All Members, Winter Residents, Family and Friends,
Greetings one and all! There is so much I could say this day but let us just say that I am thankful for for Susan and my family for encouraging me to get back to my primary for a check us. Also thankful for the insight of my Primary Health Care Provider, Mary Josefyk, DNP, APRN-C, Dr. Adel Eldin, Advent Health Cardiologist and Dr. Shimshack, Advent Health Cardiac Interventionist. I could say so much more, but I will leave it at that for now.
Please wear RED on Sunday as it is Reformation Sunday!
Since I have to undergo yet the same procedure over again on November 5th, 2026, I have postponed the start of our Adult Bible Study on Sunday morning at 8:30AM to at least November 15th, 2026. Sorry.
From Susan!
Please remember to bring in your money for the bus trip tickets. Susan will be paying the final balance on the bus rental soon.
Ladies, start signing up to be a hostess for the Christmas Tea on Monday, December 8. Find 4 or 5 friends to invite and the rest is taken care of for you. Invitations will be put in your mailbox once you sign up with how many will be at your table. We will supply the tablecloths, table settings and food. You can bring a table centerpiece of you wish.
The Reformation, Halloween, All Saints Day and Mid-Term elections all fall within days of each other. I have provided for you today and explanation Luther’s view of the Two Kingdoms. (I am sorry it is a bit long, but it takes the place of my sermon text this week.)
Luther’s View on Civil Government
Like anyone who watches the TV media or listens to the radio we are all subject to a barrage of political advertisements. For better or worse we are told the good, the bad and the ugly about each candidate. For something different I would share with you Rev. Dr. Martin Luther’s understanding of civil government. Luther’s view is rooted in his doctrine of the two kingdoms and his belief in the distinct but complementary roles of the spiritual and temporal realms
Luther taught that God governs through two “kingdoms” or “regimes” — the spiritual kingdom (the realm of God’s law and gospel, governed by the Church) and the temporal kingdom (the realm of secular authority, governed by civil law and the “sword”)
The temporal kingdom exists to maintain external peace, protect the innocent, and restrain evil, but it does not make people righteous before God. Christians live under both: they serve God inwardly in the spiritual kingdom and obey temporal authorities outwardly for the good of their neighbor
For Luther, temporal authority is God’s ordained instrument to preserve order in the fallen world. In On Temporal Authority (1523), he argued that secular rulers are appointed by God to keep peace, enforce laws, and punish wrongdoing. This authority is concrete — in Luther’s time, often held by nobles or princes — and is not merely an abstract institution. Christians are to pay taxes, honor rulers, and obey lawful commands unless such obedience would require sinning, in which case conscience and God’s law take precedence.
Luther’s teaching was not absolute submission in all cases. He urged obedience to lawful authorities but also warned against tyranny. He criticized both the Peasants’ War and the Holy Roman Empire when they violated God’s law, showing that civil government is accountable to God’s moral law. He rejected the idea that rulers are “instruments of the devil” in all cases; rather, they can be God’s servants when they uphold justice and peace.
Luther’s view meant that:
-Christians should obey civil laws unless they conflict with God’s commandments.
-Rulers have a divine mandate to protect the community and uphold justice.
-The Church’s role is spiritual, not to govern civil affairs, but to guide believers in their relationship with authority.
-Resistance is possible when authorities act against God’s law, but such resistance must be guided by conscience and Scripture.
Scholars note that Luther’s two kingdoms doctrine remains a key framework for understanding the relationship between church and state, offering a biblical basis for both obedience to lawful government and the moral limits of political authority.
Luther saw civil government as God’s ordained means to preserve peace and justice in the secular realm, to be obeyed in all lawful matters, but always subject to the higher law of God.
Sometimes the Church History Major that I am comes out and informs others of things that may have been forgotten over time.
I have not provided a sermon this week because there are special guests that will be bringing you the message this week. So be sure that you are there.
See you Sunday,