Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Visible Community

Chapter 7

Matthew 5:13-16 ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

The audience is the same as the beatitudes (see last post, chapter 6).

You are salt. Are you good salt or are you worthless salt?

You are light. What is the purpose of light?

Salt and light are detectable. One cannot apply salt and hide the taste anymore than a light shining in darkness cannot be seen. If you hide, not be useful seasoning, claim to be a light but fail to be is be a light that reveals Jesus is to deny the calling of Christ. It is possible to be very religious yet be neither salt nor light to the world.

We cannot respond to Jesus’ call and remain invisible before the world. To do so is to deny the call. You cannot be a light hidden under a bushel and claim to be doing what God has called you to be. No one is called to be obscure, invisible, any more than you can respond to his call and deny the cross and resurrection.

The gospel message is not about disciples doing good works. The gospel uses the works to bring attention on God for all praise and glory is for God alone and not the endeavors of men. Bonhoeffer states, “But there is nothing for us ti justify in the disciple who bears the cross or in the community whose light so shines because it stands visibly on the hill – only the father which is in heaven can be praised for the “good works.”

There is a movement growing in the 21^st century church Bonhoeffer refers to as “justitia civilis". This civil justice movement is nothing new. It has been stalking the church from the beginning (read James) and is born from the false doctrine of just doing good works, works that are socially acceptable, which will make one acceptable in the eyes of God. We are sinners by nature, fallen, incapable of doing anything to earn God’s favor. It is an absolute failure when the Christian church succumbs to a theology based on civil justice, ie good works, as the goal or means of following Christ.

“You will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) What witness will you be? Will you be known for doing good works, engaging in social justice, or for directing attention and worship to the one who causes us to be light and do good works, “so that let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matt. 5:17)