The Body
In Nachfolge [Discipleship] Bonhoeffer writes extensively about the body of Christ. Look at your body ... your flesh and bones. What you can touch and feel and see. If you are baptized, your body belongs to Christ (1 Corinthians).
"The body of Christ takes up physical space here on earth. By becoming human Christ claims a place among us human beings ... anything that takes up space is visible. Thus the body of Jesus Christ can only be a visible body, or else not a body at all. Our human eyes see Jesus the human being; faith knows him as the Son of God. Our human eyes see the body of Jesus; faith knows him as the body of God incarnate. Our human eyes see Jesus in the flesh; faith knows him as bearing our flesh. 'To this human being you shall point and say: 'Here is God'' (Luther)."
Here is God in a human body ... Bonhoeffer continues "A truth, a doctrine, or a religion needs no space of its own. Such entities are bodyless. They do not go beyond being heard, learned, and understood. But the incarnate Son of God needs not only ears or even hearts; he needs actual, living human beings who follow him. That is why he called his disciples into following him bodily. His community with them was something everyone could see. It was founded and held together by none other than Jesus Christ, the incarnate one himself."
We are called in our bodies and with our bodies. Merton once wrote in a journal that Protestants were too much in their heads ... too cerebral. I am sure this was because most Protestants have thrown aside the material of religion, ikons, oils, holy water, flames, incense. Merton said he liked Bonhoeffer though. I agree with Merton and Bonhoeffer ... Christianity is not something to simply be seen, heard and understood it must claim us entirely. We must follow the incarnate one.
"The community of those who followed him was manifest to the eyes of the world. Here were bodies that acted, worked, and suffered in community with Jesus." This is our calling. This is how we are to remain in Christ.
"Through the Holy Spirit, the crucified and risen Christ exists as the church-community, as the 'new human being.' For Christ truly is and eternally remains the incarnate one, and the new humanity is his body. Just as the fullness of the godhead became incarnate in him and dwelled in him, so are Christian believers filled with Christ (Col 2:9; Eph 3:19)."
The world needs us to be true to our calling. "Outside of the church there is only the old, internally divided human being" broken by the sin of Adam that still pervades. We must follow Christ with our bodies and so become true disciples and so become one new human beings. We must surrender and be made whole. It is our body that must be given to Christ. "Christ's cross is laid upon the body of the church-community."
"The body of Christ takes up physical space here on earth. By becoming human Christ claims a place among us human beings ... anything that takes up space is visible. Thus the body of Jesus Christ can only be a visible body, or else not a body at all. Our human eyes see Jesus the human being; faith knows him as the Son of God. Our human eyes see the body of Jesus; faith knows him as the body of God incarnate. Our human eyes see Jesus in the flesh; faith knows him as bearing our flesh. 'To this human being you shall point and say: 'Here is God'' (Luther)."
Here is God in a human body ... Bonhoeffer continues "A truth, a doctrine, or a religion needs no space of its own. Such entities are bodyless. They do not go beyond being heard, learned, and understood. But the incarnate Son of God needs not only ears or even hearts; he needs actual, living human beings who follow him. That is why he called his disciples into following him bodily. His community with them was something everyone could see. It was founded and held together by none other than Jesus Christ, the incarnate one himself."
We are called in our bodies and with our bodies. Merton once wrote in a journal that Protestants were too much in their heads ... too cerebral. I am sure this was because most Protestants have thrown aside the material of religion, ikons, oils, holy water, flames, incense. Merton said he liked Bonhoeffer though. I agree with Merton and Bonhoeffer ... Christianity is not something to simply be seen, heard and understood it must claim us entirely. We must follow the incarnate one.
"The community of those who followed him was manifest to the eyes of the world. Here were bodies that acted, worked, and suffered in community with Jesus." This is our calling. This is how we are to remain in Christ.
"Through the Holy Spirit, the crucified and risen Christ exists as the church-community, as the 'new human being.' For Christ truly is and eternally remains the incarnate one, and the new humanity is his body. Just as the fullness of the godhead became incarnate in him and dwelled in him, so are Christian believers filled with Christ (Col 2:9; Eph 3:19)."
The world needs us to be true to our calling. "Outside of the church there is only the old, internally divided human being" broken by the sin of Adam that still pervades. We must follow Christ with our bodies and so become true disciples and so become one new human beings. We must surrender and be made whole. It is our body that must be given to Christ. "Christ's cross is laid upon the body of the church-community."
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