The ethics of Martin Luther

Ethics of Martin Luther by Paul Althaus

Lutheran Ethics

The main concept to be learned about Martin Luther in Paul Altus' book entitled The Ethics of Martin Luther is that Luther-based most of his ethical thought upon the scriptures. The scriptures, of course, refer to both the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible. Largely due to a number of verses and wisdom found in the Bible, Luther designated that there are two primary kingdoms which govern mankind -- a spiritual one that is led by Jesus Christ, and a secular one that is administered by God himself. The dichotomy of the "Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms" is fairly important to the ethical thoughts of Luther. The Right Hand Kingdom is the one spearheaded by Christ and is not to be confused with the Left Hand Kingdom, which is primarily the government of mankind and which has very little to do with adhering to Christianity. By outlining these two kingdoms as virtual antipodes of one another, Luther is explicitly calling for the separation of the Church (the right hand) from the state (the left hand). Therefore, in terms of ethics it can be ascertained that Luther would not have sanctioned religious leaders influencing governments, such as was the case in Rome during the time the author initially scripted this manuscript.

Based on his interpretation of various scriptures, it is also fairly evident that Luther had fairly strict ethical values regarding the observance of government as well as those regarding the concept of violence, and regarding what constitutes the very notion of government itself. Luther believed that it was part of a Christian's duty and calling to grant complete submission to his or her government in virtually all cases -- even when the government itself is corrupt or transgressing its roles in a criminal fashion. Morally, Luther mandated that Christians comply with such governments. Additionally, it can be ascertained from The Ethics of Martin Luther that the author strictly forbade random acts of violence as being ethically unacceptable. What is interesting about this particular more of Luther, however, is that he actually condones violence when it is sanctioned in an official capacity. His definition of what constitutes an official capacity, however, is one of the more insightful points in The Ethics of Martin Luther. Violence is acceptable if it is administered by the government -- whether such violence stems from a soldier, a judge, an executioner, or from some other form of government. Furthermore, Luther recognizes the family structure as being the governing body of a particular household, and therefore views violence conducted by parents as being ethically acceptable, since the parents are the governing body within that particular domicile. It should be understood that in the case of familial violence, any belligerent acts are only permitted among those who dwell within a family's household.