The Cost of Discipleship

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Only God is holy. He is holy both in his perfect separation from the sinful world and in the establishment of his sanctuary in the midst of that world. This is the burden of the song Moses sang with the children of Israel after the perdition of the Egyptians, as he praised the Lord, who had redeemed his people out of bondage of the world: “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchest out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them up. Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast in thy mercy guided them to thy holy habitation. . . . Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance. The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established” (Ex. 15.11 ff). The holiness of God means his coming to dwell in the midst of the world and to establish his sanctuary as the place from which he sends forth his judgement and redemption (Ps. 99 etc.).