Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Bible: Beyond Textual Criticism and Into Real Life (How To Read the Bible)

This is an excerpt from a letter that Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote to his brother-in-law Rudiger Schleicher (a liberal theologian) in 1936. It has been transcribed from the biography by Yale graduate,  Eric Metaxas -  “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet , Spy. A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich.” 

Some background: 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was the youngest son of renowned German neurologist  Karl Bonhoeffer and Paula von Hase , an extraordinary woman whose grandfather was theologian Karl August von Hase (preacher to Kaiser Wilhelm II).

He earned a doctorate in theology from the University of Berlin, graduating summa cum laude at the age of 21 and was considered intellectually brilliant. Although he studied under some of the most liberal theologians of the day ( eg. Adolf von Harnack…) , Bonhoeffer remained conservative in his theology and soon found and embraced the writings of Karl Barth an eminent and conservative Swiss theologian. All the while Bonhoeffer remained no man’s blind disciple but would criticise an argument whenever he felt it necessary.  He wrote “The Cost of Discipleship”, considered a modern spiritual classic.

Although he was surely a believer for most of his life, it was after a year long stay in America that his faith begin to deepen and his intellect and heart were truly mingled. It is this mingling that is so beautifully portrayed in this letter.

It was also in America that he visited Harlem and the southern states and observed the Gospel piety and suffering of the African American people. Little did he know this would prepare him for what was about to happen in his native Germany and how he would react to it – the rise of Hitler and the Nazi’s.

In 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer died a martyr’s death at the age of of 39 after steadfastly resisting Hitler, assisting Jews in escaping to Switzerland (Operation 7) and eventually becoming involved in a plot to assassinate him ( Valkyrie ).

The Letter:

First of all I will confess quite simply – I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only ask repeatedly and a little humbly, in order to receive this answer. One simply cannot read the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer shall we receive it. That is because in the Bible God speaks to us. And one cannot simply think about God on one’s own strength, one has to enquire of Him. Only if we seek Him, will He answer us. 

Of course it is also possible to read the Bible like any other book, that is to say from the point of view of textual criticism, etc.; there is nothing to be said against that. Only that that is not the method which will reveal to us the heart of the Bible, but only the surface, just as we do not grasp the words of someone we love by taking them to bits, but simply receiving them, so that for days they go on lingering in our minds, simply because they are the words of a person we love; and just as these words reveal more and more of the person who said them as we go on, like Mary, “pondering them in our heart,” so it will be with the words of the Bible. Only if we will venture to enter into the words of the Bible, as though in them this God were speaking to us who loves us and does not will to leave us alone with our questions, only so shall we learn to rejoice in the Bible…

If it is who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature. But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find Him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands.  This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament…

And I would like to tell you now quite personally: since I have learnt to read the Bible in this way – and this has not been for so very long – it becomes every day more wonderful to me.  I read it in the morning and the evening, often during the day as well, and every day I consider a text which I have chosen for the whole week, and try to sink deeply into it, so as really to hear what it is saying. I know that without this I could not live properly any longer. 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..."  II Timothy 3:16

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. 

Not to act is to act.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Not hero worship, but intimacy with Christ.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Time Is Energy (and the principle of Chronos and Kairos)

The Greeks (and therefore the New Testament) had two very distinct words for “time” .  One we are probably familiar with – Chronos. As in chronology, chronicles, chronic pain etc…

The other word , not so much. It is “Kairos” .

The simplest way to distinguish the meanings of these two words is probably the following example from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Greek Words:

Chronos marks quantity, kairos, quality

Chronos is the seconds and minutes of time - either long or short. Kairos is a portion of time, the "things and events of time" (Strong's Concordance).  The English word "moment" might be a good way to describe it.

I recently read a blog by a young mother who used these two words to distinguish “time”.  She had become frustrated when older women would constantly come up to her and say something like “Cherish this time with your children! Its over so fast”

To her this somehow conveyed that she was not doing a good enough job “cherishing” or enjoying this time in her life when she had young children.  She was so stressed out just trying to keep them fed, clean and generally safe that she was not always “feeling the cherishing” .   And so she felt like a failure, like she didn’t love her kids enough or didn’t appreciate all that she had.

 The older ladies I’m sure did not mean to make her feel this way but such is the translation that can occur between one person’s mouth and another’s ear.

I know a bit of what this young mother feels, as does my wife. We are parents of an adorable, incredible and wonderful 11 month old daughter.

But man, its hard.

Having a child changed our world completely. It takes you to a level of selflessness you never knew existed.  And you get tired – real tired.

In talking with friends in similar stages of life and those who have done it before, there is a consensus that this is indeed the most stressful and busy time in a person’s life. 

Feeling guilty about not “cherishing” the time you have with your kids is, ironically, a waste of time. Not to mention energy and emotion. 

What this young mother eventually realized ( and I think what the older ladies were really probably referring to all along) was that this is not about cherishing the every second of the CHRONOS so much as it is cherishing all of the KAIROS.

Those precious moments when you realize how fortunate you are, how awesome and kind your Creator is, how wonderfully and fearfully your spouse and child were made  - when all the beauty just leaves you gasping for air. 

" As a person with a mental illness, time is not always my problem.  In fact, it rarely is. My problem is energy. "

One more thing before I sign off this post.  As a person with a mental illness, time is not always my problem.  In fact, it rarely is. My problem is energy. 

I usually have the time – but I rarely have the energy to do all the things I think I should do, much less the things I want to do.This is hard for most people to understand, and even harder to explain.

It’s not good when other people began to think that you are actually just lazy or selfish, it’s even  worse when you yourself begin to believe it.

I'm sure people with a wide variety of illnesses can relate to this.

But what I have found is that this principle of time we have been discussing also applies to energy.

I don’t always plan ahead very much because the more pressure there is to have a good time, the less likely it is for me to actually have a good time. This, of course, can make others understandably frustrated at my apparent lack of commitment or interest and I often feel terrible about that.

You can just forget about yourself and try and fake it for your family and friends – but eventually they catch on ( especially your wife).  And, of course, you yourself eventually wear down.

Fortunately many of friends do understand this. One example is where a good friend asked me to be in his wedding party - a truly high honour! To my dismay I realized this was n't going to work very well though - I would just end up being a mess leading up to and during the wedding. So I explained this to him and he very graciously understood.

I was able instead to attend the wedding as a guest and put that precious "energy" into doing what I could to make his day very special.

So what I have learned, and my gracious, loving wife has too – is that we often enjoy our moments the most when they happen somewhat spontaneously or without a lot of pomp and ceremony. When in a “kairos” of time (or energy as the case may be) , all the beauty of life and God and family comes into focus.. and you can see clearly.

How sweet are those moments. How sweet is clarity.

Though I truly am thankful for every minute of life…. I really cherish those ones.

 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time (KAIROS), because the days are evil.

 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

Ephesians 5: 15 - 17   

On the Sacredness of Marriage

 Let me begin by saying this "artiblog" ( article + blog ?) is not  about ranting about homosexuality, polygamy or divorce so much as it is about re-enforcing and understanding the reasons behind  the definition of marriage as found in the Bible and throughout history.

The definition not just of what the family unit looks like but also what it means and why it is so important.

What I would really like to do  is to look at a certain cornerstone-type phrase that is repeated three distinct times in the Bible.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”

 This  declaration occurs:

> First at the very beginning of time (Genesis).

> It is re-iterated and validated again by Jesus Christ  (Matthew, Mark)

> And finally, in the great passage on marriage by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians), it is used again to to not only confirm the standard but also to bring life and meaning to this particular relationship.  

These instances in the context of their passages are found near the end of the post.

*(It is also referenced in 1 Corinthians 6:16)

“Traditional Marriage”  as defined by Webster’s today is

(1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law

Webster’s has other definitions of course of modern adaptations such as Common-law and Same Sex.

Polygamy has not made it in yet.

I readily acknowledge that there are many “traditional” marriages that are broken and ugly – full of hurt and hate and hypocrisy . 

I understand that there are many single parents, divorcees and various peoples in love who may or may not be in their situation due to their own actions – and even if they are there due to their own actions, I am most certainly NOT here to personally judge.

I know that my marriage is an awesome but always vulnerable thing.  It takes hard work and selflessness and neither me nor my wife have this all figured out – far from it.  It  is only the grace of God that keeps things surviving…. and leads us to the ideal of marriage – when its thriving.

As for some reasons for this standard outside the Bible?

Not to be too vulgar, but we cannot ignore the natural biology and anatomy of the human race.

Then there is the fact that history tells us that the “traditional” marriage and thus the family unit has been the corner stone of pretty much every successful society and civilization.  ( note – I am very aware of the polygamy practiced in the Old Testament and history– I have addressed it a bit below )

Nor can we really deny the effect that broken homes have had on all members of the family – its hard, it hurts and it can develop into a generational cycle.

We are all broken in some way or other - even those who appear to be in "socially" or "church" acceptable relationships . But all situations can, I believe, be redeemed and reconciled by Jesus Christ.

Let's go back to that cornerstone statement though:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”

A quick look at the word “joined”

Hebrew:   dabaq

1) to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch

Greek:   proskollaō

1) to glue upon, glue to

2) to join one's self to closely, cleave to, stick to

My friend Larry who is both a Pastor and a life long Contractor gave a compelling illustration of that word the other day .

He spoke of when he used a proper adhesive glue when “joining” two boards together and letting them cure.   If he tried to take those  two pieces of wood apart after that, it was near impossible – but if he did succeed then both boards would be splintered and broken.

Such is the marriage bond.

Let me just re-iterate here , I realize people from all kinds of situations and backgrounds may be reading this – and I’m not here to make you feel worse then you may already.  I'm a broken man in constant need of the grace of God and I'm not here to personaly judge you.

 There is forgiveness and redemption available in all situations and God loves you and understands you – but it doesn’t change His definition of marriage.

Following are the three passages of Scripture I spoke of earlier.  Skim them if you need too but I would suggesting reading them through  if at all possible.

 There is more commentary below as well that is tantamount to the full purpose of this post...

The Beginning

Gen 2:20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Gen 2:22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said: "This [is] now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Jesus Christ

Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for [just] any reason?"
Mat 19:4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at 

the beginning 'made them male and female,' 

Mat 19:5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and 

the two shall become one flesh'?
Mat 19:6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Mat 19:7 They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
Mat 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,  and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

 The Great Marriage Passage

Eph 5:21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in everything.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
Eph 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord [does] the church.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife [see] that she respects [her] husband.

After looking at those passages there are a couple things to note.

One -  The Pharisees approached Jesus on the topic of marriage and He responded.  Some will say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality -  but here in this passage it is clear that He is ratifying the definition of marriage given “from the beginning” .

He is re-confirming God’s original design for marriage – 1 man, 1 woman, 1 lifetime – to the exclusion of all others.

You may be upset by this statement but its not  I who am stating it – It was first the Creator as recorded in the Old Testament and then the Lord Jesus. 

And you must realize that when Jesus says some of these hard things,  He is also full of compassion and forgiveness and help – if you want it.

Note the phrase “It was not so from the beginning”.   Moses offered a certificate of divorce* because of the hardness of their hearts – but this was not God’s original design or intention.

I think it is reasonable to conclude that the same is true of polygamy in the Old Testament– not God’s design or intention. It is certainly found no where in the New Testament.

For further examination of the topic of Old Testament polygamy please see this link:  http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

(* Note:  There are only two legitimate reasons given for divorce 

combined with re-marriage in the New Testament.  

> The death of one's spouse - Romans 7

> And the act of "sexual immorality" committed by one's spouse - Matthew 19:9)

The second thing is what I think 

people really miss. 

It is the heart and reason behind the rule.

As we read the Bible , especially that last passage from Ephesians, we realize that there is more than just the physical and temporal to marriage.

It is not designed out of thin air but rather it is a mirror of a powerful epic -  a living illustration of a human being’s very relationship to God Himself.

After repeating for the third time the great marriage design…. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

Paul goes on to say:

 “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

You can go back and read the passage but I’ll pull one line out of it for now:

“ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..”

“Just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her” – this is no mom and pop just “staying together for the kid’s sake” kind of thing– this is far beyond that.

It is spiritual, it is heavenly, it is eternal.  It is talking about the very redemption of humankind.

The church is simply those people who have put their faith in Jesus as the sole Saviour of their souls.   And the church, collectively,  is likened to a Bride and Jesus, the Bridegroom.

Rev 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

 Rev 19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed [are] those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

Marriage, like other relationships built into our physical, emotional and spiritual DNA, is meant for so much more – it is meant to give a foretaste of the overwhelming love and intimacy we can have now - and will have even more so after this life  - with our Creator.

No wonder marriage is sacred…. on so many levels.