Analysis on Martin Luther’s Two Kingdoms Theory.

Abstract

During this revolutionary period, Luther spoke of two kingdom theories. It was in 1523 that he brought out the idea in a book called Secular Authority. He separately brought out the idea of the kingdom of God and the church. He insisted that perfection would only come through the kingdom of God. Further he defended his idea analyzing the text in Acts 17:24-28 where he insists that membership of the church and religion has no meaning as it appears in the relationship with God alone. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth and into twentieth century it was fairly common to politize Luther’s thought, the two kingdoms doctrine was often equated with the understanding that regarding church and state each sphere is autonomous in its own right. Luther was influenced by two kingdom doctrine of Augustine of Hippo. After the fall of the Roman Empire (CE 410), Augustine constructed his theory on church and state in the book “City of God” as a theological response to the pagan or the old Romans who accused the Christians. He argued in the conflict between the City of God and The Earthly City ultimately the City of God will triumph. Luther insisted that how our relationship with God must be moderated. The leaders of the church of that era were simply going after secular values rather than seeking the values of the kingdom of God. So Luther clearly showed the meaning of the kingdom of God is absolutely different from state.