The Beatitudes: The Meaning Of Christianity By Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This book sends a message that is still relatable to today’s society. It goes beyond what the meaning of Christianity is and adds more to the message when you consider the context. This book was published during the Nazi Regime, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s perspective went against what Adolf Hitler was all about. Bonhoeffer was involved in the plot to kill Hitler and because of that he was executed. Right in the beginning of the book he talks about cheap grace. He defines cheap grace as “a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian ‘conception’ of God” (Bonhoeffer 45). This idea means that there is grace without price, grace without cost or grace without
“Up to now we must have had the impression that the blessed ones were too good for this world, and only fit to live in heaven. But now Jesus calls them the salt of the earth-salt, the most indispensable necessity of life” (Bonhoeffer 129). Those who follow or relate to the beatitudes are not the only ones who are able to be blessed now and there is a call those who follow Jesus being crucified in the life of grace. This was more directed at the disciples since they have an earthly task to perform and cannot base their thinking solely on heaven. “That is the peculiar quality of salt. Everything else needs to be seasoned with salt, but once the salt itself has lost its savor, it can never be salted again” (Bonhoeffer 131). The disciples are meant to be the salt since they learn directly from Jesus and they know what they should do. Once they know something they cannot unlearn it, they can only progress their
The image that is portrayed on behalf of Jesus is that of Adam. He was created in the image of God and therefore everything he does reflects back on God. “But God does not neglect his lost creature. He plans to re-create his image in man, to recover his first delight in his handiwork” (Bonhoeffer 339). God does not want to simply disregard these men, he wants to re-create his image to reflect on his work. The work that followed Christ was not something just given to the first disciples, but it was meant for all disciples for the rest of