Part II of
Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship (popularly known in America as The Cost of
Discipleship) consists of six chapters, Preliminary Questions, Baptism,
The Body of Christ, The Visible Church-Community, The Saints, and The
Image of Christ. We’ve arrived at The Saints and Bonhoeffer begins
the chapter by declaring that the saints are God’s holy ones on this earth
(pages 235 – 237).
The first
sentence of the chapter is a summation of the previous chapter, “The ‘ecclesia’
of Christ, the community of disciples, is no longer subject to the rule of this
world. True, it still lives in the midst of the world. But it already has been
made into one body. It is a territory with an authority of its own, a space set
apart” (page 235).
I suppose I
should state the obvious for the few that may read this quotation out of
context; when Bonhoeffer writes that the church is “no longer subject to the
rule of this world” he does not mean that we can do what we please and ignore
the governments and authorities of the world, his treatment of Romans 13 in the
previous chapter makes this clear.
Bonhoeffer
follows his opening statement by referencing seven verses which speak of
Christians (all Christians) being saints, holy ones, in Christ Jesus:
Eph. 5:27; 1 Cor. 14:34; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:22; Rom. 6:19 –
22.
Bonhoeffer twice
reminds us that this call to holiness was given “before the foundation of the
world.” He also writes that, “This is the reason why Christ surrendered his
body unto death, so as to present those who are his own as holy, blameless, and
irreproachable before him (Col. 1:22)” (pg. 235).
He then cites
Romans 6:19 – 22 in support of the Good News that the “fruit of being freed
from sin by Christ’s death” is that we can now live “in the service of
righteousness” (pg. 235).
Then our author
shifts our focus with the statement, “God alone is holy” (pg. 235). Bonhoeffer
moves from his focus on “saints” [holy ones] to the One who alone is Holy. If
God alone is holy, how can we be holy?
Bonhoeffer has
introduced the answer is the seven verses listed above, and he will continue to
explore the answer. On page 237 he asks, “How does this come about?...How…does
God create a community of saints that is totally separated from sin?”
At the top of
page 236 he tells us that God is laying the “foundation of a realm of holiness
in the midst of the world.”
Then we read,
“God’s holiness consists in establishing a divine dwelling place, God’s realm
of holiness in the midst of the world…” (page 235).
In writing of
the “community of God’s holy realm,” Bonhoeffer tells us that God has chosen
us, made us “the community of the divine covenant,” reconciled us, purified us,
and that “this place of holiness is the temple…the body of Christ thus is the
fulfillment of God’s will to establish a holy community” (page 236).
This reminds us
of Ephesians 2:21 in which we see that we are a living building and are being
joined together, “growing into a holy temple in the Lord,” being “built
together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Peter writes, “You
also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
In the chapter, The
Visible Church-Community, Bonhoeffer writes of us taking up space in the
world, being identifiable, being joined to one another in Jesus Christ, and of
being faithful witnesses to the world and support to one another in this witness.
We are to be a visible people, not because we have church buildings, but because
of our community, our koinonia, in Jesus Christ.
Now, in the
chapter titled The Saints, we see that we are to be holy as God is holy.
We see this pattern in the Pentateuch, first Exodus and then Leviticus. First,
in Exodus, we see the People of God called out of Egypt, then the Tabernacle
and the orientation of the People to the Tabernacle; then in Leviticus we have
the great distinguishing message of God, “You shall be holy for I am holy” (Lev.
11:44; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Peter 1:14 – 16; 2:9).
What are our
challenges in understanding the Biblical message of which Bonhoeffer writes? Two immediately come to my thinking.
The first is, do
I “see” the Church, the Body, the Temple, the Bride as Scripture portrays them,
as Christ Jesus sees them?
Do I see the
Church as an organization (or a group of organizations), do I see it as a
building, or do I see us as the Temple, God’s dwelling place in the Spirit
(Eph. 2:19 – 22)?
The second
challenge is, do I “see” the holiness of God (in some measure), and do I see
the distinction between the holiness of God and the sin and uncleanness of the
world, the flesh, and the devil? Do I distinguish between the clean and the unclean
in my own life, and do we as the Church make this distinction? (See 2 Cor. 6:14
– 7:1). Are we living as God’s holy People? Do we even desire to live as God’s
holy people?
Is our view and
vision of the People of God that which is portrayed in the Bible? Are we “seeing”
as Paul saw, as Bonhoeffer saw?
What other
challenges can you think of?
Do we “see” that
God is establishing a realm of holiness in the midst of the world?
Are we
participating in that realm?
