'All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of single-minded, literal obedience.'

Chapter 3 -Single-Minded Obedience  (continued)

Bonhoeffer- ' If as we read our Bibles, we heard Jesus speaking to us in this way to-day we should probably try to argue ourselves out of it like this: "It is true that the demand of Jesus is definite enough, but I have to remember that he never expects us to take his commands legalistically. What he really wants me to have is faith. But my faith is not necessarily tied up with riches or poverty or anything of the kind. We may be both poor and rich in the spirit. It is not important that I should have no possessions, but if I do I must keep them as though I had them not, in other words I must cultivate a spirit of inward detachment, so that my heart is not in my possessions."

Jesus may have said: "Sell thy goods," but he meant: "Do not let it be a matter of consequence to you that you have outward prosperity; rather keep your goods quietly, having them as if you had them not. Let not your heart be in your goods." --  WE ARE EXCUSING OURSELVES FROM SINGLE-MINDED OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF JESUS ON THE PRETEXT OF LEGALISM AND A SUPPOSED PREFERENCE FOR AN OBEDIENCE "IN FAITH."

The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: "Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches, but in a spirit of inner detachment. Despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith."  But no, he went away SORROWFUL. Because he would not obey, he could not believe.

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My thoughts-

 Why do we imagine that we, unlike that rich young ruler, will be able to disassociate ourselves from the things that keep us from truly obeying Christ?

We do NOT want to even imagine for a moment- that God would really ask us to give up our current way of life in exchange for one of wandering, preaching, poverty.

Let's read more of Bonhoeffer on this--

'But we in our sophistry differ altogether from the hearers of Jesus' word of whom the Bible speaks. If Jesus said to someone: "Leave all else behind and follow me; resign your profession, quiet your family, your people, and the home of your fathers, " then he knew that to this call there was only one answer-- the answer of single-minded obedience, and that it is only to this obedience that the promise of fellowship with Jesus is given. But we should probably argue thus:  "Of course we are meant to take the call of Jesus with 'absolute seriousness' but after all the true way of obedience would be to continue all the more in our present occupations, to stay with our families, and serve him there in a spirit of true inward detachment." If Jesus challenged us with the command: "Get out of it," we should take him to mean : "Stay where you are but cultivate that inward detachment."  Again, if he were to say to us :  "Be not anxious," we should take him to mean: "Of course it's not wrong for us to be anxious: we must work and provide for ourselves and our dependents. If we did not we should be shirking our responsibilities. But all the time we ought to be inwardly free from all anxiety."  Perhaps Jesus would say to us: "Whosoever smiteth thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We should then suppose him to mean: "The way really to love your enemy is to fight him hard and hit him back." Jesus might say: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," and we should interpret it thus: "Of course we should have to seek all sorts of other things first; how could we otherwise exist? What he really means is the final preparedness to stake all on the kingdom of God."

All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of single-minded, literal obedience.'

My thoughts-

TRUTH- 'All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of single-minded, literal obedience.'

So incredibly true!

Of course now you're asking yourself what the heck this means? Are you REALLY supposed to give up your riches? Are you REALLY supposed to leave your family, your job, your entire life as you know it? And if you are, where are you to go? What are you to do?

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

Apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, teacher FOR the perfecting of the saints.

No, we are NOT supposed to imagine that we are ALL to do these things.  Some ARE genuinely called to do those things and to those who are- they'd better listen- they'd better OBEY or like the rich young ruler they will be very sorrowful and very lost to eternity. 

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ

Everyone of us IS GIVEN GRACE according to the measure of the gift of Christ.   Not everyone is called to the same path but we are ALL called to LOVE our neighbors and to LOVE God as He commands us. Jesus expounded on this loving we are to exhibit as a REAL way of life, and we are to imitate Him, our great Master!

Bonhoeffer says we CANNOT EVADE what we are being called to do by CHRIST. We cannot make excuses for not obeying.  Or rather, He's saying we can, but it's wrong.

Do we honestly believe that Christ our Savior tells us not to be anxious and yet doesn't really mean that?

There is a song out there and these words remind me of what is being said here--

'You tell me not to worry about tomorrow, but I worry anyway,

You tell me You'll take care of all my troubles, Jesus teach me how to wait.'

We worry anyway even when we are told not to. We do the opposite of what we are told to do in so many things and this has become our way of life and we EXCUSE IT.  We truly do need to be taught by Jesus to wait, to DO these things, to be OBEDIENT to HIM. We can't let ourselves get caught up in the LIE of living with excuses for our disobedience. We will be accountable for ALL of our disobedience.  And if we are not recognizing our disobedience how can we ask forgiveness for it? If we allow ourselves to be blind, we will have NO ONE to blame but ourselves!

Please LORD help us to be OBEDIENT TO YOU! Help us to NOT make excuses for our disobedience. Help us NOT to alter Your word to mean what it does not, but to comprehend all the truth You would have us LIVE.

All glory! All honor! All praise to YOU MY LORD and SAVIOR, MY KING!