Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of religious discrimination.

Bonhoeffer explains to his readers that it is only through the grace of God that Christians can gather with one another and that even Jesus lived among his enemies and faced isolation: “At the end, all his disciples deserted him” (17). Therefore, Christians should express immense gratitude to God for the ability to gather.

Bonhoeffer acknowledges that craving fellowship with other Christians is a normal response, as humans were created for community. He writes, “The believer feels no shame, as though he were still living too much in the flesh, when he yearns for the physical presence of other Christians” (19). The fulfillment of this natural need is a gift from God, and for a Christian in exile or prison, even a brief visit should be counted as a blessing.

Bonhoeffer explains that he talks about community being a gift not to frighten readers but to remind them of God’s goodness. He writes, “Communal life is again being recognized by Christians today as the grace it is” (21). This grace, he tells readers, is something that Christians should find beautiful and hopeful, a reminder of God’s love for his people.

In “Through and In Jesus Christ” (21), Bonhoeffer explains that the gift of Christian community is a way to bring glory to Jesus Christ and draw people’s focus away from themselves as individuals.