Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, pastor, and writer who was known for his courageous stand against the Nazi regime during World War II. His book, “Life Together,” explores the importance of community and fellowship in the Christian faith. In this article, we will delve into some of the most profound quotes from Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” that remind us of the significance of living in harmony with one another.
One of the central themes of “Life Together” is the idea that true community is not something that can be achieved merely through physical proximity or shared activities. Bonhoeffer writes, “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” He emphasizes the importance of genuine relationships built on love and mutual support.
In “Life Together,” Bonhoeffer also explores the concept of forgiveness within a community. He states, “In a Christian community, everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable.” This quote reminds us that forgiveness and reconciliation are essential for maintaining unity within a community.
Read these “Life Together” Bonhoeffer quotes:
“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men.”
“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.”
“Christian community means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.”
“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.”
“Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of us. This is true not merely at the beginning, as though in the course of time something else were to be added to our community; it remains so for all the future and to all eternity.”
“The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated.”
“The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ; in the poor brother Christ is knocking at the door.”
“The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams.”
“Our brotherly service can only be earnest and sincere when it is based upon the clear knowledge of the distance between God and man and the perfections and imperfections of our fellow Christians.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and if we are fortunate, with ourselves.”
“The person who is in love with their own vision of community will destroy community, but one who loves the people around them will create community.”
“God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God himself accordingly.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
These quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” serve as a reminder of the importance of genuine relationships, forgiveness, and community within the Christian faith. They inspire us to listen to one another, love those around us, and strive for unity. Let us reflect on these powerful words and seek to build meaningful connections with others as we journey together in life.
