Confession

“We refuse to bear the Cross when we are ashamed to take upon ourselves

the shameful death of the sinner in confession.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We’ve made it to the last installment of the Christianity and Culture blog

post series! This has been such an interesting and insightful journey into

the minds and worldview of both Machen and Bonhoeffer. I have learned

a lot and I hope you have as well. Without further ado, let’s begin.

The final chapter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together centers

around a topic that is not often discussed in the American Christianity:

confession. Confession is a staple discipline in the catholic church but has

been lost in reformed congregations. In the book of James we are called to

confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be

healed.

As we have already discussed, Christian fellowship can be a difficult and

tumultuous place. As inherently sinful humans our faults influence our

community and cause problems. This is why we need confession within

the community. If confession is not a part of the life of the church, sin

issues will fester and grow, causing more issues. A lack of accountability

and confession also creates a false sense that the other Christians do not

sin in serious ways. This creates issues and scandals in the church by a

allowing sin’s hold on us to grow. As Bonhoeffer says, “the final break-

through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship

with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have

fellowship as the undevout, as sinners” (110).

Confession allows us to freely expose our sinful hearts to a fellow brother

or sister before our God. This is where the misery of the sinner meets the

mercy of the Savior. Sin desires us to stay alone and struggle with a guilty

conscience instead of seeking help and healing. Confession requires humility,

which directly fights against the pride that is the root of our sin struggles.

The point that struck me hardest is best said in a direct quote. If we find it

easier to confess our sin to God than to our brothers “we must ask ourselves

whether we have not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of

sin to God, whether we have not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves

and also granting ourselves absolution” (116). This has been on my mind

since reading this chapter.

False confession is a trap I often fall into and one we must actively battle

against as the body of Christ. Let us seek to be people of confession and

forgiveness. Community is imperative in our Christian lives and we must

work hard to create healthy environment to allow those around us to

flourish in the love of God.

Ministry

“God does not will that I should fashion the other person according to the image

that seems good to me, that is, in my own image; rather in his very freedom from

me God made this person in His image.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christian community brings to light shortcomings within each individual. We must

acknowledge the tendency towards this seed of discord and make efforts to

remedy and avoid harming the community. As Bonhoeffer says, “from the first

moment when a man meets another person he is looking for a strategic position he

can assume and hold over against that person” (90). By doing so we look for means

of self justification. We must battle our sinful nature by using what Bonhoeffer calls

ministries.

The first ministry is the ministry of holding one’s tongue. If we spend time looking for

ways to lord over others in our community we will ultimately break the community

apart. The primary way we split the community is through our words. When we hold

our tongues we stop judging the people around us and allow those around us “to

exist as a completely free person, as God made him to be” (93). Holding our tongues

gives us the chance to see how the community needs each other.

Next we must learn meekness. As Bonhoeffer says, “he who would learn to serve

must first learn to think little of himself” (94). If we are trying to change those around

we put our desires above the community. We can’t lord ourselves over others and

maintain a healthy community. Meekness comes from viewing others as more

important than ourselves.

When we exercise meekness and the ability to hold our tongue we create the space

and desire to listen. Listening is how we show our love and value for our brothers

and sisters. This is a piece of how God shows His love for us. He gave us the Word

and lends His ear to hear our pleas for help. If we stop listening to our brothers we

will eventually stop listening to God’s voice as well.

The fourth ministry is the ministry of helpfulness. This is realizing that our time is

best spent helping others. Helping is part of the discipline of meekness. When we

value others as more important than ourselves we “allow ourselves to be interrupted

by God” and by others (99). Helping others builds them up and creates a strong

bond of unity in the community.

As we help others we also learn to bear each other’s burdens. This is what we are

called to in Galatians 6. The moment we bear burdens with a person is the moment

they become a brother and not an object to be manipulated. God bore our burdens

when he sent his Son to the cross. He lifted our burdens and guides us through

the trials of life.

In bearing with each other we should also proclaim truth through the trials. God

has given us His Word that is full of truth that applies to all trials and joys in our

lives. Our brothers and sisters need the same encouragement we do. In community

it is so easy to become a flatterer and ignore truth. This causes more harm than

good. We should instead speak truth in love and grace.

The final ministry is the ministry of authority. This incorporates all the previous

ministries and can only occur when “the ministry of hearing, helping, bearing, and

proclaiming [are] carried out” (108). We all desire some authority but this desire for

authority cannot cause us to forget the other ministries. The church is full of people

in authority. What we need is not “brilliant personalities but faithful servants of

Jesus and the brethren” (109).  

When we learn to embrace and grow these ministries we shift our focus to the

wellbeing of others. This how we reflect the love of Christ. By fostering these skills we

allow our brothers and sisters to become the image of God instead of forming to our

opinion of them. This can be summed up by Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of

selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not

looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (NIV).  

Alone/Together

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in

community beware of being alone.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Fellowship is an intricate part of the Christian walk. As we learned last

week there are many ways to grow spiritually with the people God has

placed in our lives. We must work hard to create fruitful community that

flourishes in the word and Spirit of God.

There is another part of the Christian life that is just as important as

fellowship. This is the concept of spending time alone. Many people can’t

bare to spend time alone, but it is important for our personal growth and

fellowship with the Lord. In our time alone we become better equipped to

live in community and grow together. We cannot use community as a

distraction from loneliness or personal issues. As we spend time alone

we have the opportunity to exercise some disciplines that we cannot in

the realm of community.

The first discipline we experience during our time in solitude is the

discipline of silence. We must be mindful, however, that “dumbness does

not create solitude and chatter does not create fellowship” (Bonhoeffer 78).

Spending time in silence is not to muse about our sufferings or talk at God,

but rather to experience the Word of God in a new way. In Bonhoeffer’s

Words, “silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from

God’s Word with a blessing” (79). This type of silence is a skill that must be

learned and we must have patience with ourself as seek to understand how

to be silent in the presence of God.

The second discipline we get to experience is meditation. When we spend

time alone we get the opportunity to personally meditate. This time “is to be

devoted to the Scriptures, private prayer, and intercession” (81). This

meditation allows us to be alone with the Lord. Our personal scripture reading

can focus on only a few verses or concepts that stuck with us. The Word will

linger in our minds, influencing our behavior,  and helping us become more

like Christ.

When we spend time in solitude we are given the opportunity to spend time

in prayer and intercession. This is a time to communicate needs to God, to

confess our sin, and pray for others. Intercession is crucial to the health of

the Christian community. Spending time bringing others before the throne

of God helps resolve conflicts and move our eyes beyond ourselves.

Our time of solitude greatly impacts our time spent in community. Being

alone gives us time to grow in our personal relationship with God, pray

for others, and meditate on His Word. We are members of a body,

though we are part of a whole we are also individuals who will ultimately

stand before the Lord and be judged for his life. Bonhoeffer finishes this

chapter by saying, “blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the

fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of

aloneness” (89). Christian community strengthens us as iron sharpens

iron but also prepares us for time spent alone. When we grow and are

refreshed personally in the word of God we can use this knowledge to

Help our community learn to do the same.

Daily Devotions

“Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be

silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him to whom

our whole life belongs.” - Detrich Bonhoeffer

I’m not a morning person. I am not one to spring out of bed ready to tackle

the challenges of the day. Instead I usually wake up grumpy, sit in my

bathrobe while I eat breakfast, and contemplate going back to bed for the

rest of the day. This week I was challenged by Bonhoeffer’s outline for what

the Christian day should look like. Let’s take a look.

The day begins with morning devotion, which should be divided into five parts.

The first part is the reading and praying of the Psalms. The Psalms were given

to us as prayers to pray in all phases of life. When a believer prays the Psalms

“he learns to pray the prayer of the Body of Chris” (Bonhoeffer 49). Bonhoeffer

argues that even if we cannot connect with the prayers for ourself we ought to

pray them for our brothers and sisters whose hearts cry these things.

Next the believers should read the scriptures. This should be more than reading

a few selected verses, but rather include portions of scripture from both the Old

and New Testament. Especially in a family setting it can be difficult to maintain

focus for the entirety of the reading, but it is an important habit to train in

yourself and in your children. We cannot avoid reading the scripture for fear we

won’t fully understand its meaning. Instead this fear of not understanding should

fuel our desire to dig deeper into the meaning of the Word of God.

After this, believers should engage in the singing of hymns to God. This made

me very excited as music is a passion of mine. I love that Bonhoeffer recognizes

the importance and impact of singing praise to our Father. Our song “is the simple

song of the children of this earth who have been called to be God’s children…”

(58). Bonhoeffer argues that all singing should be done in unison and only hymns.

I am of the opinion that praising God can take many different forms and that there

is a time for harmony and beauty in our praise to God.

Singing then leads to prayer. This is a petition for God’s mercy for the coming day

and should express the hearts of all present. Bonhoeffer warns the church to avoid

lofty prayers that draw attention to themself instead of humbly expressing our needs

to the Almighty. This communal prayer is different from the petitions we personally

bring to God every moment of the day.

The morning devotional should be finished by the sharing of the table. This nourishes

to the Christian family and gives them strength for the rest of the day. Eating together

encourages a spirit of thankfulness.

Right from the start I found this challenging. No matter the time of day I

struggle with keeping a consistent devotional time. I always have. I feel like I

have tried everything but nothing sticks for more than a month or so. The past

month I have been convicted of this. How can I expect to grow but not make

the sacrifices necessary to deepen my relationship with God? I encourage you

to, with me, seek God in the first moments of your day and thus commit

yourself and your day to the Lord.

Christian Community

Last week we finished up our study of J. Gresham Machen’s book, Christianity

and Liberalism. This week we begin looking at Life Together by Dietrich

Bonhoeffer. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The first chapter of this book discusses living in a Christian community. Right

off the bat this book was incredibly convicting and given me a fresh perspective

on community and the Christian life. One of the greatest and most overlooked

blessings in the the American culture is that we have Christian communities

that can meet and live together. This allows Christians to grow and encourage

one another in their walk with Christ.

In his earthly ministry, Jesus lived among his enemies and through this we learn

that we are not promised an easy life. The Kingdom of God is to be brought in

the midst of our enemies which requires us to leave the safe confines of our

community and interact with the broken world. Bonhoeffer quotes Martin Luther

saying, “...he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of

Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the

bad people but the devout people” (17-18). This way we betray the mission of Christ.

Being a part of a Christian community is a source of strength and joy for believers.

However, this comfort should replenish us to continue working towards the

Kingdom goal. We need other believers to remind us of truth and direct us to the

foot of the cross.

If we find ourselves in a situation where we are surrounded by a Christian

community we must be continually grateful for this blessing. We have been given

an opportunity for growth that many people have not been given. This leads me

to one of my favorite quotes I have ever read:

“Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We

prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us,

because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be

satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and

love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking

forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack

the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has

given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious… if we do not give

thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed...we

hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and

riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ” (Bonhoeffer 29).”

This is only a portion of the quote (for the sake of space I had to cut it down) but I

highly recommend reading it in its entirety. When I first read this quote I was struck

with conviction and shocked by how applicable it is to my life. For so long I have

been discontent with where I am in life. I, as Bonhoeffer says, look eagerly towards

the highest good or where my life is going instead of being grateful for the blessings

I have now. I was also struck by the idea that we consider our desire for more to

be pious. But before you can be given deep knowledge and blessings you must

be a grateful steward of the things you have. You must be willing to make sacrifices

for the betterment of the Christian community and be willing to endure hardships for

the sake of the gospel.

The Church

“A solid building cannot be constructed when all the materials are faulty; a blessed

society cannot be formed out of men who are still under the curse of sin.”

- J. Gresham Machen.

What is the church?

It is more than a building, it is the people inside. The foundation of the church is the

work of Christ found in the gospel. The mission of the church is to nurture and help

believers to grow and spread the gospel to the lost world. Regular meetings of

believers gives Christians, new and old, a community of love.

In his book, Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen says, “the Church is

the highest Christian answer to the social needs of man” (135). The church should

be a place of healing that helps bring restoration to those hurting and seeking truth.

However, the church is only as solid as those within.

Machen states in his book that one of the issues that faces the Christian church is

that we are under attack, not from the outside as we may think, but from the inside.

He argues that this is due to the fact that the faith common in the church is no longer

Christian. In some cases the very pastors of the church do not lead the congregation

to the truth of the gospel.

We see this occurring more and more as the health and wealth gospel is spread

across America. Instead of preaching the truth of salvation, pastors tell their

congregation that if they follow Jesus they will be happy and have an easy life. This

does not at all align with what we have been learning over the past few weeks. We

are not saved to be happy, we are saved from our sin which would otherwise condemn

us to life apart from God. While the health and wealth gospel claims humanity is

basically and can almost save itself, we have learned that this is false. Humanity is

condemned to life apart from God. Without some form of sacrificial mediation there is

a rift between the created and their Creator. That sacrifice came through Jesus. As

we have learned, he is the only way to eternal life with God. Despite the claims of

the health and wealth gospel, we are not remotely good enough to save ourselves.

This is why we, the church of Christ, must foster truth in our midst. Go back and

read the quote at the beginning of this post. The church is only as strong as those

that make it up. Our focus can’t be on the numbers within our church, but the true

transformation of lives. In Judges 7 we see how Gideon was able to defeat the army

of Midian with only three hundred men. The number of people within the church

doesn’t matter. Our focus can’t be on bringing large numbers of people to church,

but rather genuinely bringing people to Christ.

This is how the church can make a difference in the world. The leadership in our

churches should encourage true growth instead of leading the congregation astray.

The true gospel transforms lives. It doesn’t make life objectively better but rather

gives us a hope and a future.