Bonhoeffer: belief from obedience

Saturday, April 9, 2022
    Feast of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Teacher, Martyr, 1945
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
    —John 13:34-35 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Only the obedient believe. If we are to believe, we must obey a concrete command. Without this preliminary step of obedience, our faith will only be pious humbug, and lead us to the grace which is not costly. Everything depends on the first step. It has a unique quality of its own. The first step of obedience makes Peter leave his nets, and later get out of the ship; it calls upon the young man to leave his riches. Only this new existence, created through obedience, can make faith possible.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), The Cost of Discipleship, Simon and Schuster, 1959, p. 64 (see the book)
    See also John 13:34-35; Matt. 16:24; 18:21-22; 19:21-22; Luke 6:32-36
Quiet time reflection:
    Lead me, Lord, to step into obedience. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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