Square. He’s hosted speakers in the ten or so years he’s been holding the conference at Our Savior including: Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Riley Gaines, Ben Carson, Jack Phillips, and Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy (fmr. President of the English District – LCMS, and current president of the LCMS Concordia University System). That’s not exactly a balanced list of speakers.
Rev. Thoma recently posted this in public (published with permission):
“Considering a particular jab following worship today — one suggesting my political preferences “might be too visible to the public” — I’m just going to put this image right here. [the image: Rev. Thoma with a political yard sign] Let there be no “might be” regarding my predilections. [He doesn’t conceal his political opinions]. In addition to the image, I’ll share a summary of the Johnson Amendment (since it was mentioned in passing) that I wrote a few years ago. I share it not necessarily to claim my rights above the need for expressing Christian love in such conversations (which I certainly attempt to do), but rather so that others are not confused with regard to a clergyman-citizen’s actual freedoms. Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod leadership, pastors, and parishioners would do well to take note.”
Rev. Thoma’s post from a few years ago (ibid):
“Of course as a Lutheran pastor, I’m probably not going to say from the pulpit, “Vote for so-and-so!” At its heart, that’s not the task of preaching. Although I’ll admit that in this day and age, it’s becoming more and more likely that such a phrase might actually be necessary homiletically.
Babies are being murdered. The freedom to preach and proclaim the Gospel is being smothered. The twisting of Natural Law in ways that disintegrate the family while adulterating God’s design in holy marriage are actual planks in political party platforms. Too many Christians sitting in the pews are choosing to elect leaders who support these diabolical things, even as the Word of God speaks against them.
[We can certainly now add to this list: Critical Race Theory, distorting God’s forgiveness; and trans ideology, distorting God’s gift of gender.]
With this, it should be no surprise if a pastor does what he can from the pulpit to aim his flock toward candidates who are most aligned with the will of God and not the will of devilry. But either way, whether saying “Vote for so-and-so” seems appropriate or not, if a pastor wanted to say it from the pulpit, according to the law he could. He is free to preach and teach as he chooses, even if particular parties or candidates are promoted. Admittedly, as the efforts of a pastor and church (a non-profit religious organization) might meet with the Johnson Amendment’s particulars, there are certain things they cannot do. For the sake of clarity, here’s the best summary I can offer of the law in this regard.
Firstly, the Amendment states that a non-profit religious organization may not endorse or oppose a particular candidate in a way that results in the imposition of punitive action against members of the organization who endorse or oppose a different candidate, contribute to or use a church’s resources for the benefit of one candidate over another. This typically happens when one particular candidate or party is granted open access to a church’s membership roster. [(RR 2007-41, p. 11, Situation 18)]
Secondly, a non-profit religious organization may perform such activities as register their members as voters, distribute non-partisan voting guides, invite candidates to speak, directly address issues and legislation (abortion, marriage, and the like), even employing the church’s resources to move for or against these issues. Preaching is not excluded. [(RR 2007-41, p. 3-4, Situations 1-2)]
Thirdly, as an individual, the pastor or religious leader of a non-profit religious organization may do whatever he or she feels led to do within his or her station —which includes but is not limited to publicly endorsing a candidate, supporting (or encouraging support toward) a party or campaign, and the like, as long as the efforts are not done using the church’s material resources. There are no limitations on the pastors as individuals serving in their offices. The few limitations above that do exist are only for the religious entity as a whole and only if the religious entity is a non-profit organization.” [(RR 2007-41, p. 10-11)]
Rev. Thoma didn’t and the IRS barely addresses the parsonage. So, I’ll add for your benefit:
Fourthly, the pastor’s home, a parsonage, is in his possession and not a material asset of the church, as explained by the Treasurer’s office of the Texas District – LCMS. The parsonage is a taxable portion of the pastor’s pay. The benefit is limited in scope. Pastor only has exclusive use of it, while he is serving. But, during the term of the benefit, the church does not have possession of it. The church may not place signage at the parsonage, nor use it uninvited.
“Charities, including churches, placing signs on their property that show they support a particular candidate.” (IR-2006-36) Without access to do so, neither the church nor her agents acting in their office, have placed nor can place anything on the parsonage yard. The pastor is a resident, when he is at home, and not acting from his office.
Despite their volumes of guidance, the IRS rarely, if ever enforces their rules concerning the unclear letter of the law in the Johnson Amendment. It is impossible to prove a negative. As such, in the absence of a clear directive defining the situation of a parsonage, none of the other criteria apply.
Concerning the Johnson Amendment on it’s own merits, the law is probably on thin ice. It was introduced in retribution against two Texas non-profits that supported LBJ’s primary opponent. The Johnson Amendment stands contrary to the free exercise clause of the first amendment (American Center for Law and Justice). “Congress shall make no law”… except the Johnson Amendment.
Sermon on Psalm 90 Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost Our Hope Lutheran Church October 13-14, 2024
Text: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
Introduction: Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our shelter from the storm blast, be Thou our Guard while troubles last, and our eternal Home. Amen.
Grace, mercy and peace, be to you from God our Father and from our coming Lord Jesus Christ.
Time is a curious thing. When we are little, it seems to go on forever. As we grow older, we start to notice time passing. First hours pass quickly, gone before we know it. Then days vanish and then months. As we get old, years disappear as well. We soon can grasp how a thousand ages in God’s sight are like an evening gone.
Yet sometimes time means nothing at all to us. We are filled with all the things that we can do and the plans that we can set for the future. Our minds and attention are filled with the things we must do, with the worries and challenges set before us. We can become quite busy with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In the moments when we achieve our goals, we can be so filled with joy that we wish it would never end.
In ancient Rome, the city would celebrate its conquering generals with a triumph, a parade, in which the public could cheer them on. It is a lot like the big victory parades we celebrate today. Legend tells us that, during the triumph, a slave would whisper into the general’s ear, “memento mori” — “remember you will die.” It seems kind of morbid, doesn’t it? But, when we think about it, it’s not. It’s easy to forget God when we enjoy the blessings he gives us. It is why Moses urges us to pray: “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
There are many reasons why it is wise to remember that we are mortal. One is that we can easily become accustomed to the blessings God has given us. It is easy to take them for granted and not as gifts God has given us to enjoy and to allow us to serve him and others. While we have the time, we need to thank God for them, enjoy the people he has placed in our lives, share the gospel with them. We may have time to do these things, but we do not know how long. Only God has our days numbered. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away. They fly forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day.
Another reason is that this world itself is filled with the curse that came from Adam’s sin—and ours. Death and decay are all around us. We walk in the valley of the shadow of death. Hurricanes Helene and Milton have rudely reminded us this week that in an instant our lives can change. Satan, the World and our passions work to weaken our trust in God when the routines of our life lull us into complacency. We must never forget that God’s word commands our flesh to dust, “return child of men.”
As much as we like to think we deserve the things we have, our accomplishments and our relationships, we have none of these except by the grace and mercy of God. Our sins earn us nothing but sin and death. But because before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, God loved us. The son of God came just in time, born of the virgin Mary, to bear our sins to the cross. There it paid for them all in his suffering and death. Having broken the seal of the grave, he rose from the dead that, even though we will return to dust, we will rise to everlasting life on the day of the resurrection of all flesh.
Yes, time is a funny thing. Our days are numbered, so it is really not right to say a particular life is short or long. God’s plan for it will come to pass and it will instead be complete. And yet—in a very real sense—our life will not end. We live our lives under the shadow of his throne, where we dwell secure. When the end of our days come, God’s own angels will carry us home where we will be at rest until, at his call, our bodies will rise again from death and we will live with God, body and soul, forever. After all, we are visitors here—God is our eternal home.
Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guard while troubles last and our eternal home.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
I’ve been grappling for several years with the notions of Christian submission under the 4th Commandment (or 5th, in the Protestant numbering tradition), and its interaction with a republican form of governance. Yes, the United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy, as is so often misstated in public discourse. But, I digress… How ought we navigate this interaction as Christians, or should we at all?
For clarity’s sake, I’ll be speaking here in terms of sin and the commands of God’s law. I’ll also be speaking of things that are speculative in my mind. So, I’ll expend every effort to parse one from another with concrete verbs (will, must, shall, etc.) for the clear understanding of God’s Law, and modal verbs (may, ought, should, etc.) for my own speculation concerning our peculiar system of governance. Additionally, by “submission” or “absolute submission,” I mean that submission, which Christians can in good conscience give to rulers, when there is no conflict with the first 1st Commandment or the other nine. No Christian may obey a ruler’s command to despise the Word of God, its preaching, or the holy day of rest and worship. Nor can we take oaths against the faith in God’s name. And we shall never acknowledge a power or authority over the Triune God.
With that out of the way, regardless of the numbering tradition your readers may understand, by the 4th Commandment, I mean this, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 ESV) All authority in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth belongs to the Lamb in His kingdom. The Earth, His footstool, is given to temporal rulers, whose authority flows from the 4th Commandment.
Expounding upon the commandments is in keeping with the Lord’s presentation of the 1st and 3rd commandments in Exodus, chapter 20, and Jesus’s exposition on the 5th and 6th commandments in Matthew, chapter 5. Martin Luther teaches it this way in his 1529 Small Catechism. “As the head of the family should teach [the ten commandments] in a simple way to his household … What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them” (SC 1:4–emphasis mine). The other authorities bit gives us an understanding of the head of household duty for secular rulers and our duty to them as subjects.
These rulers are clearly due our submission in temporal matters. They are here to provide for our good, and rule justly. The dilemma, as I see it, in a republic such as the United States, lies in identifying who wears this hat of 4th commandment authority at which various times. In Luther’s day, there was no functional republic for him to observe or reflect upon. That places the onus upon us to apply his wisdom through that lens.
For Luther and the other reformers, kings & princes, electors & dukes were easily identified. They would often claim a divine right, that is, selection by God, to their governance. This is not entirely untrue. We Christians confess that all rulers, including Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus I, King George, and the President of these United States are placed there by God for our benefit. We owe them our respect, submission, and obedience.
There’s still a rub.
Who’s in charge in a republic?
The right answer is “many people” at various times. Between election cycles, the voters are subjects who shall submit within the bounds of the first commandment. During campaigns and elections, candidates are under the rule of “We The People.” After votes are cast, voters and candidates are submissive under the electors tasked with their duties. When the courts exercise their authority, submission goes to them. When legislators write and pass laws, review appointments, and scrutinize officials, they are to be obeyed. And all are bound to rule justly and in submission a sort of king constraining and conforming the republic.
We do actually have a king, but it’s a document. The constitution is the sole temporal governing authority in the land. This king pays honor to the Lord in recognizing rights in creation that precede itself. And it defines who does what, when, and with what powers.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” (First Amendment of the US Constitution).
This protection of political speech isn’t only a right, it guards a fourth commandment responsibility. You, the electorate, have a job concerning your own authority. This responsibility does not begin, nor is not limited to the ballot box. Participation in the entire electoral function is necessary for all Christians. This means Christians ought to engage in public exhibition of their opinion concerning candidates. Christians ought to engage in public discourse concerning their opinions of candidates. Christians ought to share ideas and attempt to convince other people of their opinions, informed and defended by the Christian faith, concerning the candidates up for election.
The “petition for the redress of grievances” is also a Christian’s duty. The electorate, who wears their ruling crown in these instances ought to be willing to file suits against the government for actions outside the bounds of their authority. The redress is not limited individual suits. We also should be engaged in public discourse on the matters, filing of briefs amicii, and financial support of the NPOs in these legal battles. Legals NPOs like the Alliance Defending Freedom is one such group heavily involved in defending the LCMS from such government overreach (point initiated by Rev. Bob Smith, 26 Sep 2024).
Side note on authority: under the 4th commandment, a father or mother shall not abandon their responsibilities as father or mother. Similarly, Christians in the electorate ought not to abandon or abdicate their responsibilities as absolute ruler under the constitution, during seasons of election.
Can a Christian vote for a sinful candidate?
There can be no doubt that every candidate who has ever run for office is a sinner. If we think otherwise, we have a much bigger problem than whether to elect Judy Smalls or Jacob Little. In choosing the sinner among us sinners, we must apply prudence and reason given to us by God to select the candidate who is the least likely to cause harm. In their sin, these men and women will sin in great and small ways while ruling justly over the people. This is no different than each of us. Elections are a zero sum game in our two-party system. A withheld vote is a vote for the winning candidate. With precious few exceptions, a vote for an inconceivable winner against the two major candidates is also a vote for the winning candidate.
This is the unique situation where our primary concern is the first use of the law. The first use, the “curb,” is chiefly the duty of civil government to prevent gross errors and sin from hurting or harming our neighbor. In the political process of a republic, you have a hand in selecting the officials who do or do not prevent this. This is where engagement in the political process is absolutely necessary. Christians ought to know the track record of the people they are electing. Christians should engage in moral triage.
By moral triage, I mean seeking the least evil and least harmful outcomes in civil governance. I don’t understand this to mean a binary moral standard, classifying a candidate as entirely “good” or completely “bad.” I would also suggest that personal life, though important, should take a back seat to the outcomes of governance in curbing great sin and violence with our society.
A potential or returning political candidate’s role is one of enforcing and uplifting the first use, civil law. That means the 10 commandments must be prioritized in our selection of leaders. We may not forget Cyrus, the great of Persia, all the good things done by wicked leaders like him at the Lord’s bidding (Isaiah 45:1-3; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-8).
Using The Ten Commandments to Sharpen Our Focus
While selecting these leaders for their expected behavior in the case of the 10 commandments in the civil realm. In the case of the 1st through 3rd commandments, there is very little that government can do in particular in their first table function. The only thing that they can do is a very bad one. If government ever attempts to curtail religion, this is an evil thing. Pagans must be allowed to be pagans. priorBut more importantly, no activity of the Christian faith and life may ever be limited under constitutional governance. This is already prevalent in our society in varying degrees, and it must be pushed back. Even the rhetoric exposes a change in understanding that is deliberately put in play. At one time, the discussion will only concern itself with the “freedom of religion.”
Sometime around 2008, the language shifted to a different term. Candidates of all sorts began to speak about the “freedom to worship.” This is not concurrent with the language of a constitution that recognizes a previously existing free exercise of religion. The entirety of the Christian life and faith is protected in our republic, as it should be.
The second table of the law is the chief thing here, preventing gross wickedness by the threat of punishment, jail, or death. While a Christian leader would be preferable to a non-Christian leader, that does not mean that a Christian leader is a better selection than a non-Christian leader. This is a hard thing to consider, but the Christianness of the official isn’t a thing that will affect their governance directly. However, their behavior and policy making concerning things that effect their fellow man are directly effective in their capability or incompetence concerning governance.
The 4th commandment: honor your father and mother
A potential government official cannot step outside their own authority. They should submit when submission is required, and rule when ruling is their duty. Malicious prosecution, creation of rules that are not law but act as though they are, laws invented from the judicial bench, executives refusing to enforce the law, and actions like these are just a few examples of 4th commandment actions not in keeping with God’s law.
The 5th commandment: you shall not murder.
A political candidate cannot encourage murder. This does not mean capital punishment, and it never has. By the 4th commandment, the authority to exercise discipline and punishment, including death, is the authority of the civil government.
Murder does, however, include things that cause the death of others, or allow the death of others to be legally permissible. The discussion here begins and ends with abortion. A Christian cannot elect a candidate who approves of, encourages, or propagates abortion. There are two bodies in the decision, and one is granted no choice. God created the life of the unborn.
This also means the likelihood of murder in a particular jurisdiction determines whether the elected officials in that area are abiding by their God-given and irrevocably commanded responsibility concerning the lives of their citizens. If a city has the highest murder rate the nation, they are doing something wrong, and everyone who supports their system of governance is probably on the wrong side of this commandment.
The 6th commandment: you shall not commit adultery.
This one concerns itself less with the personal life of the candidate, which is still a concern, and more with the resultant waves that flow through society. A government that creates systems that discourage marriage and that discourage the union of man and woman in holy matrimony for the procreation and rearing of children is failing in their duty and opposing the 6th commandment. Again, this is on display in many jurisdictions and municipalities throughout the world. The United states where single motherhood is on the rise, marriage rates are on the decline. Government can encourage marriage. Government has encouraged divorce. This is evil. A candidate continuing these sorts of practices is not a suitable candidate to receive a Christian’s to vote. This is not in keeping with God’s law.
This a spot where we may confuse morality of character with a moral society. Even a scoundrel can legally promote the nuclear family unit and the stability it gives to children. This benefits all children under their governance by adding to the safety and stability of society as a whole. This is in keeping with God’s law.
The 7th commandment: you shall not steal.
Let’s just be simple about this one. Encouraging criminality which allows folks to deprive their neighbor of what they have is a thing that grows out of control when prosecutors will not prosecute crime. Those that do not enforce the law are unfit for office and have abandoned their responsibility according to the 4th commandment. They are not fit for office and ought to be removed. This is not in keeping with God’s law.
The 8th commandment: you shall not bear false witness.
This is most prevalent currently in the increasing flow of an intention to censor information that is determined to be seditious, dangerous, or “untrue.” In a society where free speech is a tenant of the function of life, all citizens must have equal and unfettered access to this right. That means allowing speech we don’t like to occur. In the current state of censorship, that speech which is censored is not censored because it is wrong. It is censored because it opposes the political ideology of the party in power. This is a false witness against those who are silenced. This opposes God’s law.
The 9th and 10th commandments you shall not covet.
Covetousness is a little different from theft. The covetous heart seeks to deprive its neighbor of what they have. The deprivation is the thing that makes the thing different from theft. It doesn’t matter to the covetous heart who receives, or if anyone received the spoils of deprivation. The covetous heart simply wants to see its neighbor lose what they have. This is the heart of the wicked evil of wealth envy.
It is statistically guaranteed that a person who has their wealth taken by way of irrational taxation will be deprived of what they have. It is also irrefutable that government waste, fraud, and corruption will destroy that wealth rather than using it. It is to the detriment of the entire society that that wealth should be taken rather than retained by its owner. The owner in a free society uses their wealth to invest, to purchase, and to acquire, which benefits their fellow man who works to provide services and goods that are desired by a wealthy person, or are employed by the same. When government steals, the wealth is simply destroyed. This is not in keeping with God’s law.
Use the reason God gave you, dear Christians. Speak to your friends and neighbors. Share your views, and kindly try to convince them. Wear the ruling crown, when it is yours, and cast it aside, when it is not.
All are one in Christ,
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear saints: things were starting to look up. The situation had been dire, to say the least. It had not rained for a long time. Drought was upon the land. Crops would have failed. Water was drying up. Your rain god was not answering your or your priest’s prayers and sacrifices. You are all but out of food and have resigned yourself to your fate: you will make a final cake for you and your son. Then, you will wait for death from starvation.
You go to collect the sticks for your fire, but you are interrupted. A man you recognize as an Israelite calls out to you asking for a drink. You can handle that and turn to get it. But then he goes further. He asks for some bread to eat. That you feel you cannot do. You suppress whatever feelings you have for this man because his God has told you to feed him. Nonetheless, you still complain of your plight.
But this man of God is undeterred and makes an audacious promise: “thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth’” So, taking the command you received and the request of this man, you do as he says. You make him his bread. And according to the word of this man and his God, your flower and oil do not run out.
You take this man in. You house him and listen to what he says. Perhaps you begin to think that this man’s God is greater than your gods. You recognize that his words have power and authority behind them. What he says resonates, and his talk of sin makes your conscience uncomfortable. You know and hear of the evil that His people have done and the consequences they are suffering. And, with this drought, you are as well. After all, you and your people serve the same god that this prophet is denouncing.
You hear of the mercy that this God has for His people. That He continually calls them to turn from their evil and return to Him. That He has good things for them. That He wants to forgive them and have them live in their Promised Land forever. And perhaps you start to wonder if this God would or could do the same for you.
And then, your son gets sick. No matter what you try, he gets worse and worse. Finally, your worst fear is realized: he dies. You are alone. Your husband and your son are dead. You only have this prophet in your upper room.
That prophet that has been talking about sin. Your sin. And now your son is dead. Is this why he came? To condemn what you have done and then kill your son in retribution? Is it not bad enough that you feel bad for what you have done? For the things that you have guided your son into? Now you must compound the guilt by taking him? By making you all alone? Is this the work of a merciful God? It sounds like the fickle gods of the people. The gods that you were beginning to doubt.
The prophet hears your cry of complaint and despair. And he says to you, “Give me your son.” and goes to the room you have given him to stay in. You do not know what he is going to do, but perhaps you feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe this God who commanded you to feed His prophet and the prophet whose word you have listened to, whose promise has sustained your family with flour and oil will do some work to fix this mess. To deliver your son from death and you from agony.
While you sit and wait for who knows what, the prophet lays your son on his own bed. And the prophet, who has received words and messages from God time and again, has no message for this boy. There is no command to declare to the skies to withhold rain. No promise that a widow has been commanded to feed him. He only feels your hurt. The pain of a woman mourning for her son. A son whom she believed to be delivered from the famine thanks to a prophet and his God.
Elijah cries out, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Not even God’s prophet understands why the child’s life was taken. But he diligently prays on the widow’s behalf. Three times he stretches himself out and three times Elijah cries out to the Lord. And God listens. He hears the plea and responds. He grants the child his life back.
But you do not know this. Perhaps you hear the prophet cry out. But unless your boy made noise as his life returned, you do not know if the cries were successful. But you do hear the prophet start down the stairs. You tense up and look to where he will emerge.
To your joy and relief, your boy is with the prophet. And he is alive. The words you doubted were possible are uttered: “See, your son lives.” And a rollercoaster of emotions flood your body. Relief. Joy. Love. Thanksgiving.
But there is also something else. And that is faith. It is a faith that the Lord Himself began cultivating when he first commanded you to feed His prophet. A faith that, even in its infancy, acted in giving that prophet bread before you and your son. And faith that was nurtured as you heard the teachings of the prophet. When you were afflicted on account of your sins and when you wondered if His forgiveness could be applied to you. A faith that was tested when your son died. And now a strong faith in the God who can restore life to the dead. And in faith you reply to the prophet, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
Elijah stayed with the woman and her son until he was called back to Israel and King Ahab. But I am sure that he continued to preach and teach God’s Word among those around him. Sure that the faith of the woman and her son was continued to be strengthened and that they remained certain of God’s mercy and trusting in His promise of a coming Messiah.
A Messiah that we encounter today at Nain. Where He encounters another widow who is bringing her only son out of the city to bury him. And having compassion on the woman, Jesus raises the boy from the dead. He speaks to the dead man and the dead man sits up and begins to speak.
St. Paul teaches us that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The woman, hearing the teaching of the prophet, knows her sin and the sin of her son. When the boy dies, she rightly understands that his death is the result of sin. But she is not right that it is the prophet causing the boy to die because of her sin.
But there is One who dies on account of your sin. The same Jesus who approaches a dead man at Nain. Who knows that He will one day hang on a tree in place of Elijah, both widows, both boys, and you. He knows that He will suffer and die, subjecting Himself to the condemnation that you and all humanity deserve.
But He also knows that He will rise. And then upon His resurrection, He will have defeated sin, death, and the devil once and for all. That His blood cleanses all who trust in Him for life and salvation. And that, though each of you have a day where you will fall asleep, He will not abandon you. He will return. And when He does, He will raise you and all the dead. And you, along with all the dead in Christ, will be given an immortal and resurrected body where you will dwell with Him eternally. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Trinity Lutheran Church Guttenberg, Iowa and St. Paul Lutheran Church McGregor, Iowa
