O’Donovan, Oliver and Joan Lockward O’Donovan, Editors. From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1999)

Lutheran Reformer Philipp Melanchthon structured his theological formulations according to Martin Luther’s dialectic between the law and the gospel and the evolution of Luther’s own political thought through natural law. Melancthon centers his exposition of lex moralis on the power of sin, work of the law, and the fruits born through the appropriation of God’s grace to believers and unbelievers. All laws of nature and of man hinge upon universally rooted judgments that men should worship God, cause no harm, and establish common use of and sharing of earthly properties.

Earlier in his scholastic career Melanchthon held to a more distinct division between the “two kingdoms” espoused by Luther. His view, heavily dualistic, distinguished between inner freedom and external obligations (651). It was easily possible to separate natural and divine laws between social and political morality. It wasn’t until the peasant Anabaptist uprisings that this distinction came into sharp focus for Melanchthon and he was able to integrate the two kingdoms of God and their respective laws through Natural Law philosophy.

Melanchthon argues that the Decalogue offers a locus for the entire lex moralis. The ten commandments refer not merely to the ten statements issued to Moses on Mt. Sinai, but rather the entire composition of the moral law in scripture. The ten statements engraved on the two tablets happen to be a summation of the rest of the law. The fourth commandment specifically speaks to the desire of God for the appropriation of order and government in creation instead of a certain ‘freedom’ which allows the wanton desires of man to run rampant in society.

The corrupted nature of man longs to live with no restraint, but it is in a society of no restraint that corruption runs wild and brazen not held in check by any restraining force. In such a society a man must always live in fear of his neighbor, uncertain of what injury might be done to him, unsolicited and unmerited, but imparted nonetheless. Such a fear for neighbor does not birth freedoms but rather controls, for a man is controlled by those he fears. Thus the very freedom of the society is its enslaving force.

Instead, freedom is “an orderly use of one’s own body and goods, by choice, in accordance with divine law and other true statutes” (654). God’s law is not enslaving, it is freeing; for it provides the appropriate restraint due the nature of divine law and statutes. Deuteronomy 4:1 states, “You shall heed the ordinances that I have commanded, that you may live!”

The second aspect to the fourth commandment relates to the nature of obedience to one’s particular office or calling and the virtue of gratitude necessary to display in order to properly accord the grace of God in that circumstance. Gratitude comprises the other virtues of truth and justice. First, when gratitude is expressed you are also expressing truth by rightfully acknowledging we are not proud and have boasted in our own strength in accomplishing some particular task. Secondly there is justice in returning that for which particular help was given.

1. Melanchthon states “the light of natural law was planted in man when he was created, but in the heathen it has been obscured.” 658. What does Melanchthon mean by heathen and how has the law been obscured?

2. How does Melanchthon describe poverty and its relation to private property? What is his critique of the Anabaptists?

3. Melanchthon defines freedom as an orderly use of one’s own body and goods, by choice, in accordance with divine law and other true statutes (654). Do you agree with his definition and does it founded in the right jurisdiction of God’s law?

4. Melanchthon argues that the closer one gets to absolute freedom the closer one gets to tyranny and social chaos. Is this justification for me to abandon my libertarianism?