The last two weeks in my classes we have been studying Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They both share a Theology of the Cross…which means– God meets us at the foot of the Cross, where we humble ourselves in repentance and receive forgiveness and salvation because of Christ’s undeserved sacrifice.

Bonhoeffer studied and taught in the late 1920’s through the 1930’s. He spoke of the unfortunate state of the church people who were holding a form of “cheap grace.” They claim to be believers, yet they want it not to ask anything of them nor alter their lives and how they live. Bonhoeffer believed that is a false gospel. The gospel of Christ, and our gratitude for a mercy we could never deserve, spurs our heart to do whatever we can to live out God’s call and vision for our world.

It is not a salvation by anything other than the Cross which cost Jesus everything.

But in humility and the reality of how ugly our doubt and disobedience has been, upon salvation we are flooded with God’s love and want to love Him back with our lives.

Bonhoeffer has a teaching position at Union Seminary in New York City. But as things were developing for the worst in his homeland of Germany, He didn’t have the stomach and heart to stay safe in a land far away while God calls us to live in community with our fellow believers and bear burdens with them. His colleagues did not understand why he would jeopardize his life. These colleagues are also believers yet they thought of safety first, not ministry among others.

He joined the resistance which plotted to assignations against Hitler, but both failed. Eventually the Nazi’s discovered he had been apart of the group and imprisoned him in a concentration camp for 18 months. At the end, he spoke with a group of Christians in the concentration camp with him, moments before they took him and hung him. He never denounce the movement to try and stop the cruel actions of Hitler. In his last talk with the believers he said Jesus would see them through. Perhaps they would be rescued by the Allies, perhaps not. But they had a faithful Savior who would not leave them while they suffer and would reward them upon death for their own faithfulness.

A doctor who witnessed his death said he had never seen anyone die with such devotion to God. He says Bonhoeffer’s last words were something to the effect of “though I am going to die, my life begins.”

WOW!

Comparing that to American pop-Christianity of name it and claim it! Of God, smoothing out our lives and “wants us to be happy, wealthy and living in total abundance”. REALLY? Never! Never ever did Jesus say that or live that. In fact he turned Satan down when offered anything he could imagine. Jesus says to someone that “foxes have holes (to sleep in) but the Son of God has nowhere to lay his head. His mansions were in the heavenly realms where we will join him for eternity.

I learned so much this week. I truly was humbled and re-directed.

If you would like to hear more… let me know. I can either do an audio talk or write some more.

Let me know also if you prefer audio or written blogs.

Until Next Time~
Blessings, Kate