'God is teaching us that we must live as men who can get along very well without him.'
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This startling quote was brought to my attention by my son, Toby, and it has prompted a lot of thinking on my part. I have to say, I haven't chased up Bonhoeffer's context, and so my reflections are more on the simple idea of the statement, not on the wider argument that Bonhoeffer follows wherever it is he makes this statement: my thoughts in no way claim to mirror those of the great Dietrich.
In our contemporary evangelical culture, the idea of dependence upon God is stressed. Bonhoeffer's statement seems to say that in fact the opposite is the will of God, that, as we grow in Him, we become less dependent and reliant upon him, and more dependent and reliant upon ourselves. This progress is virtuous. This is a shocking idea to evangelical people! Try saying it in a Bible study group and see what reaction follows!
It would be fairly obvious that there are many people who, at the level of day to day life, get along very well without God. The thoughts of God, of heaven, of hell, would not pass through their minds in many, if any, days. They are like those Jesus spoke of: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark.... It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building (Luke 17:26ff)." Jesus points out the foolishness of such an approach: the end of the age is coming, and account must be given to God of our relation to Him.
But Bonhoeffer is speaking of something other than this practical atheism. His statement encourages us to see ourselves in a very responsible light.
Geoffrey Bingham used to speak of the intention of God in creation as being that we become a peer community with Him in His action in history and into eternity. The intention of God at the creation of the man and the woman in Genesis 1 is that they be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, and to rule over all the living creatures. Humanity has a given co-regency with God. The broad parameters of humanity's serving of God are given in the commission but not the day to day nitty-gritty of it. All of the gifts and talents given to humanity are with a view to our responsibly taking up this commission and making something of it.
Life in the fulfilling of this commission involves the making of a multitude of decisions every day. Humanity must make these decisions. We must weigh the options, consider the possibilities and then finally we must act. The person unable to make decisions is a crippled person. Such a person cannot be entrusted with responsibility.
In many decisions—most in fact—we are faced with the fact that God Himself does not tell us what to do. We have to act on what we know of God, what we know of His will for creation, and what we know of our partnership with Him in the outworking of that will. In this way we have to get along very well without God. We don't have Him looking over our shoulder telling us what to do next. It is a truth that ennobles us enormously. We are truly peers alongside Him.
Of course it is true that all the gifts and abilities and resources we bring to this task are gift to us from Him. There is a deep and fundamental dependence. But it is not a dependence which results in a perpetual infancy or adolescence before Him, but which grows into a maturity, in which finally we stand in equal stature with Him as His son.
Perhaps it is the favour and kindness of God our Father that in our first days and early years as Christians He leads us with a greater immediacy than is so later. And it is the same favour and kindness that the immediacy of that direction is lessened and removed as we grow in maturity. We become men and women grown up.
It would be fairly obvious that there are many people who, at the level of day to day life, get along very well without God. The thoughts of God, of heaven, of hell, would not pass through their minds in many, if any, days. They are like those Jesus spoke of: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark.... It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building (Luke 17:26ff)." Jesus points out the foolishness of such an approach: the end of the age is coming, and account must be given to God of our relation to Him.
But Bonhoeffer is speaking of something other than this practical atheism. His statement encourages us to see ourselves in a very responsible light.
Geoffrey Bingham used to speak of the intention of God in creation as being that we become a peer community with Him in His action in history and into eternity. The intention of God at the creation of the man and the woman in Genesis 1 is that they be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, and to rule over all the living creatures. Humanity has a given co-regency with God. The broad parameters of humanity's serving of God are given in the commission but not the day to day nitty-gritty of it. All of the gifts and talents given to humanity are with a view to our responsibly taking up this commission and making something of it.
Life in the fulfilling of this commission involves the making of a multitude of decisions every day. Humanity must make these decisions. We must weigh the options, consider the possibilities and then finally we must act. The person unable to make decisions is a crippled person. Such a person cannot be entrusted with responsibility.
In many decisions—most in fact—we are faced with the fact that God Himself does not tell us what to do. We have to act on what we know of God, what we know of His will for creation, and what we know of our partnership with Him in the outworking of that will. In this way we have to get along very well without God. We don't have Him looking over our shoulder telling us what to do next. It is a truth that ennobles us enormously. We are truly peers alongside Him.
Of course it is true that all the gifts and abilities and resources we bring to this task are gift to us from Him. There is a deep and fundamental dependence. But it is not a dependence which results in a perpetual infancy or adolescence before Him, but which grows into a maturity, in which finally we stand in equal stature with Him as His son.
Perhaps it is the favour and kindness of God our Father that in our first days and early years as Christians He leads us with a greater immediacy than is so later. And it is the same favour and kindness that the immediacy of that direction is lessened and removed as we grow in maturity. We become men and women grown up.
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8 comments:
Hi Andrew
This topic is one I've not seen and very relevant. I agree with your points, though I do find the initial statement hard to swallow.
For some reason, as I read your comments, I had thoughts about gold rush towns, springing up out of nowhere, and then disappearing as the gold runs out.
Yes, we do make a thousand decisions, and God blesses them with the action of his grace and purpose, be that abundance or barrenness. He remains faithful as ought our trust.
On a different note;
I've been thinking about the term universal, from the creed "we believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church".
The images that I have had are that of an open-armed loving/serving/witnessing/proclaiming community, willing to welcome one and all, young and old, sick and healthy, saint and sinner, etc.
I think universal is the opposite of "exclusive", and seems incongruous with denominational separation.
Also the term is not found specifically in the scriptures, though I do believe it is implied, eg when the jailer and all his household are baptized, with Zaccheus, the samaritan story, and how Jesus identifies with the least of his disciples.
Comments/thoughts???
I wonder too if the term "universal" also stand opposed to "inclusive". The "inclusive/exclusive" dichotomy normally has us at the centre making judgments about others. The love of God makes no such judgments: it comes to all, even His enemies. And in coming it does its holy work (including judgment). In that love, the community of God must be also, as you put it, open-armed, but knowing that the love of God must do its holy work.
You're right about the nature of separation within the church. What is with us?
Spot on Andrew. I was looking through the dictionary and found the following definition of 'enterprise':
1. undertaking, esp. bold or difficult one •Christianity overrules history’s enterprise. {Forsyth: War, 102}
2. courage, readiness, to engage in enterprises •he has no enterprise [ f. L prehendo seize ]
This word partly summarizes what you are saying.
Thanks Ralph; that word "enterprise" is a pretty good word, and a good way to approach life in God.
"as we grow in Him, we become less dependent and reliant upon him, and more dependent and reliant upon ourselves." (from the blog post)
Wasn't it John Newton that said "even our best prayers have enough sin in them to condemn us to hell"? Ie. We have more layers of sin than we are aware of? Like onions and ogre's no less!
I think Mr Bonhoeffer sounds a bit like Joel Osteen telling us that we are "fully loaded, and totally equiped" like a sports car with all the extras.
Whereas, Alistair Begg points out that the Christian of spiritual maturity is aware of what they are not, having a sane estimation of ourselves - ie. best summed up in Romans 12:3 "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."
So my answer is NO Mr Bonhoeffer, you are wrong! Heh heh!
Nathin
Bonhoeffer knew the reality of sin very well (read his "Sin and Temptation") and faced that in the terrible events of Nazism, and the church's capitulation to that ideology. So I can't see him co-writing anything Joel Osteen!
Perhaps we could say also that we not think less of ourselves than we ought to think. Having a sane estimation of ourselves must include the creational reality of humanity, not only the drastic influence of sin on us. Sin cannot undo creation, only mar and deface it. Further, the purpose of redemption is to bring to full maturity that creational purpose.
Dependence upon God must not undermine our responsibility before him. We still must act, even given that there is much that is doubtful in our motivations etc... And those actions are all to be done "coram Deo" - before God and under His judgment.
Thanks Andrew, I am reminded of this verse:
Proverbs 25:2, says: It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
Searching often involves difficulty: Ask. Seek. Knock. Dig. Try. Press on.
The Lord does not just tell a miner every day, where the veins of gold and opal are to be found. There are plenty of clues revealed. Christian, or not. They have to dig, and sweat, and fail, and hope.
Same with medical research. Same with finding a wife. Same with working out a Christian vocation.
One form of 'deceit' we contend with, is to reduce the Christian life to certain pietistic forms of passivity—and call that 'waiting on the Lord'. Yes, the Lord will still care for us.
However, to exercise our faith, is to press on believing the Word that God has spoken and acting on that: "Be fruitful. I am with you always. My steadfast love never ceases."
We will always be contingent creatures.
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