Community of Christians
Currently reading
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together, his
essays about Christians living in community with each other. He wrote this in
1930s Germany when Hitler's government had coopted the Christian church and
outlawed dissenting churches. He made this statement that's worth pondering:
"Visible community is grace." In other words, it's by God's grace
Christians who meet together regularly can do that. Many around the world are
isolated, imprisoned, sick, or living in closed countries.
What struck me,
however, was Bonhoeffer's statement: "Yet what is denied them as a visible
experience they grasp more ardently in faith." That is, the experience
makes them more firmly believe they are part of a larger community of faith.
That gave me an
insight into Hebrews 1:1 (NIV), "Now faith is confidence in what we hope
for and assurance about what we do not see." I used to think of this verse
in terms of Christians' hope to see God face to face in heaven. I now see it
also as assurance of being part of a fellowship here and now even though we
don't have that visible experience.
Why is that
important? Often, the encouragement of others keeps us going in difficult
situations. Teammates on sports teams pulling for each other, soldiers
protecting each other, parents attending children's activities, all these are
examples of how we can mutually encourage each other. What Bonhoeffer suggested
was the faith of these scattered and isolated Christians convinced them there
were others out there praying for them and yearning for eventual face to face
contact.
Bonhoeffer's words
also helped me think about Hebrews 12:1 in a different way. The writer of
Hebrews listed Bible characters who epitomized faith and concluded in Hebrews
12:1 (NIV), "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles." There is indeed a community encouraging us to push forward in
our walk with God.
