The cost of discipleship

Key definition: "Rusty swords"

Principles from previous times are ineffective tools for fighting evil today.

Civil Disobedience

State laws have the purpose of helping to restrain sinful behaviors however they cannot guarantee moral behavior and should not be taken as the bible.

Human law is fallible and governments can become corrupted by their power, as the Nazi government demonstrates.

Bonhoeffer doesn't advocate for constant disregard for state laws and they should be followed where appropriate however they can be ignored if the situation demands it.

Achieving God's will is not easy and requires sacrifice, as Jesus did by allowing himself to be put on the cross.

However:

Throughout history, many acts of violence have been justified through the support of God.

Religion may therefore be a mechanism to justify extremely harmful and evil behaviour.

Bonhoeffer would argue that we should not put aside human ethics but our own desires as well. This leads to a less self-centered perspective on moral decision making as people who use religion to justify violence usually have selfish motivations.

Despite this: personal desires shape your perspective on the world, reinforcing again how God's will is completely subjective.

Cheap vs. costly grace

• Bonhoeffer believed the church practices "cheap grace"
• E.g. belief that you can be easily forgiven through confession.
• True grace is "costly" as reinforced by the suffering of Jesus. This is backed up by the parable of the Good Samaritan.
• Would God want us to suffer?

Bonhoeffer vs Aquinas

Aquinas argues Bonhoeffer fails to take natural law into account

• We must follow primary precepts in order to fulfill God's will
• Aquinas believes civil disobedience is ok in some cases however his view is much clearer than Bonhoeffer's and is therefore safer.
• However: Can the precepts be relied on after the fall?
• Idolatry can lead to the worship of nations and even to movements like the nazis