The Cost of Discipleship 20

 Bonhoeffer’s students put together his book titled Ethics based on his lectures. Bonhoeffer ran an underground seminary when the right-wing German government cracked down on seminaries that taught what they called ‘liberal’ theology. Of course, Bonhoeffer taught exactly what Jesus said, and that is intolerable to Nazis. 

 The lead line in the book is this. “The knowledge of good and evil seems to be the aim of all ethical reflection. The first task of Christian ethics is to invalidate this knowledge” (Ethics, [1949 Munich] Macmillan Inc., 1955, page 17). 

 This takes some explaining for disciples of Jesus who are trying to figure out the right thing to do. Perhaps we should start at the beginning. Allow me to paraphrase a story that you know well.

 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God made the land and the sea, the sky and the rivers. God made the plants and the animals; and then God created human beings in God’s own likeness. God prepared a wonderful garden as a place for them to live, and God loved to walk in the garden and talk with the man and the woman.”

 “But, one day, when God was walking in the garden, he did not see the man or the woman, so he called out to them: ‘Where are you?’ In fact, the man and the woman had been hiding because they were ashamed of something they had done. Before, when they were unashamed and standing in the presence of God, God had given them guidance for how they were to live. But something had happened that interfered with that relationship.” 

 “The crafty serpent planted the idea that the fruit of a certain tree would make them ‘like God, knowing good and evil’.”

 Except that they were already like God. They were made in the image of God, able to communicate with God face-to-face. What more did they need? Where is the error here? Usually, we point to their disobedience to God’s command; but there is more. 

 They had faith, that is, they trusted in God and their relationship with God. Then the serpent tempted them by implying that they should set aside their faith in God and listen to his reasonable offer. He claimed that, when they ate of the fruit, then they could decide for themselves what was good and what was evil. In this way, they could use reason to decide for themselves what to do and what not to do. As with scams, it was an attractive proposal that deceived them. 

 Learning how to discern good and evil sounds like good training for ethical decisions…except for one thing. They now consider the pros and cons and make their decisions without God. Previously, they had been in a close relationship with God where God himself told them the right thing to do. They followed God on the basis of faith in God’s love, God’s intention to bless them and not to harm them. 

 Now they have set themselves up in opposition to God. By use of their reason and experience, limited though it was, they wanted to decide what is good and what is evil. 

 And now you know why Bonhoeffer said that the first thing that the Christian must do to live an ethical life is to abandon the notion that they, by themselves or in groups, are able to decide what is good and what is evil. Instead, Bonhoeffer said that new disciples should back up a step and make their relationship with God foundational to all else.  

 Where does that leave us? Secure in God’s love, mercy, and justice, and dependent on the forgiveness of sin and shame through which Jesus is able to restore us to the image of God as the children of God, we have a constant companion in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God with us, God in us, and God guiding us. That’s what we have faith in, and that is what we depend on for making ethical decisions about godly living.

 If you love your spouse and your spouse loves you, what is more helpful in deciding what to do: rationality or love? Love, right? It usually works in our relationships; but with God, it always works. Back to the garden.