Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.

One of the biggest obstacles to a healthy Christian community is piousness: “[B]ecause [Christians] have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners” (110). Christians must confess, not just to God but to one another, that they are sinners before true fellowship can occur. Additionally, Bonhoeffer says that hiding one’s sins is a lost cause because God knows one’s heart. Confession and forgiveness are essential to the Christian faith and arguably the primary reasons for the Gospel of Jesus to exist at all.

In “Breaking Through to Community” (112), Bonhoeffer writes that sin will only grow the longer it is hidden away from others. It keeps the sinner isolated spiritually, even if they are physically in the presence of fellow Christians. Confession and forgiveness are required if true community is desired. Bonhoeffer says, “The sin concealed separated [the Christian] from the fellowship […] the sin confessed has helped him find true fellowship in Jesus Christ” (113). Bonhoeffer promises readers that so long as a Christian is willing to confess, they will not go through life alone.

In “Breaking Through to the Cross” (113), Bonhoeffer examines what Christianity teaches is the root of all sin: pride.