Temporal Authoritymartin luther.docx
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Temporal Authoritymartin luther.docx
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TemporalAuthoritymartinluther
TemporalAuthority:
ToWhatExtentitShouldBeObeyed
Totheillustrioushighbornprinceandlord, LordJohn,DukeofSaxony,LandgraveofThuringiaMargraveofMeissen,mygraciouslord.
GraceandpeaceinChrist.Again,illustrious,highbornprince,graciouslord,necessityislaiduponme,andtheentreatiesofmany,andaboveallyourPrincelyGrace'swishes,impelmetowriteabouttemporalauthorityandthesworditbears,howtouseitinaChristianmanner,andtowhatextentmenareobligatedtoobeyit.YouareperturbedoverChrist'sinjunctionin Matthew5[:
39,25,40], "Donotresistevil,butmakefriendswithyouraccuser;andifanyoneshouldtakeyourcoat,lethimhaveyourcloakaswell";and Romans12[:
19],"Vengeanceismine,Iwillrepay,saystheLord."Theseverytextswereusedlongagoagainst St.Augustine bytheprinceVolusian,whochargedthatChristianteachingpermitsthewickedtodoevil,andisincompatiblewiththetemporalsword.
The sophists intheuniversitieshavealsobeenperplexedbythesetexts,becausetheycouldnotreconcilethetwothings.Inordernottomakeheathenoftheprinces,theytaughtthatChristdidnotdemandthesethingsbutmerelyofferedthemasadviceor counseltothosewhowouldbeperfect.SoChristhadtobecomealiarandbeinerrorinorderthattheprincesmightcomeoffwithhonor,fortheycouldnotexalttheprinceswithoutdegradingChrist-wretchedblindsophiststhattheyare.AndtheirpoisonouserrorhasspreadthustothewholeworlduntileveryoneregardstheseteachingsofChristnotaspreceptsbindingonallChristiansalikebutasmerecounselsfortheperfect.Ithasgonesofarthattheyhavegrantedtheimperfectestateoftheswordandofthetemporalauthoritynotonlytotheestateofthebishops,buteventothepope,thatmostperfectestateofall;infact,theyhaveascribedittonooneonearthsocompletelyastohim!
Sothoroughlyhasthedeviltakencontrolofthesophistsandtheuniversitiesthattheythemselvesdonotknowhowtheyspeakorteach.
Ihope,however,thatImayinstructtheprincesandthetemporalauthoritiesinsuchawaythattheywillremainChristians-andChristwillremainLord-andyetChrist'scommandswillnotfortheirsakehavetobecomemerecounsels.
IdothisasahumbleservicetoyourPrincelyGrace,forthebenefitofeveryonewhomayneedit,andtothepraiseandgloryofChristourLord.IcommendyourPrincelyGracewithallyourkintothegraceofGod.Mayhemercifullyhaveyouinhiskeeping.
AtWittenberg, NewYear'sDay,1523.
YourPrincelyGrace'sobedientservant,
MartinLuther
SometimeagoIaddressed alittlebooktotheGermannobility,settingforththeirChristianofficeandfunctions.Howfartheyactedonmysuggestions isonlytooevident.Hence,Imustchangemytacticsandwritethem,thistime,whattheyshouldomitandnotdo.Ifearthisneweffortwillhaveaslittleeffectonthemastheother,andthattheywillcontinuetobeprincesandneverbecomeChristians.ForGodtheAlmightyhasmadeourrulersmad;theyactuallythinktheycando-andordertheirsubjectstodo-whatevertheyplease.Andthesubjectsmakethemistakeofbelievingthatthey,inturn,areboundtoobeytheirrulersineverything.Ithasgonesofarthattherulershavebegunorderingthepeopletogetridof certainbooks,andtobelieveandconformtowhattherulersprescribe.TheyaretherebypresumptuouslysettingthemselvesinGod'splace,lordingitovermen'sconsciencesandfaith,andschoolingtheHolySpiritaccordingtotheirowncrackbrainedideas.Nevertheless,theyletitbeknownthattheyarenottobecontradicted,andaretobecalledgraciouslordsallthesame.
Theyissuepublicproclamations,andsaythatthisistheemperor'scommandandthattheywanttobeobedientChristianprinces,justasiftheyreallymeantitandnoonenoticedthescoundrelbehindthemask.Iftheemperorweretotakeacastleoracityfromthemorcommandsomeotherinjustice,weshouldthenseehowquicklytheywouldfindthemselvesobligedtoresisttheemperoranddisobeyhim.ButwhenitcomestofleecingthepoororventingtheirspiteonthewordofGod,itbecomesamatterof"obediencetotheimperialcommand."Suchpeoplewereformerlycalledscoundrels;nowtheyhavetobecalledobedientChristianprinces.Stilltheywillnotpermitanyonetoappearbeforethemforahearingortodefendhimself,nomatterhowhumblyhemaypetition.Iftheemperororanyoneelseweretotreatthemthisway,theywouldregarditasquiteintolerable.SucharetheprinceswhotodayruletheempireintheGermanlands.Thisisalsowhythingsaregoingsowellinallthelands,aswesee!
.
BecausetheragingofsuchfoolstendstowardthesuppressionoftheChristianfaith,thedenyingofthedivineword,andtheblasphemingoftheDivineMajesty,Icanandwillnolongerjustlookatmyungraciouslordsandangrynobles;Ishallhavetoresistthem,atleastwithwords.AndsinceIhavenotbeeninterroroftheiridol,thepope,whothreatenstodeprivemeofsoulandheaven,ImustshowthatIamnotinterrorofhislackeysandbullieswhothreatentodeprivemeofbodyandofearth.Godgrantthattheymayhavetherageuntilthe graycoats perish,andhelpusthatwemaynotdieoftheirthreatenings.Amen.
First,wemustprovideasoundbasisforthecivillawandswordsonoonewilldoubtthatitisintheworldbyGod'swillandordinance.Thepassageswhichdothisarethefollowing:
Romans12,"Leteverysoul[seele]besubjecttothegoverningauthority,fortheirinnoauthorityexceptfromGod;theauthoritywhicheverywhere[allenthalben]existshasbeenordainedbyGod.HethenwhoresiststhegoverningauthorityresiststheordinanceofGod,andhewhoresistsGod'sordinancewillincurjudgment."Again,in IPeter2[:
13-14],"Besubjecttoeverykindofhumanordinance,whetheritbetothekingassupreme,ortogovernors,asthosewhohavebeensentbyhimtopunishthewickedandtopraisetherighteous."
Thelawofthistemporalswordhasexistedfromthebeginningoftheworld.ForwhenCainslewhisbrotherAbel,hewasinsuchgreatterrorofbeingkilledinturnthatGodevenplacedaspecialprohibitiononitandsuspendedtheswordforhissake,sothatnoonewastoslayhim [Gen.4:
14-15].HewouldnothavehadthisfearifhehadnotseenandheardfromAdamthatmurderersaretobeslain.Moreover,aftertheFlood,Godreestablishedandconfirmedthisinunmistakabletermswhenhesaidin Genesis9[:
6],"Whoevershedsthebloodofman,bymanshallhisbloodbeshed."ThiscannotbeunderstoodasaplagueorpunishmentofGoduponmurderers,formanymurdererswhoarepunishedinotherwaysorpardonedaltogethercontinuetolive,andeventuallydiebymeansotherthanthesword.Rather,itissaidofthelawofthesword,thatamurdererisguiltyofdeathandinjusticeistobeslainbythesword.Nowifjusticeshouldbehinderedortheswordhavebecomenegligentsothatthemurdererdiesanaturaldeath,Scriptureinnotonthataccountfalsewhenitsays,"Whoevershedsthebloodofman,bymanshallhisbloodbeshed."ThecreditorblamebelongstomenifthislawinstitutedbyGodisnotcarriedout;justasothercommandmentsofGod,too,arebroken.
AfterwarditwasalsoconfirmedbythelawofMoses, Exodus21[:
14],"Ifamanwillfullykillsanother,youshalltakehimfrommyaltar,thathemaydie."Andagain,inthesamechapter,"Alifeforalife,aneyeforaneye,atoothforatooth,afootforafoot,ahandforahand,awoundforawound,astripeforastripe."Inaddition,ChristalsoconfirmsitwhenhesaystoPeterinthegarden,"Hethattakestheswordwillperishbythesword"[Matt.26:
52],whichistobeinterpretedexactlyliketheGenesis9[:
6]passage,"Whoevershedsthebloodofman,"etc.Christisundoubtedlyreferringinthesewordstothatverypassagewhichhetherebywishestociteandconfirm.JohntheBaptistalsoteachesthesamething.Whenthesoldiersaskedhimwhattheyshoulddo,heanswered,"Doneitherviolencenorinjusticetoanyone,andbecontentwithyourwages" [Luke3:
14].Iftheswordwerenotagodlyestate,heshouldhavedirectedthemtogetoutofit,sincehewassupposetomakethepeopleperfectandinstructtheminaproperChristianway.Hence,itiscertainandclearenoughthatitisGod'swillthatthetemporalswordandlawbeusedforthepunishmentofthewickedandtheprotectionoftheupright.
Second.Thereappeartobepowerfulargumentstothecontrary.Christsaysin Matthew5[:
38-41],"Youhaveheardthatitwassaidtothemofold:
Aneyeforaneye,atoothforatooth.ButIsaytoyou,Donotresistevil;butifanyonestrikesyouontherightcheek,turntohimtheotheralso.Andifanyonewouldsueyouandtakeyourcoat,letthemhaveyourcloakaswell.Andifanyoneforcesyoutogoonemile,gowithhimtwomiles,"etc.LikewisePaulin Romans12[:
19],"Beloved,defendnotyourselves,butleaveittothewrathofGod;foritiswritten,'Vengeanceismine;IwillrepaysaystheLord.'"Andin Matthew5[:
44],"Loveyourenemies,dogoodtothemthathateyou."Andagainin IPeter2[3:
9],"Donotreturnevilforevil,orrevilingforreviling,"etc.TheseandsimilarpassageswouldcertainlymakeitappearasthoughintheNewTestamentChristiansweretohavenotemporalsword.
Hence,the sophists alsosaythatChristhastherebyabolishedthelawofMoses.Ofsuchcommandmentstheymake "counsels" fortheperfect.TheydivideChristianteachingandChristiansintotwoclasses.Oneparttheycalltheperfect,andassigntoitsuchcounsels.Theothertheycalltheimperfect,andassigntoitthecomma
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