My view
Don’t be fooled by laws, put trust in gospel By Mitchell F. Jones Jr.
V
iolence is daily in the news with persistent
demand for legisla- tion to end crime. Do Lutherans believe laws will solve prob-
lems? Remember law-and-gospel theology? This is the Lutheran under- standing that separates our theology from cultural solutions for crime. The theology of law and gospel
requires us to focus on the weakness of law (civil and theological) to solve evil and injustice. Looking to forensic law to solve issues fails to see the fun- damental problem of human broken- ness. Societies define a problem then pass laws. No law can stop violence or crime. No law is a deterrent. That statement is important. One
common argument contends: since a law isn’t a deterrent, eliminate it. The obvious false conclusion: since all laws are broken then all laws should be abandoned. Laws are necessary because humans are frail. The origin of crime, poverty and violence is bro- ken humanity. That can’t be legislated away. The assertion “I am willing to sub-
mit to a law or a police power to keep peace” sounds reasonable, but history shows submission tends to lead to tyr- anny. It’s not submission but the give and take of social contract that is the foundation of civil life. Law and gospel reveals human nature as the imperfec- tion in society. Hope comes from the gospel, God’s
caring for the well-being of human- ity and creation. People are empow- ered to agape or love—caring for the well-being of others—through the cross. The distinction of law and gos-
LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION/C. KÄSTNER Together in worship
Participants process into opening worship June 11 at the Lutheran World Federation Council meeting in Medan, Indonesia. Some 700 guests, council members, staff and local parishioners attended the service, which included a traditional Batak dance about the confession and forgive- ness of sins. The LWF is a global communion of 144 churches, including the 3.9 million member ELCA and 5.8 million Indonesian church members.
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pel is the dialectic in Martin Luther’s thought. The cross and incarnation revealed the possibility of peace, not the achievement of peace. The law convicts us of our sin and drives us to the gospel. At the Last Supper we learned that
the commandments are fulfilled by loving one another as Jesus loved his disciples and to be servant of all. The gospel is for everyone—John 3:17. The gospel of Christ is righteousness, not as a demand but as a gift to the sinner.
Laws can guide, Paul said, but they won’t stop violence or crime. We live in ambiguity. Luther says
trust the gospel and live with the ambiguity of law. But do not be fooled: we can’t legislate morality or ban cer- tain actions to ensure peace.
Author bio: Jones is a retired ELCA pas- tor living in Missoula, Mont. He served in Japan, West Coast synods and most recently in the Montana Synod.
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