Nothing can be more cruel than that leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin. When we allow nothing but God’s word to stand between us, judging and helping, it is a service of mercy, an ultimate offer of genuine community. (105) This fourth service gives substance to Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on hearing and forgiving. One does not merely put up with whatever another
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