A short thought on the birth of the new prince

I wonder, with all the buzz surrounding the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s new baby boy, if this was the environment to which Jesus was born. Quickly I reassure myself that it was not. Part of that makes me a little disgruntled, but then I remember that this is not the type of God we serve. The God that Christians serve is a God who came to earth in a shitty stable, laid in a troth, smelled, sweated, and eventually died on a cross. 

My Lutheran lens propels me to consult Martin Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms in understanding this common dilemma. God does not ask us to abstain from the secular government, but God does ask us to remain vigilant in the pursuit of balancing the two kingdoms (or the two hands of God). The doctrine of the two kingdoms forces one to consider God’s reign in two different, yet cohesive, ways. God rules the kingdom on the left through secular means. This particularly pertains to secular law. There are laws placed on society for means of civil order, and these laws are invaluable. Likewise, God rules the kingdom on the right through the gospel and grace of God.

This doctrine is a clever ways for Lutherans to, yet again, think about the law and gospel dichotomy. Often, I hear people say, “Why does this matter? Why does doctrine matter?” and frequently these individuals attempt to remove themselves from the secular world. They refrain from partaking in government, they do not read secular books, they do not listen to secular music… the list goes on. These same individuals often misunderstand Paul’s distinction between flesh (body) and spirit in his letter to the Romans, which is the Biblical reference that birthed the two kingdoms. Paul says,

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” This is often misunderstood as “the flesh is bad and the spirit is good.”

This is one way to look at this text, but I wonder if Paul’s intention was deeper than that. I wonder if Paul was talking about remaining vigilant in both matters and highlighting the fact that the secular world does not save—it’s all God.

That being said, it is important that we think about the birth of the new prince in this matter. It is not that we should refrain from rejoicing this birth, but it is important that we remember in which kingdom this belongs. This infant may be the third in line to the British royal throne, but we are all heirs to the promise of God.

-LB