CHAPTER TWO

THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

In this chapter, we will explore the theological foundation for each of the six areas that will be presented on the blog site outlined in chapter four of this thesis. Dietrich Bonhoeffer can impact preachers and preaching in the 21st century.  Bonhoeffer was both a theologian and a pastor. He was careful to make sure that scripture was the foundation of all that he did in the world. It was his insistence on obeying scripture that often separated him from his fellow pastors.

Meditation on the Word

To Dietrich Bonhoeffer, meditation on God’s Word was absolutely essential for every follower of Jesus. In his work, Meditation of Psalm 119, he wrote: “Therefore, it is never sufficient simply to have read God’s Word. It must penetrate deep within us, dwell in us, like the Holy of Holies in the Sanctuary, so that we do not sin in thought, word or deed.”[1]

To Bonhoeffer, scripture meditation was even more important for pastors and preachers because if the word of God did not become full in his heart through meditation and prayer, how could he expect to properly explain the word to his congregation. He wrote, “I will offend against my calling if I do not seek each day in prayer the word that my Lord wants me to say that day”[2]

Meditation on the scriptures is a biblical theme based on passages such as Joshua 1. As Joshua succeeded Moses and was about to lead Israel into the Promised Land, God said to him:

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord  your God will be with you wherever you go (verses 8-9).

God made it clear to Joshua that success and obedience will grow out of meditation on God’s word.

The Hebrew word for “meditate” means to “ponder” and “study.”[3] The word can be translated “recite it quietly.”[4] Matthew Henry wrote that Joshua was granted a “great trust” by God. Therefore, “he must find time…for meditation.” In regards to us, Henry continued: “Whatever affairs of this world we have to mind, we must not neglect the one thing needful”[5]

Psalm 1 also makes it clear that God will bless those who consistently meditate on his word:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

There is a connection between scripture meditation and being blessed by God. The Hebrew word for “meditate” is the same word in Joshua 1:8. God will bless the person who recites slowly and studies and ponders the word of God. To be blessed by God is more than being happy. Charles Spurgeon pointed out that the word “blessed” in Psalm 1:1 is a “very expressive word”:

The original word is plural…Hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified, and the perfection and the greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessedness!” and we may regard it…as joyful acclamation of the gracious man’s felicity. May the like benediction rest on us![6]

As seen in Joshua 1, God will also bless with success and fruitfulness. Bonhoeffer knew that the promises of Joshua 1 and Psalm 1 were true. He offered the following reasons why he meditated on the word of God:

Because I am Christian. Therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for me.

Because I am a preacher of the Word. I cannot expound the Scripture for others if I do not let it speak daily to me. I will misuse the Word in my office as preacher if I do not continue to meditate upon it in prayer.

Because I need a firm discipline of prayer.

Because I need help against the ungodly haste and unrest which threaten my work as a pastor. Only from the peace of God’s Word can there flow the proper, devoted service of each day.[7]

Bonhoeffer’s years of scripture meditation may have benefited him in his final years, months and days in prison. Even when he knew he would be executed, he continued to be characterized by joy and peace. Bonhoeffer’s outlook was witnessed by British officer Captain S. Payne Best. Best was captured by the Gestapo in 1939. They were fellow prisoners during Bonhoeffer’s final weeks. Best wrote that Bonhoeffer: “…was all humility and sweetness; he always seemed to diffuse an atmosphere of happiness, of joy in the very smallest event in life, and a deep gratitude for the mere fact that he was alive…He was one of the very few men I have ever met to whom his God was real and ever close to him.”[8]

In a letter to Bonhoeffer’s family, Captain Best wrote that “Bonhoeffer was different (from the other prisoners); just quite calm and normal, seemingly perfectly at ease…his soul really shone in the dark desperation of our prison.”[9] No doubt the promise of Psalm 1:1 was fulfilled. Bonhoeffer was blessed because be meditated on the word of the Lord day and night; and he was a tree planted by streams of water that yielded fruit (Psalm 1:3).

Because 21st century preachers and pastors face many demands on their time, it is crucial that a portion of time be set aside daily to meditate on God’s Word. What would this look like in the daily schedule of a preacher?  John Piper explains the process of scripture meditation:

Now what does this meditation involve? The word “meditation” in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart, it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to yourself the Word of God day and night and to speak to yourself about it—to mull it over, to ask questions about it and answer them from the Scripture itself, to ask yourself how this might apply to you and others, and to ponder its implications for life and church and culture and missions.

One simple way to do this is to memorize a verse or two and then say them to yourself once, emphasizing the first word. Then say them to yourself again, emphasizing the second word. Then say them a third time, emphasizing the third word. And so on, over and over again, until you have meditated on the reason why each word is there. Then you can start asking relational questions. If this word is used, why is that word used? The possibilities of musing and pondering and meditating are endless. And always we pray as we ponder, asking for God’s help and light.[10]

Piper’s understanding of biblical meditation is similar to Bonhoeffer’s perspective. In Meditating on the Word, he defined it as:

In the same way that the word of a person who is dear to me follows me throughout the day, so the Word of Scripture should resonate and work within me ceaselessly. Just as you would not dissect and analyze the word spoken by someone dear to you, but would accept it just as it was said, so you should accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation…Do not ask how you should tell it to others, but ask what it tells you! Then ponder this word in heart at length, until it is entirely within you and has taken possession of you.[11]

A 21st century pastor and preacher must possess the discipline to set aside portions of the day to meditate on God’s Word. In doing so, “we are taking the time to ponder the Word of God, allowing for the Holy Spirit to reveal the riches of wisdom.”[12]

Fellowship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was convinced that it was impossible to be a follower of Jesus Christ apart from life in the fellowship of local believers: “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ.”[13] This was more than mere theory for Bonhoeffer because he had the opportunity to develop a community of believers while he was the director of the Preachers’ Seminary.

The Seminary was located at Zingsthof by the Baltic Sea when it opened on April 26, 1935. It relocated in Finkenwalde, near Stettin in Pomerania on June 24 of the same year. The Gestapo eventually closed the Seminary in September of 1937. During the period of its existence, Bonhoeffer desired a “genuine experiment in communal living.”[14] It was Bonhoeffer’s desire that the experiment in the Seminary would provide a foundation for the German church after the war. Bonhoeffer realized that biblical community would provide the fresh life the church would need.

This realization led to a burning desire to put the findings of this “experiment” into writing. This led to his classic book, Life Together, which was written a year after the Seminary was shut down. Bonheoffer wrote the book in only four weeks, while he stayed in the home of his twin sister, Sabine, in Gottingen. The book was first published in 1939.

In Life Together, Bonhoeffer appealed to a variety of Biblical references that point to the fact that community with fellow followers of Jesus is a crucial element of Christianity. For example, chapter one begins with Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” Psalm 133 is a song of ascents. That is, it spoke of pilgrims coming to Jerusalem to worship together.

An important component was that people of different backgrounds were to be united in fellowship. Derek Kidner writes that “all Israelites, including even debtors, slaves and offenders…were brothers in God’s sight. The psalm is surely singing…of living up to this ideal, giving depth and reality to the emphasized word, ‘together’.[15]

The psalmist then gave two rich images that illustrated the unity of diverse people. The first rich image is in verse 2: “It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.” This is a picture of Aaron being anointed as the high-priest of Israel. The oil was “precious” because it was a “sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend” produced by a “perfumer” (Exodus 30:25).

According to Exodus 30:30-33, this “sacred” oil could not be put on any person except those consecrated as high priests. Only the best of the best oil could be used to anoint the high priests of God. It was a sweet and holy and blessed moment when they were anointed. The fragrance of the oil would be enjoyed by those who witnessed the event. Michael Wilcock writes that “Aaron’s anointing oil of verse 2 had a pervasive fragrance.”[16]

This sweetness is also experienced when God’s people are unified. C.H. Spurgeon comments:

In order that we may the better behold brotherly unity David gives us a resemblance, so that as in a glass we may perceive its blessedness. It has a sweet perfume about it, comparable to the precious ointment with which the first High Priest was anointed at his ordination.

It is a holy thing, and so again is like the oil of consecration which was to be used only in the Lord’s service. What a sacred thing must be brotherly love when it can be likened to an oil which must never be poured on any man but on the Lord’s high-priest alone!

It is a diffusive thing: being poured on his head the fragrant oil flowed down upon Aaron’s head, and thence dropped upon his garments till the utmost hem was anointed therewith; and even so doth brotherly love extend its benign power and bless all who are beneath its influence. Hearty concord brings a benediction upon all concerned; its goodness and pleasure are shared in by the lowliest members of the household; even the servants are the better and the happier because of the lovely unity among the members of the family.

It has a special use about it; for as by the anointing oil Aaron was set apart for the special service of Jehovah, even so those who dwell in love are the better fitted to glorify God in his church. The Lord is not likely to use for his glory those who are devoid of love; they lack the anointing needed to make them priests unto the Lord.[17]

The second rich image is in verse 3: “It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” Mount Hermon is the “highest mountain in Israel”[18] and is known for the fact that heavy dew descends to the lower parts of the mountain during the summer when the snow condenses to vapor.[19] This moisture benefited the plant life.[20] The city of Jerusalem, also known as Mount Zion, was a recipient because the Jordan River was supplied with water from the snow of Mount Hermon.[21]

In the same way that the elevations below Mount Herman were blessed with wetness, God’s people will be blessed when they live in harmony. Wilcock summarizes the application of these two rich images: “For brothers, that is, the people of God, thus to live together in unity is good (like the dew) and pleasant (like the oil)”[22] A.F. Kirkpatrick adds that “from such dwelling together individuals draw fresh energy; the life of the community, social and religious, is revived and quickened.”[23] Spurgeon wrote that Christian unity opens the window to God’s anointing on a fellowship: “Never shall we know the full power of the anointing till we are of one heart and one spirit; never will the sacred dew of the spirit descend in all its fullness till we are perfectly joined together in the same mind.”[24]

Unity was a key to how Bonhoeffer understood the Church because Jesus died on the cross to secure such fellowship. The whole purpose of redemption in Jesus Christ was to save the enemies of God throughout the world, and in anticipation of eternal life, believers “are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians.”[25]

It is a privilege because “the physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.”[26] The early Christians understood this truth. Even before the Holy Spirit was poured out on the followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem there was community for “they all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). This group included the eleven disciples (verse 13) “along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.” It is significant that both genders were represented here because the cultural barrier between male and female was abolished through mutual participation in the church.[27] Verse 15 indicates that the total number of disciples was around one hundred and twenty. Thus, within weeks of the resurrection of Jesus, his people, made up of varied backgrounds, gathered waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then on the day of Pentecost, the brothers and sisters “were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). The Holy Spirit came upon them with power. Peter, empowered with the Holy Spirit, stood before thousands and proclaimed the Good News about Jesus. The result was that about three thousand people turned to Jesus for salvation (Acts 2:41).

Among the foundational disciplines of the early church was a devotion to the “fellowship” (Acts 2:42). The Greek word for “fellowship” is “koinonia”. It means “fellowship”, “communion”, “participation”, “sharing in” and “close relationship”.[28] This “communion” is possible only because believers are united through their salvation in Jesus.

Bonhoeffer wrote: “without Christ we would not know other Christians around us; not could we approach them. The way to them is blocked by our own ‘I’. Christ opened up the way to God and to one another. Now Christians can live with each other in peace; they can love and serve one another; they can become one.”[29]

Thus, fellowship is much more than simply being together. Since Christians are joined together in Jesus, they are devoted to love and serve one another.

Theologian Millard J. Erickson writes: “The body is to be characterized by genuine fellowship. This does not mean merely a social interrelatedness, but an intimate feeling for and understanding of one another. There is to be empathy and encouragement (edification). What is experienced by one is to be experienced by all.”[30]

The early believers modeled this kind of fellowship. Acts 2:44-47 gives us a beautiful picture of their fellowship:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Luke believed that this picture of the early church was so important that he gave a similar description in Acts 4 where the unity and care of the Christians for one another is stressed once again: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything.”

This devotion to one another in the early church in Jerusalem is what the apostle Paul advocated in Ephesians 4:1-3: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Verse 3 is the punch line in this statement. Paul equated walking worthy of the calling we have received with making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. John R.W. Stott writes that God’s work in history leading up to the cross of Jesus Christ lays the foundation for the unity in the church:

For three chapters Paul has been unfolding for his readers the eternal purpose of God being worked out in history. Through Jesus Christ, who died for sinners and was raised from death, God is creating something entirely new, not just a new life for individuals for a new society. Paul sees an alienated humanity being reconciled, a fractured humanity being united, even a new humanity being created. It is a magnificent vision.[31]

As an apostle, under house arrest, Paul begged his readers to fulfill this “vision” and live a life worthy of their calling in Jesus. Such lives were required because of their “high destiny.”[32] Paul had in mind a “new humanity” composed of both Jews and Gentiles. In Jesus, they would form the “single family of God”[33] that reflected the character of “him who called it into being and the purpose for which he so called it.”[34]

One way to live a life worthy of the Lord is “to show humility and gentleness in their dealings one with another, along with patience and mutual forbearance and tolerance. They are urged, in short, to let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in their lives.”[35] Concerning verse 2, Stott writes that humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and love are “five foundation stones of Christian unity. Where these are absent no external structure of unity can stand. But when this strong base has been laid, then there is good hope that a visible unity can be built.”[36]

Again, verse 3 is the punch line of Paul’s statement. Unity in the church is to be fought for: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Paul describes the church’s unity as the “unity of the Spirit (meaning a unity which the Holy Spirit creates).”[37] Stott writes that this:

Unity is as indestructible as God himself. Yet in the same context (Paul) also tells us that we have to maintain it! What can he mean? What is the sense of urging the maintenance of something indestructible and urging us to maintain it, when it is “a unity of the Spirit’, which he created and is therefore presumably responsible for preserving?

There seems to be but one possible answer to these questions, namely that to maintain the church’s unity must mean to maintain it visibly. Here is an apostolic exhortation to us to preserve in actual concrete relationships of love (in the bond of peace, that is, by the peace which binds us together) that unity which God has created and which neither man nor demon can destroy. We are to demonstrate to the world that the unity we say exists indestructibly is not the rather sick joke it sounds but a true a glorious reality.[38]

The apostle John took it a step further: fellowship with other followers is linked to our relationship with God and his Son Jesus: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John and the other apostles proclaimed to the readers of 1 John what they saw and heard when they were with the Lord Jesus. The acceptance of that proclamation not only brought them into fellowship with John and the rest of the church, but also with the “Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

To Bonhoeffer, fellowship with our brothers and sisters within the church was a way for Jesus to minister to his people. Fellowship with God’s people provides opportunities to bless and serve and love others. The pastor and preacher in the 21st century must not only preach on the necessity of Christian fellowship, but he also must be personally devoted to the fellowship throughout the week.

As the preacher builds loving relationships with people in the church, his weekly proclamation of the word will be eagerly received because the man in the pulpit is seen as God’s spokesperson for them. Jesus made it clear that his followers were to be characterized by their love for one another. In John 13:34-35, he said, “a new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love another.” Jesus reiterated that command in John 15:12—“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Francis A. Schaeffer describes this characteristic of loving one another as the “mark” of Christians “at all times and all places until Jesus returns.”[39] The pastor and preacher must set the example for the church to follow.

Costly Grace

Bonhoeffer spoke against the “cheap” grace within the church. His classic statement is found in the Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, he bids come and die.”[40] To Bonhoeffer, this was basic Christianity. It was impossible to be a follower of Jesus and not live a self-sacrificing life out of obedience and love to him. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

Robert H. Stein comments that three conditions for following Jesus are laid out in this passage:

The first involves a need to deny oneself. This is much more radical than simply a denial of certain things. This mandates a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self fulfillment. Instead a disciple is to be one who seeks to fulfill the will and the teachings of Christ.

The second condition involves the need to take up one’s cross…Jesus’ own crucifixion reveals more fully to Luke’s readers that this call is a commitment unto death. There needs to be a willingness to suffer martyrdom if need be.

The final condition is the need to follow Jesus. In contrast to the other two conditions, indicating that following Jesus must be continual[41]

Jesus made it clear later in Luke chapter 9 that following him could actually mean sacrifice to the point of homelessness. In verse 57, a man came to Jesus and boldly declared: “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Most people have a home to go to, but Jesus made it clear that some of his followers will be kicked out of their homes because of their commitment to him.

It was this commitment that Bonhoeffer wrote about. He wrote that “cheap grace is the deadly enemy of the church.”[42] To Bonhoeffer, grace should be “costly” because it cost Jesus Christ his very life. Grace is also costly because it costs people their very lives if they follow Jesus. Yet cheap grace had reduced discipleship to mere doctrine. Following Jesus has been cheapened by deemphasizing repentance, baptism, church discipline and the Lord’s Supper.

It is grace without biblical discipleship, that is, without the renouncing of personal ambition in order to follow and obey Jesus. The way of the cross means that we give up everything to be a Christ follower (Luke 14:25-35).

The Apostle Paul described it this way: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that, I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8). It was Paul’s desire to discard everything that was once important and meaningful so he could be a better follower of Jesus.

Gerald F. Hawthorne interprets Paul’s words:

…were Paul to place the whole world with its wealth and power and advantages, its prestige and accolades and rewards in one scalepan of the balance and Christ in the other, Christ alone would overwhelmingly outweigh everything else in terms of real worth. Hence, from the standpoint of simple logic Paul cannot afford to gain the whole world if it means losing Jesus.[43]

Bonhoeffer saw discipleship much like the Apostle Paul did. His own commitment to Jesus was tested in 1939, when professors Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Lehmann asked Bonhoeffer to come to New York City to assume a teaching position at Union Seminary and thus, escape the perilous situation in Germany. This would certainly keep Bonhoeffer out of harm’s way. With great hesitation, Bonhoeffer accepted the position. So in June of 1939, Bonhoeffer and his brother Karl-Friedrich made the voyage to the United States.

However, he quickly realized that it was a mistake. His time in America was short-lived. He explained his decision to return to Niebuhr:

It was a mistake for me to come to America…I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Germany after the war if I do not share the tribulation of this time with my people…Christians in Germany are faced with the alternatives either of willing their country’s defeat so that Christian civilization may survive, or of willing its victory and destroying our civilization. I know which of the alternatives I have chosen but I cannot make the choice from a position of safety[44]

To Bonhoeffer, true and biblical discipleship had to be costly and self-sacrificing. There really was no other way to follow Jesus. He returned to Germany because he was a “German and a Christian.”[45] As a Christian, he had to follow Jesus regardless of the cost to his own safety and position. If he had to suffer, then so be it in order to follow Jesus.

In The Cost of Discipleship, he wrote: “Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his Master…If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of men, we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow him.”[46]

While 21st century followers of Jesus are not threatened by Hitler and Nazism, they do face the possible threats of materialism, pride and cheap grace. Thus, preachers must make doubly sure that their own commitment to Jesus is non-compromising and that their preaching and teaching does not side-step the costly demands of Jesus.

Further, the New Testament is clear that suffering will be experienced by the followers of Jesus. James 1:2-4 assumes that Christians will suffer: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” J.A. Motyer writes that “trials of many kinds” is a “true picture of life!”[47] Trials often bring distress and discouragement. Yet, according to James, since they are interwoven into the very fabric of our lives, they should be seen as a reality of life. Motyer continues: (James) “appeals, therefore, not for the adoption of a superficial gaiety in the face of life’s adversities, but for a candid awareness of truth already known.”[48]

Life’s adversities will result in the development of a perseverance that can lead to mature Christian character. That is, the faith of the Christian will be refined through the “slow and painful” process of testing. This refining through testing will lead to a “new facet of the believer’s character that could not exist without testing.”[49]

Suffering, to James, can result in true joy when trials are seen as essential tests for our faith. Joy can be experienced even at the onset of “various trials” because they can lead to positive results. The trials will vary from believer to believer depending on one’s circumstances. Yet, there will always be a cost in following Jesus.  

Standing Against Evil in Society

Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany on January 30, 1933. Bonhoeffer was among the first to realize that Hitler’s reign may mean persecution and even death to Christians: “We should not be surprised if the time comes for our church too, when the blood of martyrs will be called for.”[50] In the mind of Bonhoeffer, if the church actively opposed the policies of Hitler, then God’s people could expect to be persecuted. Of course, persecution would never come if the German Christians passively allowed Hitler to see his vision for Germany fulfilled.

Bonhoeffer actively opposed Hitler’s plan to eventually rid society of the Jewish people. On April 7, 1933, anti-Semitism officially became German government policy when Jews were banned from civil service. This was known as the “Aryan Clause”.[51] Six days before that, there was a boycott of Jewish merchants. The Aryan Clause directly affected the German church because non-Aryans were not only baptized members of the church, but some also held offices in the church. Non-Aryans were all Jews. Thus, the door was wide open for discrimination and rejection even by fellow Christians.

Later that month, Bonhoeffer addressed a group of pastors with an essay entitled: “The Church and the Jewish Question.” In this essay, Bonhoeffer argued that the church had the right to question and rebuke the state. Further, the church must stand up for the rights of victims of injustice regardless of their religious background. Even further, Bonhoeffer advocated the possibility of jamming the spokes of the wheel of the state.[52] In other words, the church in Germany must be open to the possibility of taking action on behalf of the Jewish people. At this point, Bonhoeffer seemed to be alone in his criticism against the state. For some of Bonhoeffer’s colleagues, his suggestion to jam the spokes of the German government was simply too much because it pointed towards “revolution and sedition”[53]

For twenty-first century Christians in comfortable North America, we may cringe at the idea of revolting against the government. Of course, we can hardly imagine living in a culture controlled by an administration like the Nazis. We really cannot understand fully what Bonhoeffer and his fellow Christians faced.

Bonhoeffer’s opposition eventually would lead him to take the radical action to stop Hitler’s “design for world conquest.”[54] What was Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s biblical justification for his opposition to Hitler’s policies and eventually to be part of a plot to take Hitler’s life? Certainly, there is a theological mandate to protect and rescue the innocent in society. Proverbs 24:11 helps in this regard: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”

Does this proverb provide sufficient evidence that God holds his people responsible to rescue those who are in danger of death? Proverbs are usually seen as general guidelines on how to fear God in day to day life. What does this verse teach us? On January 15, 1989, Pastor John Piper preached on this verse at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. Here is his understanding of the Proverb 24:11:

The duty of verse 11 could be stated like this: ‘If a group of humans is being taken away to death who ought not be taken away to death, the people who fear God ought to try to rescue them.’ Or, to use the words of the second half of the verse, ‘If there is a group of humans who are stumbling (literally: slipping) to the slaughter who ought not to be slipping to the slaughter, the people who fear God ought to try to hold them back from the slaughter.’ What is being command here is some kind of intervention from us when we become aware of humans being killed who ought not to be killed[55]

Piper applied this proverb to the rescuing of the unborn. The unborn are considered a group of humans being led off to slaughter. According to Proverbs 24:11, God’s people must try to rescue them. Certainly the Jews in Germany during the reign of Hitler were such a group who needed to be rescued by God’s people.

Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount that his followers were not to sit back and watch the events in society unfold. Rather, they are to permeate and influence it. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus said:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

John R.W. Stott remarks that these words of Jesus point to the “essential difference”[56] between Christians and non Christians. Stott continues…

The Sermon is built on the assumption that Christians are different, and it issues a call to us to be different. Probably the greatest tragedy of the church throughout its long and chequered history has been its constant tendency to conform to the prevailing culture of developing a Christian counter culture.

…You simply must not fail the world you were called to serve. You must be what you are. You are salt, and so you must retain your saltness and not lose and not lose your Christian tang. You are light, and so you must let your light shine and not conceal it in any way, whether by sin or by compromise, by laziness or by fear.[57]

…Jesus calls his disciples to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting its decay and a positive influence by bringing light into its darkness. For it is one thing to stop the spread of evil; it is another to promote the spread of truth, beauty and goodness.[58]

The metaphors of “salt” and “light” teach that the church has a great responsibility in the world: “the function of salt is largely negative: it prevents decay. The function of light is positive: it illumines the darkness.”[59] Eberhard Arnold describes the metaphors further:

Our mission on behalf of the kingdom is to be the salt of the earth: to stem its injustice, prevent its decay, and hinder its death. The world must perish in order to be born again. But as long as salt remains salt, it restrains the fulfillment of evil in the world and acts as the power that will one day renew the earth. If the church were no longer to act as salt, it would no longer be the church—it would succumb to death and have to be stamped out.

…Salt can have power only as long it is different from the surrounding mass and does not fall into decay itself. If it becomes tasteless, it must be spat out. The salt of the earth is where God is, where the justice of the future kingdom is lived out and the powers of the coming order promote organic life and growth.

In other words, salt is present where the victorious energy of God’s love is at work. God himself is the creative spirit who wakens the dead. He is the God of miracles who can bring forth new birth out of corruption and degeneration, replacing nausea and disgust with joy and well-being.[60]

A light on a candlestick consumes itself to give light to all in the house. It serves the intimate unity of the household because its light consists in dying…Light is characteristic of the people of Jesus in its total brightness and warmth. The old life, consumed, turns into life-giving strength. Shameful things can only live in the dark. Brightness leads to clarity and frankness, simplicity and purity, genuineness and truth. Where Jesus’ influence makes people real, their life becomes genuine and pure. It shines into the darkness of the world around, unmasking everything that is spurious and untrue, everything that tries to hide.[61]

To Bonhoeffer, there was only one way to approach the Sermon the Mount: It had to be lived out. In a letter to his brother, Karl-Friedrich, he wrote that he had “begun to take seriously the Sermon on the Mount…There are things for which an uncompromising stand is worthwhile. And it seems to me that peace and social justice, or Christ himself, are such things.”[62]

The Biblical mandate for the people of God to take a stand against social injustices is also found in the words of the Old Testament prophet Amos. Amos, a layman, was called by God to prophesy to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In Amos 5:1-17, the prophet lamented over the fact Israel has been judged for idolatry and social injustices. In verses 4 to 7, Amos encouraged the nation to repent of the wrongs they have committed towards others:

This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live; do not go to Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Seek the Lord and live or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. You who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.

Bethel, Gilgal and Beersheba were traditionally places of worship where the blessings, power and promises of God were experienced.[63] The Israelites have become comfortable going to these sites to seek help from the Lord in time of trouble. Yet, Amos startled[64] his audience by telling them to not seek Bethel but to seek out the Lord instead. The worship at these sites became syncretistic and were “not in line with what the Lord required.”[65]Yet, the problem was deeper than that. Thomas J. Finley asked: “Can it really be the Lord who is sought at Bethel if the people do not practice the demands He has made on them for justice and mercy?”[66]

Even though the Israelites traveled to Bethel, Gilgal and Beersheba, they essentially kept God out of the picture because they continued to allow injustices in the society to persist. They would journey to the places of worship and sing songs of praise and “they come away, and nothing, simply nothing has changed. Justice is still turned sour…and righteousness is still overthrown.”[67]

According to Amos, God was ready to judge the people and completely destroy the places of worship if they did not repent of their hypocrisy and establish righteousness and justice in society.

God will judge all false forms of worship; his fury will come like fire that consumes everything in its path. It will come against all those who have pretended to seek after the Lord through religious actions but who show their true heart condition by perverting justice and that which is right. Justice and righteousness were the only ingredients in Israel that could have quenched the burning heat of God’s wrath, but instead the Israelites converted them into evil.[68]

In verses 11 and 12, Amos further highlighted the injustices:

You trample the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offences and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the court (5:11-12).

The “poor” were those “without resource, and therefore, without redress.”[69] The rich took advantage of them. For example, they were able to build their extravagant homes by oppressing the poor. The stone mansions were “quite costly, a sign of the great wealth accumulated through unjust gain…The Lord must judge the wealthy who have acquired such fine houses by oppression, and He will do this by taking the houses from them.”[70]

The rights of the poor were also violated within the court system. These were considered “great sins.” Finley writes that: “The parallel structure in v. 12: transgressions // sins; many // numerous reinforces the thought that the transgressions are too numerous even to be counted. The Lord has not reacted to a few isolated instances. All Samaria and the whole country is filled with misdeeds.”[71]

Because of these violations, Amos exhorted his audience to change their ways and begin to obey God in verses 14 to 15: “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.”

This is a call to repent and to receive grace from the Lord.[72] Amos’s audience claimed that God was with them because of the Lord’s covenant with them at Beersheba.[73] But the promise is voided “as long as evil prevails over good.”[74] Yet, there is hope because once again, “the Lord could be Israel as her God”[75] if the people turn back to the Lord.

The reference to Joseph in verse 15 is an offer of hope in a couple of ways. First, it offers hope because a remnant will remain even though the nation is decimated. “Perhaps Amos referred to the northern Kingdom as descendants of Joseph because he realized that the patriarch stood under the blessing of the Lord and preserved alive a remnant of Israel during a crucial threat to their existence (Genesis 45:7).[76]

Secondly, Israel is offered hope because in the same way the Lord was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2, 21, 23; 41:38), God will be with the remnant of Joseph after the nation is destroyed.[77]

Even though destruction is certain, Amos, in verse 24, calls for the people to seek justice in society: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-ending stream.” Finley writes:

“Justice” in the context of Amos encompasses reparation for the defrauded, fairness for the less fortunate, and dignity and compassion for the needy. “Righteousness” indicates the conditions that make justice possible: attitudes of mercy and generosity, and honest dealings that imitate the character of God as he revealed Himself in the law of Moses. Here is what it means to “seek Yahweh” and to “seek good” and “hate evil.”[78]

Does the call to justice by the prophet Amos apply to us in 21st century America?  The church today should be earnest in her call for justice in both word and action. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote:

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.[79]

As pastors and preachers, we can learn from Bonhoeffer that all of life is to be lived as a living sacrifice, “holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). Like Bonhoeffer, we can identify with Jesus by sacrificing time, resources and possibly our very lives for the sake of others. This is a truth to be taught through preaching and teaching and it is a reality to be lived out.

Serving Jesus in Severe Trials

While Dietrich Bonhoeffer often agonized over the role the church should play as Hitler’s polices were enacted, he continued to focus his energy on pleasing his Lord and obeying the Word of God. From the moment Hitler became chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, Bonhoeffer suffered setbacks and opposition for his commitment to Jesus and for his stance that the church should be a voice for the innocent in society.

For example, just two days after Hitler rose to power, Bonhoeffer delivered a message on the radio warning the nation that Hitler may be a “misleader”[80] who will eventually mock God. Bonhoeffer never finished this address because he was cut off the air. This may have been the first action by the new government against free speech.[81] Of course, Bonhoeffer was now in a sense a “marked man” because of his views.

Bonhoeffer simply saw his position as a matter of obedience to the Word of God. And he was aware that trials are part of the Christian life. Jesus even promised it in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble.” F.F. Bruce writes: “That those who are in Christ inevitably suffer tribulation in the world is the consistent witness of the NT writers.”[82]

For example, the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:29: “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” One of the many privileges that believers receive from God is to suffer for Jesus. Hawthorne writes:

A Christian who is willing to stand up together with other Christians for the faith of the gospel can expect to suffer. It has always been so. Redemptive history teaches that those who believe the Word of God, who uncompromisingly speak this Word and unyieldingly live in accordance with it often pay for their courage and resolution with their lives—from the ancient prophets to Jesus.[83]

That is why the apostles saw it as an honor to be flogged by the Sanhedrin in Acts 5: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (vs. 41). And even though they were ordered by the Sanhedrin not to speak in the name of Jesus, this did not deter them: “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (vs. 42). Commenting on Acts chapter five, Larkin writes:

In no masochistic fashion, but with spiritual eyes to see what suffering for the name of Jesus signifies about their eternal salvation, the apostles live out the dynamic of Jesus’ beatitude (Luke 6:22-23) and respond to their physical suffering with joy.

As far as Luke is concerned, two things bring Christians joy: contemplating salvation and the honor of being dishonored for Jesus’ sake (Luke 10:20; Acts 8:39; 11:23; 13:48). Whether in singing hymns over the crackle of flames at stakes in centuries past or praising God while cleaning Chinese prison-camp cesspools in our own day, the hallmark of the Christian has been, and must continue to be, joy in suffering persecution (1 Peter 1:6; 4:13).[84]

In the face of persecution, the early Christians continued to joyfully press on in the mission to spread the good news about Jesus. In Nazi Germany, this meant standing up for the cause of Jesus and crying out against the injustices in society. This also meant suffering and even dying for Jesus. To Bonhoeffer, the church in Germany had a window of opportunity to face persecution like the first century believers. Instead she withdrew when the pressure to compromise mounted against her.

Concerning this fact, Geffrey B. Kelly and F. Burton Nelson wrote,

Bonhoeffer was all too well aware of the cowardly retreat of the churches in the face of swift Nazi sanctions for acts of defiance to its policies. The Hitler government had inoculated itself against opposition through Gestapo terror and cruel reprisals. For Bonhoeffer, the fear of repression served no excuse for the church’s widespread failure to act; the silence and inaction of the churches made them accomplices in the crimes of the government…It was right action for the church publicly to oppose the Nazi government as it did through the Barmen declaration of faith; it was wrong to have kept silent during genocidal persecution of the Jews.[85]

It is true that 21st century preachers in America do not contend with a Hitler-like leader. Nor do they live with the daily possibility that they could be arrested or even executed for following Jesus. That day may come, but in the meantime, the followers of Jesus must “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:11-12).

The followers of Jesus are in a daily battle with Satan and his demons. These forces of evil were defeated through the cross and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but “they are not yet harmless.”[86] John R.W. Stott writes that “our struggle is not with human beings but with cosmic intelligences; our enemies are not human but demonic.”[87]

F. F. Bruce writes about the spiritual forces of evil which opposes Jesus and the church:

“The god of this age” who “has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), has a host of allies, principalities and powers, here described as “the world-rulers of this dark domain” (lit., “this darkness”) and “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.”[88]

The forces of darkness may be manifested in a Hitler or through the daily pressures we face to compromise our love and commitment to Jesus. Regardless, we are to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). All the “resources the Christian soldier needs are drawn from Christ and ‘his mighty power.”[89] The very “same power that raised Jesus from the dead (1:20) and brought (the Ephesians) to life when they were dead in trespasses and sins (2:1)” is the power described in verse 10.[90] Concerning this exhortation, Bruce wrote that the believers in Ephesus were: “told one way in which this power can be effective in their lives—in enabling them to resist those forces in the world that are hostile to their well-being and opposed to the gospel.”[91]

Thus, preachers today are to spend significant time in prayer seeking the strength of the Lord.

The Grace of Living Well and Dying Well

During the Apostle Paul’s final days before his execution, he penned a second letter to his dear friend, Timothy. Paul knew that death was just around the corner. On reflecting on this, he wrote:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteousness Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Paul referred to his life as a “drink offering.” This was a metaphor to describe his death. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the priest would pour wine in the sanctuary as an offering of gratitude to God. Paul saw his imminent death as an offering to Jesus and approached his final departure as a sacrifice of thankfulness. In verse seven, Paul used three other metaphors to point out that even in his final days of life; he was faithful to the Lord: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

John R. W. Stott comments: “So the work of the apostle, and to a lesser extent of every gospel preacher and teacher, is pictured as fighting a fight, running a race, guarding a treasure. Each involves labour, sacrifice and even danger. In all three Paul had been faithful to the end.”[92]

Was Dietrich Bonhoeffer faithful in life and in death? In his short life, he achieved the reputation of radiating the love and joy of Jesus to the people around him. For example, in 1931, he taught confirmation classes to fifty teenagers at Zion Church in North Berlin. Bonhoeffer made a point to spend time beyond the classroom with his students and with their parents. His goal was to build Christian community among them. He even lived in the neighborhood of the church for two months so that he could have easier access to the families[93]

Bonhoeffer’s approach to death was similar to the outlook that the Apostle Paul possessed when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. Under house confinement in the city of Rome, and uncertain of his future, he wrote:

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your joy and progress in the faith (1:20-25).

To Paul, his whole life could be summed up in one word: Christ. Hawthorne comments:

To say “living in Christ” is to say for him “life means Christ”. Life is summed up in Christ. Life is filled up with, occupied with Christ, in the sense that everything Paul does—trusts, loves, hopes, obeys, preaches, follows, and so on—is inspired by Christ, and is done for Christ. Christ and Christ alone gives inspiration, direction, meaning and purpose to existence. Paul views his life in time as totally determined and controlled his own love for and commitment to Christ. Overpowered by Christ on the Damascus Road and overwhelmed by his majesty and love and goodness and forgiveness, Paul can see no reason for being except to be “for Christ”.[94]

Life, for Paul, was Christ; and death was seen as gain:

Since for Paul “living is Christ,” meaning that life for Paul had no significance whatsoever without Christ, it follows that he never would have renounced Christ to save himself from those things that wearied him and hurt him and made life a burden for him. Therefore, for him to go on and say that “dying is gain” required a firm belief on his part that death, although it had the power to free him from “lingering out his days in misery,” could not in any way separate him from Christ. He was certain that even in death the Christian was still in vital relation with Christ.[95]

Paul was torn between living and dying. In life, he could continue to minister to his fellow believers and see the Kingdom of God advance. If he was put to death, he would experience the joy of being with Christ; yet Paul was convinced that in life there was still “fruitful labor” for him. James Montgomery Boice writes that “death for the Christian is never pictured in the Bible as a gain over the worst in this life. It is portrayed as an improvement on the best. Certainly it is in this sense that Paul intends his words to the Philippians.”[96]

Paul concluded that it was more necessary to keep living so that he could continue to minister to the Christians in Philippi (verses 24-25). Motyer comments:

As far as personal enrichment was concerned, death would win hands down. But there is also the Philippian church and all the others who fill the loving imagination of Paul. What of them? They still need (as he sees it) his apostolic ministry. Paul believes it to be the will of the Lord that this should be considered paramount.

Furthermore, such is his love for his fellow-believers and his desire for their spiritual advantage that he is ready for it to be so. What a man the apostle was! The fruitfulness of remaining in this life could sway him as against the joy of living with Christ; the needs of the church were met by a love which, for the present, was willing to postpone heavenly glories.[97]

The Apostle Paul’s ministry also proved that suffering for Jesus is a mark of a true minister. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul established that his ministry was authentic because of the suffering he had endured for the sake of Jesus. This was in contrast to the “super-apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11) who were undermining Paul’s ministry. In 11:23-33, he wrote:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.

I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?

Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

What was the purpose of Paul’s boasting? R. V. G. Tasker points out that Paul counter attacked his opponents “qualifications” and “achievements”[98] through listing his own sufferings and weaknesses:

Paul claims superiority over his opponents as a ‘minister of Christ’ on four points: (1) He has undertaken more numerous and arduous evangelistic campaigns than they… (2) He has been the victim, as they have not, of excessive corporal punishment…(3) He had been more frequently in prisons than they…(4) So constantly is he in immediate danger of death that he can say ‘I die daily’ (1 Corinthians 15:31). He would appear to have been face to face with death recently at Ephesus (see 2 Corinthians 1:9).[99]

Paul Barnett also writes:

What manner of boasting is this? In what must have been a daring exercise in antiquity, Paul takes the literary convention of boasting and inverts it. His boast is in folly, weakness, disappointment and defeat. One of the Roman soldier’s most glorious achievements in battle, the corona muralis, was awarded for being the first over the wall of the city under siege. As Christ’s fool, Paul boasts of being lowered down a wall as a fugitive (verses 32-33).

Paul’s opponents boast of superiority (11:5; 12:110, of being ‘super-apostles’. Yet the effect of their ministry is to enslave and manipulate those who succumb to them (verse 20). Paul, however, is the servant of Christ in his ministry to the churches. As opposed to the triumphalism of these newcomers, the essential character of Christ is the meekness and gentleness of a crucified slave. Christ’s glory is his divinely humble service of others. This is the message of the cross which Paul seeks to embody and express in his ministry of evangelism.[100]

Paul’s boasting continued into chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians where he described how he was “caught up to the third heaven” (verse 2). To keep Paul humble, God gave him a painful “thorn” in his flesh: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh. A messenger of Satan to torment me” (verse 7). What was this thorn? It is impossible to determine: “Scholars have made many suggestions about the nature of Paul’s ‘thorn’. Was it persecution, sensual temptation, a speech defect, an ophthalmic disorder, epilepsy, or one of the many further possibilities?”[101]

Philip E. Hughes writes that it is not important to know exactly what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was because the spiritual purpose of it was the most significant reason for it, and if that was true for Paul, then it also holds true for the followers of Jesus since then:

Is there a single servant of Christ who cannot point to some “thorn in the flesh”, visible or private or psychological, from which he has prayed to be released, but which has been given him by God to keep him humble, and therefore, fruitful in His service? And is not this the case to a special degree with those who have been called to be ministers of the gospel? Every believer must learn that human weakness and divine grace go hand in hand together. Hence Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is, by its very lack of definition, a type of every Christian’s “thorn in the flesh”, not with regard to externals, but by its spiritual significance.[102]

Regardless of our circumstances in the 21st century, we are to live for the glory of the Lord Jesus: “So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Gordon Fee points out that “One’s whole life must be to God’s glory…Certainly Paul intends that this ‘rule’ dictate the appropriateness of behavior as well. What is not, or cannot be, for God’s glory probably should be excluded from ‘whatever you do.’”[103]

Our lives on earth are just a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Tasker writes: “The only certain factor about human life is that it will end sooner or later in death; and the refusal to face up to the inevitableness of death, or the failure to remember that it may come at a time unexpected and in a manner unforeseen, is a sign of human arrogance.”[104]

We do not know when our time in the life will end and the Lord will say to us: “Time to come home.” Yet, in the meantime, “we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word (Nashville: Cowley Publications, 1986), 127-128.

[2] Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word, 31.

[3] James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984), 32.

[4] The NET Bible: First Beta Edition, s.v. “meditate.” (2001), 434.

[5] Matthew Henry, “Joshua,” in A Commentary on the Whole Bible, (Old Tappen: Fleming H. Revell Company), 2:5.

[6] Charles Spurgeon, “Psalm 1,” in The Treasury of David (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1957), 1:1.

[7] Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word, 30-32.

[8] S. Payne Best, The Venlo Incident (London: Hutchinson and  Co. LTD, 1950), 180.

[9] Eberhard Bethge, “Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Man of Vision, Man of Courage,” in Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A  Testament to Freedom, Geffrey B. Kelly and E. Burton Nelson, eds. (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995), 43.

[10] John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004), 125.

[11] Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word, 32-33.

[12] Douglas J. Rumford, Soul Shaping: Taking Care of Your Spiritual Life (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1996), 252.

[13] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1954), 21.

[14] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 27.

[15] Derek Kidner, “Psalm 133” in Psalms 73-150, vol. 14b of Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1975), 452.

[16] Michael Wilcock, “Psalm 133” in The Message of Psalms 73-150, vol. 14b of  The Bible Speaks Today, ed. J. A. Motyer (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 244.

[17] C. H. Spurgeon, “Psalm 133,” in The Treasury of David, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1957), 6:168.

[18] Kidner, 453.

[19] Ronald F. Youngblood, ed. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 559.

[20] Wilcock, 244.

[21] John MacArthur, ed., The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997), 862.

[22] Wilcock, 244.

[23] A.F. Kirkpatrick, ed. “Psalm 133” in The Book of Psalms (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Warehouse, 1906), 771.

[24] Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, 6:169.

[25] Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 18.

[26] Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 19.

[27] William J. Larkin Jr., Acts, vol. 4 of the IVP New Testament Commentary Series, ed. Grant R. Osborne (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1995), 44.

[28] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979), 438-439.

[29] Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 23-24.

[30] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985), 3:1038.

[31] John R.W. Stott, “Ephesians,” in The Message of Ephesians, vol. 9 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R.W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986), 146.

[32] F.F. Bruce, “Ephesians,” in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, vol. 9 of the Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984), 333.

[33] Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians, 147.

[34] Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 334.

[35] Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians 334.

[36] Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians, 149-150.

[37] Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians, 152.

[38] Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians, 152.

[39] Francis A. Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), 8.

[40] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995), 89.

[41] Robert H. Stein, “Luke” in Luke, vol. 24 of The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992), 279.

[42] Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 43.

[43] Gerald H. Hawthorne, ed. Ralph P. Martin in Philippians of the Word Biblical Commentary, eds. David A. Hubbard, Glenn W. Barker (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 43:139.

[44] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoted in Mark Devine, Bonhoeffer Speaks Today (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2005) 19-20.

[45] Devine, Bonhoeffer Speaks Today, 20.

[46] Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 91.

[47] J. A. Motyer, The Message of James, vol. 15 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985), 30.

[48] Motyer, The Message of James, 30.

[49] Peter Davids, James, vol. 10 of the New International Greek Testament Commentary, eds. I. Howard Marshall and W. Ward Gasque (Grand Rapids, 1982), 68, 69.

[50] Devine, 13.

[51] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 543.

[52] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 130.

[53] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 130.

[54] Geffrey B. Kelly and F. Burton Nelson, The Cost of Moral Leadership: The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003), 28.

[55] Desiring God, “Resource Library: Rescuing Unborn Children: Required and Right,” 1989,

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1989/663_Rescuing_Unborn_Children_Required_and_Right/ (accessed April 5, 2009).

[56] John R. W. Stott, “Matthew” in The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 1 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985), 63.

[57] Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 63.

[58] Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 64-65.

[59] Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 64.

[60] Eberhard Arnold, Salt and Light: Living the Sermon on the Mount (Farmington: The Plough Publishing House, 1998) 9-11.

[61] Arnold, 12-13.

[62] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 305

[63] J.A. Motyer, The Message of Amos, vol. 24 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. J. A. Motyer (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986) 105-108.

[64] Thomas J. Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah of the The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary, ed. Kenneth Barker (Chicago: Moody Press, 1990). 227.

[65] Finley, 228.

[66] Finley, 228.

[67] Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Amos, 112.

[68] Finley, 229.

[69] Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Amos, 113.

[70] Finley, 238.

[71] Finley, 239.

[72] Finley, 241.

[73] Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Amos, 122.

[74] Finley, 242.

[75] Finley, 242.

[76] Finley, 242.

[77] Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Amos, 127.

[78] Finley, 251.

[79] Direct Action and Research Training Center, “The Prophetic Call to Do Justice,” http://www.thedartcenter.org/justice.html#prophetic_call (accessed April 7, 2009).

[80] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom¸14.

[81] Kelly and Nelson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Testament to Freedom, 14.

[82] F. F. Bruce, “John” in The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 326.

[83] Hawthorne, 43:6

[84] Larkin, 97.

[85] Kelly and Nelson, The Cost of Moral Leadership: The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 46.

[86] Richard L. Pratt Jr., ed., The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 1913.

[87] Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians, 263.

[88] Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, 404.

[89] Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., “Ephesians,” in Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1, 2 Thessalonians,1, 2; Titus; Philemon of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 11:85.

[90] Gaebelein, 11:85.

[91] Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians 403.

[92] John R. W. Stott, The Message of 2 Timothy, vol. 14 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973), 114.

[93]Kelly and Burton, The Cost of Moral Leadership: The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 15-16.

[94] Hawthorne, 43:45.

[95] Hawthorne, 46

[96] James Montgomery Boice, “Ephesians” in An Expositional Commentary: Philippians, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 94.

[97] J. A. Motyer, The Message of Philippians, vol. 12 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1991), 91.

[98] R. V. G. Tasker, ed., 2 Corinthians, vol. 8 of the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 156.

[99] Tasker, 161.

[100] Paul Barnett, The Message of 2 Corinthians, vol. 9 of The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 173.

[101] Barnett, 177.

[102] Philip E. Hughes, “2 Corinthians” in The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 8 of The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982), 442-443.

[103] Gordon D. Fee, “1 Corinthians” in The First Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 6 of The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987), 488.

[104] R. V. G Tasker, ed., “James” in James, vol. 16 of the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), 102-103.