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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 375

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
6.

Non-immigrants: People who are permitted to enter the United
States for a limited period. Most non-immigrants must apply for
a visa before entry. Visa holders must also pass an immigration
inspection upon arrival.
Refugees: People who fled their home country due to persecution or
fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership
in a particular social group, or political opinion. Refugees typically
stay in camps in a safer country before being resettled in a third
country. The process usually takes years.
Undocumented Immigrants: People present in the United States
without the permission of the U.S. government. Undocumented
immigrants enter the United States without being inspected by
an immigration officer or by using false documents. A foreignborn person who entered the country with permission of the
U.S. government can become undocumented by “overstaying,”
remaining after a temporary status expires.
Visa: Travel document granted by consular officials. Visas do not
guarantee entry into the United States.

B. Theological Terms:
1.
2.

Law: God’s will written in the heart of every human creature
(natural law) and specifically revealed to God’s people in the Ten
Commandments.
Civil Law: In contrast to the way the term “civil law” is used in
American jurisprudence (referring to private relations between
members of a community, rather than criminal matters), this
document uses the term in a theological sense that includes all the
laws of society (i.e., civil, criminal, and so forth). In this theological
sense such civil law, which is formulated through the use of
reason, is established and enforced by temporal government (civil
authorities) and so is fallible. Nonetheless, because civil law brings
about and maintains a measure of order in accordance with God’s
will and design, it is to be recognized as a gift of God and is to be
obeyed unless it is directly contrary to his will as expressed in Holy
Scripture.
Neighbor: Translation of the Hebrew rea (‫ )רֵ ַע‬and the Greek plesion
(πλησίον). In the Old Testament, the term refers most narrowly to
a fellow man from the house of Israel. Thus the moral obligations
under God’s law begin with those within the covenant relationship
with God and one another (e.g., Lev. 19:18), but such “love for
neighbor” extends also more broadly to the alien in their midst
(cf. Lev. 19:33-34). Jesus speaks of the “neighbor” in a way that
transcends relationships that include only the people of Israel—
those sharing a common religion—in order to include all kinds of
people who need our help (Mt. 22:39). Indeed, he makes clear that

4.
5.

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loving one’s neighbor includes love of one’s enemies (Mt. 5:43-48)—
telling of a Jew helped by an unlikely good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37).
In his explanation of the fifth commandment in the Large Catechism,
Martin Luther speaks of neighbors broadly as “those in need and
peril of body and life.”
Immigrant: One of many possible translations of the Hebrew word
ger (‫)גֵּ ר‬, which can also be rendered as alien, foreigner, sojourner, or
stranger.
Two Realms (Two Kingdoms, Two Governments): God’s twofold
work, rule, or governance in the world to accomplish the redemption
of sinners through the forgiveness of sins (right-hand realm or
kingdom), and establish peace and justice in civil society through
the use of the law to punish evil and reward good (left-hand realm
or kingdom).
Vocation: God’s calling to each Christian to fulfill His law or
commands through the concrete service of some neighbor in the
exercise of a particular office or station in life. Offices or stations
include father and mother, son or daughter, spouse, schoolteacher,
student, farmer, worker, governor, police officer, border patrol agent,
immigration lawyer, social worker, citizen, church elder, deaconess,
and pastor.

2013 Convention Workbook