Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

“The sin of respectable people reveals itself in flight from responsibility.”

There came a point when Bonhoeffer felt he could no longer abstain from actively combating the evils of the Nazi regime. To be passive during a time of need was a larger sin for him than partaking in war or schemes that could lead to violence. The word “responsibility” emphasizes Bonhoeffer’s sense of duty in opposing the Nazis.

“He took me aside: ‘This is the end, but for me it is the beginning of life.’”

Bonhoeffer believed that upon his earthly death, he would enter into eternity alongside God and other Christians who had passed away. Therefore, he was at peace about his death sentence and died knowing he had helped others as much as he could while he was on Earth.

“The Reformers expressed it this way: Our righteousness is an ‘alien righteousness,’ a righteousness that comes from outside of us (extra nos).”

Bonhoeffer frequently references the difference between widely held human ideals and Christian spiritual realities. Here, he reminds his readers that righteousness, just like community, is a gift from God. It is unachievable for humans without Christ’s mediation.

“When we received forgiveness instead of judgment, we, too, were made ready to forgive our brethren.”

Forgiveness is a large facet of Bonhoeffer’s teachings and appears in Life Together as part of a consideration of The Relationship Between Humility, Confession, and Forgiveness). He warns against judgment (particularly under the guise of piety) and instead tells Christians to extend the same forgiveness they received themselves through Christ. When a Christian experiences God’s forgiveness, it allows them to forgive others in the same way.

“The prisoner, the sick person, the Christian in exile sees in the companionship of a fellow Christian a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God.”

While emphasizing Christian teachings about ministering to those in need, this quote takes on additional meaning in the context of World War II, both for dissenting Christians seeking to gather and for those otherwise persecuted by the Nazi regime (including “prisoners” of various kinds). Bonhoeffer writes of hope to be found in communion with other Christians during the darkest of times and even if that communion is short-lived.

“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.”

Bonhoeffer is adamant that readers remember that community is a gift from God alone and one that is not to be taken for granted. He introduces a book about community with this statement and repeats similar sentiments throughout the work: Community is not something owed to the Christian, and not all Christians experience it in their lifetimes.

“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.”

When discussing the pitfalls of idealizing Christian community, Bonhoeffer cautions against underestimating God’s ability to work through every person. All people are equal, and to treat some as better than others is to turn against God. Indeed, Bonhoeffer implies that it is particularly in the apparently “weak and insignificant” that God manifests, echoing various passages from the Bible (e.g., Matthew 25:40: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”). Christians should thus take every opportunity to love others.

“At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word.”

Bonhoeffer considers the significance of each part of the day in Chapter 2, starting with the morning. He encourages meditation, silence, and stillness in the morning as a way to start the day dwelling on God. His suggestion has symbolic as well as practical resonance, the imagery in the above passage evoking the biblical association of God and light.

“Holy Scripture does not consist of individual passages; it is a unit and is intended to be used as such.”

Bonhoeffer heavily emphasizes the importance of reading, understanding, and meditating on the Scriptures. He encourages Christians not to take one or two verses out of context but to interpret them as parts of a whole, which one must read and understand to truly be transformed. This emphasis on the relationship between individual verses and the Bible as a whole echoes the relationship between the individual Christian and the community, developing the theme of The Nature and Importance of Christian Fellowship and Unity.

“The fact that we do not speak it but sing it only expresses the fact that our spoken words are inadequate to express what we want to say, that the burden of our words goes far beyond all human words.”

Bonhoeffer encourages Christian communities to sing as a form of worship. Long before he began the underground seminary at Finkenwalde, Bonhoeffer had a fondness for songs. He argues that when words fail, songs convey the depths of one’s heart to God—including, paradoxically but most importantly, one’s awareness of one’s inability to express oneself.

“Therefore, it is well that there be a special place for the prayer of brotherly forgiveness in every evening’s devotion, that reconciliation be made and fellowship established anew.”

As part of his explication of The Role of Worship and Scripture in Daily Life, Bonhoeffer tells his readers that it is not wise to go to bed with contempt for another in their hearts. Instead, they should take time in the evening to pray for forgiveness not only for the party who wronged them but for themselves as well. Doing so, he suggests, reaffirms community bonds.

“If you refuse to be alone you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called.”

While the majority of Life Together emphasizes the need for Christian community, Bonhoeffer does not exclude the need for solitude. At the end of the day, God is not saving a community but a group of individuals. Therefore, each Christian should have their own faith practices in addition to those they take part in communally; in fact, Bonhoeffer describes the two as mutually reinforcing.

“Real silence, real stillness, really holding one’s tongue only comes as the sober consequence of spiritual stillness.”

Bonhoeffer explains that the practice of silence is not easy and will take time and discipline to master. While one can seem to be silent and still on the outside, if their spirit is restless, then they have not achieved true stillness. Bonhoeffer’s word choice (e.g., “sober”) echoes his warnings against expecting grand spiritual revelations, stressing instead the importance of a reflective, mature approach to faith.

“It is sufficient if the Word, as we read and understand it, penetrates and dwells within us.”

Bonhoeffer warns against expecting an emotional religious experience every time one encounters Scripture, reminding readers of a biblical passage that describes Mary, the mother of Jesus, privately contemplating God’s Word. This underscores Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on the attitude with which one approaches Christian practice: If a person expects something extreme every time, they are bound to be disappointed, but this does not imply a deficiency in the faith itself.

“He who denies his neighbor the service of praying for him denies him the service of a Christian.”

Bonhoeffer makes it clear that the Christian’s duty is to take care of others. Praying for a fellow Christian should not be a chore done out of obedience but an honor done with a glad heart. Christians, Bonhoeffer writes, are meant to read God’s Word together and pray for one another.

“We are members of a body, not only when we choose to be, but in our whole existence.”

Using the common Christian metaphor of individual Christians as “members” of Christ’s body, Bonhoeffer argues that the part one plays in a Christian community is not limited to the time spent among one’s fellow Christians. Whether alone or in the company of non-Christians, family members, neighbors, etc., one remains part of the Church in its spiritual sense. Therefore, it is imperative that each individual practice and grow their own faith instead of relying solely on communal gatherings.

“In a Christian community everything depends on whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable.”

Bonhoeffer uses the metaphor of a chain to express the need for each person in a Christian community to be allowed to use their gifts for the good of the group. While the seemingly stronger members may want to take on more of the load, refusing to give any responsibility to the “weaker” members is actually to weaken the group and to underestimate God’s ability to work through all people.

“What does it matter if our own plans are frustrated? Is it not better to serve our neighbor than to have our own way?”

Bonhoeffer preaches selflessness throughout the book, but especially in Chapter 4. Christianity commonly teaches that pride is the root of all sin, and Bonhoeffer here argues that it keeps Christians from their responsibility of helping others. The passage recalls Bonhoeffer’s abandonment of his own plans—e.g., to study with Gandhi—to minister to dissenting Christians and other marginalized groups in Nazi Germany.

“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.”

Christians are not guaranteed an easy life, nor are they guaranteed the one they plan for themselves. Bonhoeffer acknowledges that accepting this fact runs counter to most people’s inclination by describing God as an almost obtrusive presence, “interrupting” people in the course of their daily lives. Nevertheless, he writes that Christians must be prepared to willingly accept the change of plans and never feel they are above helping someone else in need.

“The touchy person will always become a flatterer and very soon he will come to despise and slander his brother. But the humble person will stick both to truth and to love.”

Humility is essential for the Christian, Bonhoeffer stresses. Here, he writes about the difference between a prideful person and one who is humble. The humble person will not care what others think about them but instead will dwell on what is right and good for others.

“The mask you wear before men will do you no good before Him.”

Bonhoeffer reminds readers that it is useless to pretend that they have a moral high ground, as in God’s eyes, all are sinners. He singles out people who pretend they are better than others under the guise of piety for special criticism because such people twist the ministry of Christ.

“In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother I can dare to be a sinner.”

Bonhoeffer explains that there is a certain freedom in accepting the Christian teaching that all people are sinners. Then, and only then, can one confess their sins and pray for forgiveness. The reference to psychiatry also suggests a metaphorical comparison to illness: Humans cannot “cure” sin, but the forgiveness of God will.

“Confession as a routine duty is spiritual death; confession in reliance upon the promise is life.”

Intention is imperative when it comes to the principle of confession. Bonhoeffer explains that if one is only confessing because they feel they have to, they will not reap confession’s benefits—namely, freedom and forgiveness.