life together the classic exploration of christian community

'The death and the life of the Christian is not determined by his own resources rather he finds both only in the Word that comes to him from the outside, in God’s Word to him. He lives wholly by God’s Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent. The Christian no longer lives of himself, by his own claims and his own justification, but by God’s claims and God’s justification. He knows that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him guilty, even when he does not feel his guilt, and God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him not guilty and righteous, even when he does not feel that he is righteous at all. 'First, the Christian is the man who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone. What do Bonhoeffer's words mean for our community groups? Our friendships? Our interaction after we gather for worship on Sundays? One of my favorite sections is where Bonhoeffer talks about members of a community 'meeting one another as bringers of the message of salvation.' We talk a lot at Summit about being 'gospel-centered.' What Bonhoeffer writes in the section posted below unpacks and applies what that actually means as we love and care for each other in the context of deep, authentic community. The book is a treasure chest of riches, full of gems on the meaning and purpose of Christian community. The past couple of weeks I've been rereading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic work on community: Life Together.

Life together the classic exploration of christian community