Fix our eyes on the Word.

Chapter 2 - The Call to Discipleship  (continued)

Please read the following excerpts slowly, contemplatively.  If you need to (like I usually do) read them more than once.  We are trying to discern TRUTH from these words. This isn't God's word, it's not set in stone, it is subject to error and by the grace of God may we be able to glean the truth out of what is written and grow in Christ, grow in the knowledge of our Savior even more!

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Bonhoeffer-  '...only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.' 

'...we must never lose sight of their essential unity. For faith is only real when there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience.'

'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.'

'This first step must be regarded to start with as an external work, which effects the change from one existence to another. It is a step within everybody's capacity, for it lies within the limits of human freedom. It is an act within the sphere of the natural law (justitia civilis) and in that sphere man is free. Although Peter cannot achieve his own conversion, he can leave his nets.  In the gospels the very first step a man must take is an act which radically affects his whole existence.'

'Once we are sure of this point, we must add at once that this step is, and can never be more than, a purely external act and a dead work of the law, which can never of itself bring a man to Christ. As an external act the new existence is no better than the old. Even at the highest estimate it can only achieve a new law of life, a new way of living which is poles apart from the new life with Christ. If the drunkard signs the pledge, or a rich man gives all his money away, they are both of them freeing themselves from their slavery to alcohol or riches, but not from their bondage to themselves. They are still moving in their own little orbit, perhaps even more than they were before. They are still subject to the commandment of works, still as submerged in the death of the old life as they were before. Of course, the work has to be done, but of itself it can never deliver them from death, disobedience and ungodliness. If we are already judged by our work, and entirely excluded from grace. Hence the term "external work" includes everything we are accustomed to call "disposition" or "good intention,"…'

'Nevertheless the external work must be done, for we still have to find our way into the situation where faith is possible. We must take a definite step. What does this mean? It means that we can only take this step aright if we fix our eyes not on the work we do, but on the word with which Jesus calls us to do it.  Peter knows he dare not climb out of the ship in his own strength-- his very first step  would be his undoing. And so he cries, "Lord, bid me come unto thee upon the waters," and Jesus answers: "Come."  Christ must first call him, for the step can only be taken at his word. This call is his grace, which calls him out of death into the new life of obedience. But when once Christ has called him, Peter has no alternative-- he must leave the ship and come to him. In the end, the first step of obedience proves to be an act of faith in the word of Christ. But we should completely misunderstand the nature of grace if we were to suppose that there was no need to take the first step, because faith was already there. Against that we must boldly assert that the step of obedience must be taken before faith can be possible. Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe.'

My thoughts-

'We can only take this step aright if we fix our eyes NOT on the WORK we do, but on the WORD with which Jesus calls us to do it.'  TRUTH.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

'The step can only be taken at his word.'

'This CALL is His GRACE'  

We truly are being called out of death and into a new life that is a call to obey our SAVIOR.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Shall we continue to sin? No. God forbid!

And we know this--Jas_4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

So if we KNOW what actions are approved by God as good acts, and what actions are not approved by God as good acts then it stands to reason that we sin when we choose NOT to ACT in a way approved by God.  Obey God, obeying His commands is NOT sinning.

1Jn_3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

We are CALLED by grace.

We must die to sin by living in Christ.

We are buried with Christ by baptism.

We are raised up from that death like Christ, by the glory of the Father.

Because we are called by our Savior we truly do have to walk in NEWNESS of life.

We cannot serve sin. We are NOT called by Christ to serve sin, not ever!

The Costly grace is costly because it cost our Savior His life! If we are called by our Savior and accept His sacrifice for us, we are called to obey Him all through FAITH, all through BELIEVING in HIM and all He's done for us!

Bonhoeffer is explaining the truth that there is MORE to following Christ than willfully living our lives in our old sins while trying to claim Christ's grace.  We must obey, and this is where so many fall short choosing to disobey rather than obey. They claim they no longer are obligated to obey, but NO where are we told by our SAVIOR to not listen and do what He tells us to do. Our Savior did not spend three years ministering, teaching, just so we can ignore all He said.

Please LORD, help us as we struggle to learn more about our call to discipleship, our call to follow YOU in pure LOVE.

Bless us LORD, keep us IN YOU and ONLY in YOU- not in ourselves, not in any other, only YOU.