Theological Education at Finkenwalde Quotes

“the whole Psalter can be understood as the prayer of Jesus Christ and his church-community becomes apparent.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“If you bear the name of Christ, then you are a witness to Christ, for or against Christ. [—] Matt. 5:14–16; 1 Pet. 2:”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“g. What does it mean to love God?[444] Loving God means giving him everything that belongs to me; it means wishing nothing for myself; it means asking his will before everything you do;[445] it means gladly thinking about him, praying to him, gladly hearing and reading his word.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“How does Jesus differ from other great persons and heroes? All heroes come from lowliness and want to be great, while Jesus comes from the heights and wants to be humble. All heroes are human beings and want to be like God,[523] while Christ is God and wants to be a human being. All heroes are born of the earth; Christ is born of God.[524] [—] John 3:6; Acts 4:12”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“Let me first admit quite simply: I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we merely need ask perpetually and with a bit of humility in order to get the answer from it. One cannot simply read the Bible like other books. One must be prepared genuinely to query it. Only thus does it reveal itself. Only if we are really expecting an ultimate answer from it will it give us that answer. The reason is that God is speaking to us in the Bible. And one cannot simply reflect on God on one’s own; one must ask God. Only if we seek God will God answer. Of course, one can also read the Bible just as one does any other book, for example, from the perspective of textual criticism, etc. There can be no objections to such reading. It merely is not the use that genuinely discloses the essence of the Bible; it discloses merely its surface. Just as you grasp the words of someone dear to you not by first[174] analyzing them but merely by accepting them, and just as they may then resonate in your ears for days, simply as the words of this particular person whom we love, and just as in these words the person who spoke them is increasingly disclosed to us the more we “ponder it in our heart” as Mary did,[175] so also should we deal with the word of the Bible.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“What is the power of Christ? It is the hidden, secret power of the cross and of suffering.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“God is not with the stronger battalions but with the small host of the praying, watchful congregation. God’s strength is powerful in the weak.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“Bethge’s addendum: “Because I must practice so that I can stand alone before God, for I alone will stand in judgment before God, I alone will be accountable, and I alone will say: I trust in Christ.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937

“(1) Why do I meditate?[102] Because I am a Christian and because for that very reason every day is lost to me in which I have not deepened my knowledge of God’s word in Holy Scripture. It is only on the firm basis of God’s word that I can take certain steps. As a Christian, however, it is only through hearing the sermon and through prayerful meditation that I come to know Holy Scripture.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937