New Beginnings: Life Together
The beginning of a new book! How exciting to start reading Bonhoeffer’s Life Together!
This post will begin to cover the first chapter, Community. First, we’ll look at visible fellowship. Next, we’ll look at joy and strength. Last, we’ll look at through Christ and in Christ.
“It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament.” (18) Bonhoeffer makes the point that believers have a unique bond that unbelievers do not have. We are able to spend time together in the same space to talk about God. There are several places all around the globe of people who cannot make their faith public because they would be persecuted for the gospel message. What a gift it is to be able to gather together with other believers.
“The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” (19) As humans, we were made with a physical body. This is important because if we try to neglect the body, then we miss an important aspect of how we were created! So we must not forget that we were made to meet with other believers. Think about it, when someone is in the hospital, there is such joy and strength to be given when believers come to visit personally rather than simply “sending prayers.” There is something special when people meet people face to face.
“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.” (21) No longer do we need to seek to find our salvation from our performance, work, relationships, strengths, or beauty because our identity is found and satisfied only in Christ. But how can we know this message if no one tells us? We need other believers to first deliver this good news and to encourage each other in building faith daily. We are hidden in Christ. (Colossians 3:3)
So there you have the bare bones of the beginning of Chapter 1. The Christian community that is thriving and alive in the Holy Spirit is a beautiful and healing people. It is so sweet to trust in Jesus and be able to love others well by receiving God’s love. Be encouraged by a visible gathering of believers. Send joy and strength by your physical presence. And be in Christ with Christ in you. This is a picture of a good and beautiful community.
For a further look into a good and beautiful community, read Colossians 3:1-17:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
This post will begin to cover the first chapter, Community. First, we’ll look at visible fellowship. Next, we’ll look at joy and strength. Last, we’ll look at through Christ and in Christ.
“It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament.” (18) Bonhoeffer makes the point that believers have a unique bond that unbelievers do not have. We are able to spend time together in the same space to talk about God. There are several places all around the globe of people who cannot make their faith public because they would be persecuted for the gospel message. What a gift it is to be able to gather together with other believers.
“The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” (19) As humans, we were made with a physical body. This is important because if we try to neglect the body, then we miss an important aspect of how we were created! So we must not forget that we were made to meet with other believers. Think about it, when someone is in the hospital, there is such joy and strength to be given when believers come to visit personally rather than simply “sending prayers.” There is something special when people meet people face to face.
“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.” (21) No longer do we need to seek to find our salvation from our performance, work, relationships, strengths, or beauty because our identity is found and satisfied only in Christ. But how can we know this message if no one tells us? We need other believers to first deliver this good news and to encourage each other in building faith daily. We are hidden in Christ. (Colossians 3:3)
So there you have the bare bones of the beginning of Chapter 1. The Christian community that is thriving and alive in the Holy Spirit is a beautiful and healing people. It is so sweet to trust in Jesus and be able to love others well by receiving God’s love. Be encouraged by a visible gathering of believers. Send joy and strength by your physical presence. And be in Christ with Christ in you. This is a picture of a good and beautiful community.
For a further look into a good and beautiful community, read Colossians 3:1-17:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
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