Bonhoeffer: rejoicing in bearing and forgiving

Monday, February 2, 2015
    THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE
Meditation:
    [Jesus to His disciples:] “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”
    —John 15:3 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We may suffer the sins of our brother; we do not need to judge. This is a mercy for the Christian; for when does sin ever occur in the community that he must not examine and blame himself for his own unfaithfulness in prayer and intercession, his lack of brotherly service, of fraternal reproof and encouragement—indeed, for his own personal sin and spiritual laxity, by which he has done injury to himself, the fellowship, and the brethren? Since every sin of a member burdens and indicts the whole community, the congregation rejoices, in the midst of all the pain and the burden that the brother’s sin inflicts, that it has the privilege of bearing and forgiving.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), Life Together [1954], tr. Daniel W. Bloesch & James H. Burtness, Fortress Press, 2004, p. 102 (see the book)
    See also John 15:1-8; Ps. 46:4-5; Rom. 2:15-29; Eph. 2:21-22; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 2:5
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, we praise You, in that through You we can forgive. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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