Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001467A
01:30 [Music] JB: I'm John Bradshaw.
01:52 This is It Is Written. Thanks for joining me. 01:55 He was born in a little town in what is now southwest 01:58 Poland. It was Germany then. 02:01 The year was 1906. He as the sixth of eight 02:05 children that would be born into the family. 02:08 His father, Carl, was a prominent neurologist. 02:12 His mother, Paula, was the daughter 02:14 of a German countess. Her grandfather was one 02:17 of Kaiser Wilhelm's court preachers. 02:21 For the first seven or so years of his life, he was raised 02:24 in a home right here on this very street. 02:28 You can imagine it being a tranquil time. 02:31 Breslau was a lovely town, an average town, and as his 02:35 mother home-schooled him during his early years, 02:38 nobody could have imagined that he would go on to become 02:41 one of the 20th century's true Christian giants. 02:49 [Music] But things change. 02:57 Breslau isn't Breslau anymore. It's known today as Wroclaw. 03:01 And it isn't in Germany. Today it's in Poland. 03:05 Germany's borders were altered following World War II. 03:09 And in Wroclaw today there's a monument erected 03:14 in honor of a man who would pay the ultimate 03:16 price for his faith in God. And even though he might not 03:20 be a household name in his own home town anymore, 03:23 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a man who became 03:26 a champion for the Word of God. And he came to understand 03:31 by experience the cost of discipleship. 03:35 [Music] 03:45 One of Dietrich's brothers would die fighting 03:47 in World War I. One of his sisters would go 03:50 on to marry a lawyer who, like Dietrich, would join 03:54 in a plot against Hitler and the Nazi regime. 03:58 His family expected that Dietrich would follow 04:00 his father into medicine, but he surprised and, in fact, 04:04 disappointed his father when he announced that he intended 04:07 instead to become a pastor and a theologian. 04:11 His oldest brother told Dietrich not to waste his 04:14 time in such a boring, petty, feeble, bourgeois 04:19 institution as the church. Dietrich's answer hinted 04:22 at the type of individual he would become. 04:24 He said, '"If what you say about the church is true, 04:29 then I shall reform it." In the meantime, his family 04:34 had moved to Berlin. After studying at the University 04:39 of Berlin, and after graduating with distinction, Dietrich spent 04:42 time in the United States, returning to Germany in 1931 04:46 to lecture in systematic theology at the same university. 04:51 He was ordained when he was 25 years old. 04:55 Berlin was then and is now German's capital, the center 05:00 of its culture, its genius and its power. 05:03 Today, Berlin is modern, edgy, hip, trendy, 05:07 fashionable. When the Bonhoeffers lived 05:09 here in the early 20th century, Berlin was largely 05:13 an elegant sort of a place. But between then and now, 05:18 Berlin has been the scene of a titanic battle between 05:21 good and evil. And Dietrich Bonhoeffer 05:23 found himself right in the middle of that battle. 05:30 It is impossible to escape reminders of Berlin's 05:33 colorful history. The Brandenburg gate 05:36 was built in the 18th century by King Frederick William II 05:39 of Prussia as a sign of peace. Remnants of the Berlin wall 05:45 still stand. It wasn't long ago that Germans 05:48 of both sides of what was then a divided Germany 05:52 celebrated here that the Berlin wall was coming down. 05:55 Checkpoint Charlie is the most famous Berlin wall 05:59 crossing point. It's now one of Berlin's 06:03 major tourist attractions. Even though nothing 06:06 of the original Checkpoint Charlie stands today, 06:09 5,000 people escaped to West Berlin from East Berlin 06:12 while the wall was up. More than 100 died trying. 06:17 But the figure that looms largest in Berlin's history 06:23 is undoubtedly Adolf Hitler. Two days after the Nazis 06:27 ascended to power in Germany, on January 30, 06:30 1933, Hitler was appointed Germany's chancellor, 06:34 or fuhrer. And Dietrich Bonhoeffer 06:37 realized right away something of the danger 06:41 Germany was facing. Just two days after Hitler 06:44 was appointed chancellor, Bonhoeffer attacked him 06:48 in a radio address, warning against the cultive 06:51 personality that Hitler was fostering. 06:53 Going after Hitler like that was certainly a bold move, 06:57 but it was simply the shape of things to come for 07:00 Bonhoeffer. In April of that same year, 07:04 Bonhoeffer spoke out against the Nazi attitude toward 07:07 Jews, saying that Christians should not simply bandage 07:12 the victims under the wheel of Nazi injustice, 07:15 but should instead jam the spoke into the wheel itself. 07:20 It wouldn't be long and Bonhoeffer's anti-Nazi 07:25 zeal would take that principle to the highest level possible. 07:30 [ominous music] In that first year of Nazi rule, 07:34 Dietrich began organizing opposition to the Nazi 07:38 regime among the Protestant churches of Germany. 07:40 But even among those standing up against what the Nazis 07:44 were doing, there were many who lacked Dietrich's 07:47 courage in speaking out against the Nazis' 07:50 mistreatment of the Jews. When Dietrich and others 07:54 began organizing the movement that became known 07:56 as the Confessing Church in opposition to the Germany 08:00 Christian movement, a document was offered called 08:03 the '"Bethel Confession." It urged Christians to stand up 08:07 for biblical principles in spite of what was going 08:10 on in Germany. But the authors 08:13 of the '"Bethel Confession" refused to include 08:17 in that document positive statements about God's dealings 08:20 with the Jews. In the end, Dietrich decided 08:23 the document was so watered down, he refused to sign it. 08:27 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was on a collision course with history. 08:35 Under Hitler, his country was going in a definite 08:38 direction. Under God, his conscious 08:42 was going in another. He'd have decisions 08:45 to make--decisions that would ultimately cost him his life 08:50 in a Nazi concentration camp. I'll have more in just a moment. 08:54 [Music] I hope you'll get the book 09:09 I'm offering you this week. It's called, "Revelation Today." 09:12 It unfolds the end times scenario presented in 09:16 the book of Revelation. This little book 09:18 is going to help you understand what the book of Revelation 09:21 is really all about. It untangles the end time 09:24 prophetic scenario to let you see how the battle 09:27 between good and evil ultimately plays out. 09:30 Just call or write, and I'll send you 09:32 "Revelation Today" There's no cost, no obligation. 09:35 It's absolutely free. All you need to do is call 09:39 1-800-253-3000 and ask for "Revelation Today" 09:44 You can call 24 hours a day If the line's busy, please 09:47 just keep on trying. You can also request your free 09:50 copy of "Revelation Today" by writing to It Is Written 09:54 P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga TN, 37401. 09:59 We'll mail you a copy to your address in 10:01 North America. To get it right away, 10:04 you can download a free electronic version 10:06 of the book, "Revelation Today" from our website itiswritten.com 10:11 Our toll-free number is 1-800-253-3000 10:15 and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 10:22 [Piano music] 10:30 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 10:32 Thanks for joining me today. Today, the cost of discipleship. 10:37 The story of a true champion of grace, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 10:42 While in Berlin, the Bonhoeffer family lived 10:45 here, #43 Marienburger Allee. And while the Bonhoeffers 10:49 were living here, along with Martin Niemoller, Dietrich 10:53 formed an organization known as the Confessing Church. 10:57 It was never very large, but it represented the strongest 11:00 opposition against the Nazi government on the part 11:03 of German Christians. Swiss theologian Karl Barth 11:07 drafted a declaration in which he stated that Jesus 11:10 Christ, and not Adolf Hitler, was the true head 11:14 of the church. Now, you might think 11:16 it shouldn't take a declaration to make that plain, 11:19 but because of the idolatrous cult of personality 11:22 that Hitler had built around himself, in which he appealed 11:25 to a deep devotion to duty and power 11:29 and nationalism, there weren't many German Christians who 11:33 were prepared to stand in opposition to Adolf Hitler. 11:36 At about this time, Bonhoeffer accepted an offer 11:40 to become the pastor of two German-speaking churches 11:44 in London. He'd become discouraged 11:46 with the collaboration of so many German Christians 11:49 with Hitler, and felt it was time, in his words, to go 11:53 for a while into the desert. But his friend Karl Barth, 11:57 himself driven into Switzerland for opposing Hitler's policies, 12:01 rebuked Bonhoeffer for running away from his post 12:04 while, in Barth's words, '"the house of your church 12:08 is on fire." In 1935, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany. 12:15 In spite of fierce opposition from the Nazi 12:17 authorities, the seminary Bonhoeffer headed continued 12:20 for two years. But eventually it was shut 12:23 down by the Gestapo, and many pastors and former 12:27 teachers were arrested. 12:33 [Music] 12:38 Not far from the Bonhoeffer home in Berlin is the Olympic 12:41 Stadium, built for the Olympic games of 1936. 12:45 It was here that African-American athlete 12:49 Jesse Owens won four gold medals while Adolf Hitler 12:53 looked on. Hitler infamously refused 12:56 to shake the hands of black athletes, and he snubbed 13:00 Jesse Owens and others. Hitler was on his way to what 13:04 he hoped would be European dominance. 13:08 While the Olympics were taking place here, few could have 13:11 imagined that within 10 years, Germany's megalomaniacal 13:16 leader would stand astride the continent of Europe. 13:19 He would threaten the peace of the world, commit some 13:23 of the most horrific crimes ever witnessed in the history 13:26 of mankind, then at last end his own life 13:31 in an underground bunker just miles from here. 13:34 It was while the Olympics were taking place 13:38 that Bonhoeffer wrote what's perhaps his most widely 13:41 recognized book, '"The Cost of Discipleship," in which 13:45 he expounded upon the Sermon on the Mount. 13:48 Understanding something about the background against 13:51 which the book was written helps us to understand how 13:54 the book was framed. Bonhoeffer believed 13:57 in costly discipleship. And when you realize what 14:01 following Jesus cost Bonhoeffer, you can see why. 14:06 A classic today, he wrote at length about the problem 14:09 of what he called cheap grace. 14:14 He argued that much of German Christianity 14:16 had permitted itself to be secularized due 14:19 to an understanding of God's grace that emphasized 14:23 forgiveness at the expense of repentance and obedience. 14:26 Here's what he said: '"Cheap grace is the preaching 14:31 of forgiveness without requiring repentance. 14:34 Baptism without church discipline. 14:37 Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without 14:43 discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without 14:48 Jesus Christ." Bonhoeffer believed that it was this 14:51 minimizing, or maybe even belittling, of Christian 14:54 discipleship and sanctification that brought about the docile 14:58 acceptance on the part of so many German Christians 15:01 of the Nazi ideology. In Bonhoeffer's view, Martin 15:04 Luther had made an important correction to the monastic 15:08 movement of the Middle Ages when he had emphasized faith 15:11 and God's forgiveness as the only remedy 15:14 for sin, rather than works that do nothing to change 15:18 the heart. But Bonhoeffer believed 15:21 that it was God's pardoning grace that had been emphasized 15:25 almost to the exclusion of sacrifice, self-discipline 15:30 and service to others in the centuries 15:32 that followed Luther. Here's Bonhoeffer again: 15:35 '"The price we are having to pay today in the shape 15:39 of the collapse of the organized church is only the inevitable 15:43 consequence of our policy of making grace available 15:47 to all at too low a cost. We gave away the Word 15:51 and sacraments wholesale. We baptized, confirmed 15:55 and absolved a whole nation without condition. 16:00 Our humanitarian sentiment made us give that which was holy 16:04 to the scornful and unbelieving. But the call to follow Jesus 16:09 in the narrow way was hardly ever heard." Could it be that 16:15 a cheap grace gospel has removed the transformative power 16:19 of the Gospel from much of Christian preaching 16:21 and teaching today? Might it be that many people 16:25 have surrendered their Christian beliefs to popular 16:28 culture, societal trends and personal priorities? 16:33 Is there still a call today to costly discipleship? 16:36 Do we still see courage when majority opinion 16:40 no longer demands it? Bonhoeffer spoke strongly 16:44 against cheap grace, and so did the Bible writers. 16:48 In the Bible there is no such thing as cheap grace. 16:51 Now, salvation is free, no question about that. 16:55 We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 16:58 Salvation cost God everything. It costs us nothing. 17:03 Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, '"The gift of God is eternal 17:08 life through Jesus Christ our Lord." But the cost 17:11 of discipleship? Now, that's another matter. 17:15 Bonhoeffer once wrote, '"When Christ calls a man, He bids 17:19 him come and die." Which is consistent with what you 17:22 read in the Bible. Paul wrote that when 17:24 a person comes to Christ, the old person dies and a new 17:29 person is created. You see, the Gospel involves 17:33 transformation. The Gospel contemplates our 17:36 completely recovery from the power of sin. 17:40 Rightly understood, grace is power. 17:43 It's God's power at work in the life of a sinner, 17:47 bringing that sinner to the measure of the stature 17:50 of the fullness of Christ. And that's good news. 17:54 [Music] So in a sense it's no surprise 17:59 that so many German Christians, when faced with Hitler's rise 18:05 to power, failed to recognize what that might mean 18:08 in terms of the exercise of their Christian faith. 18:11 Most Germans at that time professed some form 18:13 of Christianity. And today there are those 18:16 who say that if more people had taken a stand like 18:19 that taken by Bonhoeffer and his courageous colleagues, 18:23 the world may well have been spared the slaughter of so many 18:26 millions during those Nazi years. 18:29 I'll have more in a moment. [Music] 18:33 "Every Word" is a one minute bible based daily devotional 18:37 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 18:39 and designed especiallly for busy people like you. 18:42 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks 18:45 or watch it online every day on our website ItIsWritten.com 18:51 [Music] I get asked every now and then 18:59 about this. We're saved by grace through faith, right. 19:03 But then Revelation 22:12 says And, behold, I come quickly; 19:07 and my reward is with me to give every man according 19:10 as his work shall be. Sounds to some people 19:13 as though this is saying, "we're not saved by God's grace 19:15 but by our works. Now let's look at this carefully 19:18 John writes that we are "judged by our works" 19:21 not saved by our works. The point is that our works, 19:24 how we live our lives demonstrate or give evidence 19:27 regarding the reality of our profession. 19:30 Anyone at all can claim to be a follower of Jesus. 19:33 But it isn't what you say that really matters, it's how you 19:36 live. That's where the evidence really is. In the judgement, 19:40 it isn't just a profession God is looking for, he's looking for 19:43 the real thing. I'm John Bradshaw for 19:46 It Is Written. Let's live today by Every Word. 19:51 [Music] Planning for your financial 19:54 future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 19:58 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free 20:00 planned giving and estate services. For information on how 20:04 we can help you, please call 800-992-2219. Call today, 20:10 or visit our special website, www.HisLegacy.com 20:18 [Music] [German] Unser Fuehrer, 20:28 Adolf Hitler, sieg [German Crowd] Heil! 20:32 Sieg [German Crowd] Heil 20:34 Sieg [German Crowd] Heil 20:40 [German fades out] JB: In the 1930s here 20:44 in Nuremburg, Germany, Adolf Hitler was conducting 20:48 the Nuremburg rallies--massive Nazi party propaganda events. 20:55 Vast crowds in the hundreds of thousands would gather 20:59 right here to honor Hitler as Germany's savior. 21:04 Support for Hitler was rising; in fact, it was reaching 21:07 fever point. Hitler was demonstrating 21:10 to the world that he was a force that would 21:13 not be stopped. It was while Hitler 21:16 was showing his strength that Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 21:18 who had returned to the United States, 21:20 decided it was time to come back here to Germany. 21:26 Here's what he wrote: '"I have come to the conclusion 21:30 that I made a mistake in coming to America. 21:34 I must live through this difficult period in our 21:37 national history with the people of Germany. 21:40 I will have no right to participate 21:43 in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany 21:46 after the war if I do not share the trials 21:49 at this time with my people. Christians in Germany will 21:53 have to face the terrible alternative of either 21:57 willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian 22:00 civilization may survive, or willing the victory 22:04 of their nation and thereby destroying civilization. 22:09 I know which of these alternatives I must choose, 22:12 but I cannot make that choice from security." 22:16 He returned to Germany on the last scheduled steamer 22:20 to cross the Atlantic. Soon after returning 22:22 to Germany he joined the Abwehr, a Germany military 22:28 intelligence organization deeply involved in plots 22:31 against Hitler. Before long, his discovery 22:35 of the Nazi atrocities against the Jews and others 22:38 would drive him to decide that any means of overthrowing 22:42 Hitler's rule, even violent means, 22:45 were morally justifiable. Bonhoeffer was finally 22:50 arrested on April 5, 1943. The actual reasons for his 22:54 arrest are a little unclear. But while he was in custody, 23:00 evidence surfaced of his involvement in several plots 23:04 aimed at assassinating the Fuhrer and overthrowing 23:07 Nazi rule. [Music] 23:16 Although Bonhoeffer had been in prison for over 23:18 a year by the time the plot was attempted, documents 23:22 proving his involvement soon surfaced in Berlin. 23:26 He was transferred to Buchenwald concentration camp 23:29 and there here to the concentration camp 23:32 in Flossenburg, Germany, where before long, he would be put 23:36 to death. While he was here, 23:39 Bonhoeffer wrote his famous '"Letters From Prison," 23:43 in which he urged Christian believers to be true 23:46 to biblical principles and faithful to God in spite 23:49 of the difficulties they were facing. 23:52 His courage remained strong and his faith unshaken, 23:56 as he waited for what he knew was inevitable. 24:00 [Music] On April 8, 1945, in a trial 24:10 held without witnesses, Dietrich Bonhoeffer 24:13 was found guilty of conspiracy against the Nazi regime, 24:17 and was sentenced to death by hanging. 24:21 The next morning at dawn, just two weeks before the United 24:24 States Army liberated Flossenburg, the faithful 24:29 pastor and theologian was executed. 24:33 One man who witnessed Bonhoeffer's execution 24:36 said this: '"I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, kneeling 24:40 on the floor, praying fervently to God. 24:44 At the place of execution he again said a short prayer 24:47 and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave 24:51 and composed. His death ensued after a few 24:56 seconds. In the almost fifty years 24:59 that I worked as a doctor, I've hardly ever seen a man 25:03 die so entirely submissive to the will of God." 25:09 So what about grace? Is grace simply permission? 25:13 Is it permissiveness? Is grace license? 25:17 Is it some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card? 25:19 Is grace, well, it doesn't really matter what I do 25:21 because, after all, Jesus has got it covered? 25:25 Or does grace involve power? Does grace bring 25:28 transformation? The gospel of Jesus Christ 25:31 calls for a commitment to Jesus, a total commitment 25:34 to Jesus. Jesus says that we are not 25:37 to be of this world. He said in Matthew 22:37 25:41 that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, 25:45 with all your soul, and with all your mind. 25:48 And quite simply, that's just Jesus saying, if you'll 25:53 let Me, if you'll want Me to, if you'll surrender 25:58 to Me, I'll come into your life and impact you so radically, 26:04 so totally, that I'll make a completely new person out 26:08 of you. Jesus says, I'll do that 26:11 for you, and I'll do that for you today, if you'll let Me, 26:17 if you want Me to. Do you want that today? 26:27 [Music] 26:47 [Change of music] 26:59 JB: I hope you'll get the book I'm offering you this week. 27:02 it's called' "Revelation Today." It unfolds the end times 27:07 scenario presented in the book of Revelation. This little book 27:10 is going to help you understand what the book of Revelation 27:13 is really all about. It untangles the end time 27:16 prophetic scenario to let you see how the battle between 27:19 good and evil ultimately plays out. Just call or write 27:23 and I'll send you '"Revelation Today." 27:25 There's no cost, no obligation, it's absolutely free. 27:29 All you need to do is call 1-800-253-3000 27:33 and ask for "Revelation Today." You can call 24 hours a day 27:37 if the line's busy, please just keep on trying. 27:41 You can also request your free copy of "Revelation Today" 27:44 by writing to It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga 27:48 TN, 37401. We'll mail you a copy to your address 27:53 in North America. To get it right away you can 27:56 download a free electronic version of the book, 27:58 "Revelation Today" from our website, itiswritten.com. 28:03 It Is Written is a faith based ministry, and your support makes 28:06 it possibe for us to share God's good news with the world. 28:10 Your tax deductible gift can be sent to the address 28:13 on your screen or through our website at 28:15 ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued 28:18 prayerful support. Again, our toll-free number is 28:22 800-253-3000 and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 28:31 JB: Let me pray with you today. Our Father in Heaven, thank 28:34 you for the power of grace, which allows us to be yours 28:38 in reality, not just in name, not just in 28:42 profession, which transforms us and makes us truly yours. 28:47 As we reflect upon the cost of discipleship, I pray that 28:50 we will experience the power, not of cheap grace, 28:52 but of your real, saving, transforming grace. 28:58 We ask your blessing now, and we pray in Jesus' name, 29:02 Amen. 29:12 [Music] 29:23 Thanks for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you 29:25 again next time. Until then, remember, '"It is 29:29 written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 29:34 word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 29:37 [Music] |
Revised 2017-03-25