Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Life Together is a classic work of Christian theology by German pastor, author, and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, written during his time in fellowship with an underground seminary for the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde in Nazi-occupied Germany. The book explores themes of The Nature and Importance of Christian Fellowship and Unity, The Relationship Between Humility, Confession, and Forgiveness, and The Role of Worship and Scripture in Daily Life. Life Together has been used as a teaching text for Christians over the decades and across denominations. Bonhoeffer himself was a Lutheran and frequently quotes the teachings of Martin Luther (Ninety-Five Theses) in the book, alongside the Bible.

Life Together is one of many books that Bonhoeffer penned about Christianity in his short life. It has been translated into English by John W. Doberstein, who also wrote the Introduction for this edition. The book was originally published in Germany in 1939, with the first English edition being published in 1954.

The version used for this guide is the 2009 edition, printed by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, in New York, New York.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death and religious discrimination. 

Summary

The Introduction, written by Doberstein, gives readers a brief overview of Bonhoeffer’s life, ministry, and, ultimately, martyrdom.

In “Community,” Bonhoeffer writes that communal life with other Christians is, before anything else, a gift from God. Christians are not promised that they will be given a Christian community, just as they are not promised an easy life if they follow God’s Word. Therefore, Christians should be grateful when they do get to gather together and should never take this ability for granted. Bonhoeffer writes that even the briefest of encounters between two Christians can be fulfilling and reminds readers that struggles with loneliness have biblical precedent, faced even by Jesus Christ himself.

Readers are warned against entering into a Christian community with their own visions of their ideal community in mind. Bonhoeffer distinguishes between typical human communities and relationships and those that are formed in and reflect the image of Christ. He writes of the necessity of forgiveness and acceptance of all members of the community and tells readers they are not to dismiss those they consider weaker or insignificant. Human hierarchies do not matter to God, who sees all people as equals and can use every person for good.

In “The Day with Others,” Bonhoeffer lays out guidance for each part of the day. He writes about how to make the most of the morning hours by starting the day with meditation and prayer. He instructs Christians on how to utilize the noon hour, the evening time, and the night. He tells readers never to go to bed without resolving the conflict they faced during the day and to practice a prayer of forgiveness each night. These practices apply not only in larger communities, such as churches, but also in smaller units, such as families or groups of friends.

In “The Day Alone,” Bonhoeffer also expresses the idea that a healthy Christian community must be composed of healthy individual Christians. He emphasizes the importance of silence, solitude, and meditation for Christians and explains that each individual’s spiritual well-being will ultimately impact the well-being of the whole. Bonhoeffer not only explains the importance of these aspects of faith but gives readers insight into how they can achieve these practices. He urges readers to have the right mindset and form these habits not out of a feeling of duty but out of a longing to be closer to God and one another.

In “Ministry,” Bonhoeffer explains that with these community and individual practices in place, the group is ready for ministry. Bonhoeffer encourages Christians to take care of the poor, to be willing to take time to pray for one another, and to be ready to follow God’s plans for their lives, not their own. More than anything, Bonhoeffer encourages readers to place others’ needs before their own, for in doing so, they will imitate and demonstrate the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. Christians should not judge one another and must remember that all of them are sinners in God’s eyes: Humility is one of the highest virtues one can acquire, as it combats pride, the greatest sin.

In “Confession and Communion,” Bonhoeffer preaches more about the Gospel of Christ and the need for confession. Bonhoeffer urges readers not to hide their sins, for God knows their hearts already, and explains the freedom that comes of confessing one’s sins to a fellow Christian. He writes about the importance of communal taking of the Lord’s Supper, the Christian ritual of partaking in bread and wine that symbolize (or, according to certain denominations, become) Christ’s body and blood. For Bonhoeffer, this act is the culmination of the Christian goal of community.