LIVING TOGETHER IN UNITY

WITH

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

NICHOLAS J. ABRAHAM

Living Together in Unity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Lived Theology

Copyright 2023 Nicholas J. Abraham

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781683596691

Digital ISBN 9781683596707

Library of Congress Control Number 2022944257

Series Editor: Michael A. G. Haykin

Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Caleb Kormann, Katrina Smith

Cover Design: Sarah Brossow, Brittany Schrock

To my wife Anna:

you are an endless source of encouragement to me,

thank you, I love you.

To my daughter Nora:

I am so proud of the young lady God has made you,

I love you.

And to my son Aden:

I praise God for the promise of the resurrection,

when we will meet face-to-face, I love you.

Contents

Timeline of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life

Series Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

What Is Community?

Chapter 2

Christ and the Church

Chapter 3

Community through and in Jesus

Chapter 4

Community as Divine Reality

Chapter 5

Community as Spiritual

Chapter 6

Community in and of the Word

Chapter 7

A Call to Christian Community

Abbreviations

Works Cited

Subject Index

Scripture Index

Timeline of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life

Series Preface

Men and women—not ideas—make history. Ideas have influence only if they grip the minds and energize the wills of flesh-and-blood individuals.

This is no less true in the history of Christianity than it is in other spheres of history. For example, the eventual success of Trinitarianism in the fourth century was not simply the triumph of an idea but of the biblical convictions and piety of believers like Hilary and Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea and Macarius-Symeon. Thirteen hundred years later, men and women like William Carey, William Ward, and Hannah Marshman were propelled onto the mission field of India—their grit and gumption founded on the conviction that the living, risen Lord has given his church an ongoing command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19–20 esv). These verses had an impact when ...