[Music] JB: I'm John Bradshaw.
00:01:30.02\00:01:52.07
This is It Is
Written. Thanks for joining me.
00:01:52.07\00:01:55.18
He was born in a little
town in what is now southwest
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Poland. It was Germany then.
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The year was 1906.
He as the sixth of eight
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children that would
be born into the family.
00:02:05.99\00:02:08.49
His father, Carl, was
a prominent neurologist.
00:02:08.49\00:02:12.09
His mother,
Paula, was the daughter
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of a German countess.
Her grandfather was one
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of Kaiser
Wilhelm's court preachers.
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For the first seven or so
years of his life, he was raised
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in a home right
here on this very street.
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You can imagine it
being a tranquil time.
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Breslau was a lovely town,
an average town, and as his
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mother home-schooled
him during his early years,
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nobody could have imagined
that he would go on to become
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one of the 20th
century's true Christian giants.
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[Music] But things change.
00:02:49.90\00:02:57.54
Breslau isn't Breslau anymore.
It's known today as Wroclaw.
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And it isn't in
Germany. Today it's in Poland.
00:03:01.64\00:03:05.68
Germany's borders were
altered following World War II.
00:03:05.68\00:03:09.02
And in Wroclaw today
there's a monument erected
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in honor of a man who
would pay the ultimate
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price for his faith in God.
And even though he might not
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be a household name in
his own home town anymore,
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer
was a man who became
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a champion for the Word of
God. And he came to understand
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by experience the
cost of discipleship.
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[Music]
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One of Dietrich's
brothers would die fighting
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in World War I. One
of his sisters would go
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on to marry a lawyer
who, like Dietrich, would join
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in a plot against
Hitler and the Nazi regime.
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His family expected
that Dietrich would follow
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his father into medicine,
but he surprised and, in fact,
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disappointed his father when
he announced that he intended
00:04:04.27\00:04:07.34
instead to become a
pastor and a theologian.
00:04:07.34\00:04:11.21
His oldest brother told
Dietrich not to waste his
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time in such a boring,
petty, feeble, bourgeois
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institution as the
church. Dietrich's answer hinted
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at the type of
individual he would become.
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He said, '"If what you
say about the church is true,
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then I shall reform it."
In the meantime, his family
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had moved to Berlin.
After studying at the University
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of Berlin, and after graduating
with distinction, Dietrich spent
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time in the United States,
returning to Germany in 1931
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to lecture in systematic
theology at the same university.
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He was ordained
when he was 25 years old.
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Berlin was then and is now
German's capital, the center
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of its culture, its
genius and its power.
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Today, Berlin is
modern, edgy, hip, trendy,
00:05:03.90\00:05:07.30
fashionable. When
the Bonhoeffers lived
00:05:07.30\00:05:09.70
here in the early 20th
century, Berlin was largely
00:05:09.70\00:05:13.01
an elegant sort of a
place. But between then and now,
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Berlin has been the scene
of a titanic battle between
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good and evil. And
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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found himself right in
the middle of that battle.
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It is impossible to
escape reminders of Berlin's
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colorful history.
The Brandenburg gate
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was built in the 18th century
by King Frederick William II
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of Prussia as a sign of peace.
Remnants of the Berlin wall
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still stand. It
wasn't long ago that Germans
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of both sides of what
was then a divided Germany
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celebrated here that the
Berlin wall was coming down.
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Checkpoint Charlie is
the most famous Berlin wall
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crossing point.
It's now one of Berlin's
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major tourist
attractions. Even though nothing
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of the original
Checkpoint Charlie stands today,
00:06:06.23\00:06:09.36
5,000 people escaped to
West Berlin from East Berlin
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while the wall was up.
More than 100 died trying.
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But the figure that looms
largest in Berlin's history
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is undoubtedly Adolf
Hitler. Two days after the Nazis
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ascended to power in
Germany, on January 30,
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1933, Hitler was
appointed Germany's chancellor,
00:06:30.75\00:06:34.96
or fuhrer. And
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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realized right away
something of the danger
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Germany was facing.
Just two days after Hitler
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was appointed chancellor,
Bonhoeffer attacked him
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in a radio address,
warning against the cultive
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personality that
Hitler was fostering.
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Going after Hitler like
that was certainly a bold move,
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but it was simply the
shape of things to come for
00:06:57.65\00:07:00.65
Bonhoeffer. In
April of that same year,
00:07:00.65\00:07:04.65
Bonhoeffer spoke out
against the Nazi attitude toward
00:07:04.65\00:07:07.89
Jews, saying that Christians
should not simply bandage
00:07:07.89\00:07:12.73
the victims under the
wheel of Nazi injustice,
00:07:12.73\00:07:15.60
but should instead jam the
spoke into the wheel itself.
00:07:15.60\00:07:20.04
It wouldn't be long
and Bonhoeffer's anti-Nazi
00:07:20.04\00:07:25.41
zeal would take that principle
to the highest level possible.
00:07:25.41\00:07:30.71
[ominous music] In that
first year of Nazi rule,
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Dietrich began organizing
opposition to the Nazi
00:07:34.98\00:07:38.05
regime among the
Protestant churches of Germany.
00:07:38.05\00:07:40.89
But even among those standing
up against what the Nazis
00:07:40.89\00:07:44.46
were doing, there were
many who lacked Dietrich's
00:07:44.46\00:07:47.30
courage in speaking
out against the Nazis'
00:07:47.30\00:07:50.23
mistreatment of the
Jews. When Dietrich and others
00:07:50.23\00:07:54.07
began organizing the
movement that became known
00:07:54.07\00:07:56.60
as the Confessing Church
in opposition to the Germany
00:07:56.60\00:08:00.18
Christian movement, a
document was offered called
00:08:00.18\00:08:03.24
the '"Bethel Confession."
It urged Christians to stand up
00:08:03.24\00:08:07.15
for biblical principles
in spite of what was going
00:08:07.15\00:08:10.42
on in Germany. But the authors
00:08:10.42\00:08:13.96
of the '"Bethel
Confession" refused to include
00:08:13.96\00:08:17.39
in that document positive
statements about God's dealings
00:08:17.39\00:08:20.66
with the Jews. In
the end, Dietrich decided
00:08:20.66\00:08:23.87
the document was so watered
down, he refused to sign it.
00:08:23.87\00:08:27.87
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was on a
collision course with history.
00:08:27.87\00:08:35.54
Under Hitler, his
country was going in a definite
00:08:35.54\00:08:38.48
direction. Under
God, his conscious
00:08:38.48\00:08:42.02
was going in
another. He'd have decisions
00:08:42.02\00:08:45.52
to make--decisions that would
ultimately cost him his life
00:08:45.52\00:08:50.13
in a Nazi concentration camp.
I'll have more in just a moment.
00:08:50.13\00:08:54.73
[Music] I hope
you'll get the book
00:08:54.73\00:09:09.28
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00:09:18.52\00:09:21.02
is really all about.
It untangles the end time
00:09:21.02\00:09:24.66
prophetic scenario to
let you see how the battle
00:09:24.66\00:09:27.30
between good and
evil ultimately plays out.
00:09:27.30\00:09:30.53
Just call or
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[Piano music]
00:10:22.65\00:10:26.59
JB: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:10:30.49\00:10:32.63
Thanks for joining me today.
Today, the cost of discipleship.
00:10:32.63\00:10:37.03
The story of a true champion
of grace, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
00:10:37.03\00:10:42.17
While in Berlin, the
Bonhoeffer family lived
00:10:42.17\00:10:45.04
here, #43 Marienburger
Allee. And while the Bonhoeffers
00:10:45.04\00:10:49.68
were living here, along
with Martin Niemoller, Dietrich
00:10:49.68\00:10:53.08
formed an organization
known as the Confessing Church.
00:10:53.08\00:10:57.19
It was never very large,
but it represented the strongest
00:10:57.19\00:11:00.72
opposition against the
Nazi government on the part
00:11:00.72\00:11:03.56
of German Christians.
Swiss theologian Karl Barth
00:11:03.56\00:11:07.20
drafted a declaration in
which he stated that Jesus
00:11:07.20\00:11:10.50
Christ, and not Adolf
Hitler, was the true head
00:11:10.50\00:11:14.20
of the church.
Now, you might think
00:11:14.20\00:11:16.84
it shouldn't take a
declaration to make that plain,
00:11:16.84\00:11:19.07
but because of the
idolatrous cult of personality
00:11:19.07\00:11:22.88
that Hitler had built around
himself, in which he appealed
00:11:22.88\00:11:25.78
to a deep
devotion to duty and power
00:11:25.78\00:11:29.02
and nationalism, there weren't
many German Christians who
00:11:29.02\00:11:33.02
were prepared to stand in
opposition to Adolf Hitler.
00:11:33.02\00:11:36.83
At about this time,
Bonhoeffer accepted an offer
00:11:36.83\00:11:40.80
to become the pastor of
two German-speaking churches
00:11:40.80\00:11:44.47
in London. He'd
become discouraged
00:11:44.47\00:11:46.50
with the collaboration
of so many German Christians
00:11:46.50\00:11:49.34
with Hitler, and felt it
was time, in his words, to go
00:11:49.34\00:11:53.61
for a while into the desert.
But his friend Karl Barth,
00:11:53.61\00:11:57.61
himself driven into Switzerland
for opposing Hitler's policies,
00:11:57.61\00:12:01.32
rebuked Bonhoeffer for
running away from his post
00:12:01.32\00:12:04.75
while, in Barth's words,
'"the house of your church
00:12:04.75\00:12:08.12
is on fire." In 1935,
Bonhoeffer returned to Germany.
00:12:08.12\00:12:15.33
In spite of fierce
opposition from the Nazi
00:12:15.33\00:12:17.47
authorities, the seminary
Bonhoeffer headed continued
00:12:17.47\00:12:20.87
for two years. But
eventually it was shut
00:12:20.87\00:12:23.94
down by the Gestapo,
and many pastors and former
00:12:23.94\00:12:27.81
teachers were arrested.
00:12:27.81\00:12:30.71
[Music]
00:12:33.21\00:12:37.72
Not far from the Bonhoeffer
home in Berlin is the Olympic
00:12:38.42\00:12:41.52
Stadium, built for
the Olympic games of 1936.
00:12:41.52\00:12:45.86
It was here that
African-American athlete
00:12:45.86\00:12:49.36
Jesse Owens won four
gold medals while Adolf Hitler
00:12:49.36\00:12:53.34
looked on. Hitler
infamously refused
00:12:53.34\00:12:56.81
to shake the hands of
black athletes, and he snubbed
00:12:56.81\00:13:00.18
Jesse Owens and others.
Hitler was on his way to what
00:13:00.18\00:13:04.18
he hoped would be
European dominance.
00:13:04.18\00:13:08.15
While the Olympics were taking
place here, few could have
00:13:08.15\00:13:11.72
imagined that within 10
years, Germany's megalomaniacal
00:13:11.72\00:13:16.26
leader would stand
astride the continent of Europe.
00:13:16.26\00:13:19.93
He would threaten the
peace of the world, commit some
00:13:19.93\00:13:23.20
of the most horrific crimes
ever witnessed in the history
00:13:23.20\00:13:26.63
of mankind, then at
last end his own life
00:13:26.63\00:13:31.14
in an underground
bunker just miles from here.
00:13:31.14\00:13:34.94
It was while the
Olympics were taking place
00:13:34.94\00:13:38.45
that Bonhoeffer wrote
what's perhaps his most widely
00:13:38.45\00:13:41.55
recognized book, '"The
Cost of Discipleship," in which
00:13:41.55\00:13:45.15
he expounded upon
the Sermon on the Mount.
00:13:45.15\00:13:48.62
Understanding something
about the background against
00:13:48.62\00:13:51.43
which the book was written
helps us to understand how
00:13:51.43\00:13:54.76
the book was
framed. Bonhoeffer believed
00:13:54.76\00:13:57.93
in costly discipleship.
And when you realize what
00:13:57.93\00:14:01.94
following Jesus cost
Bonhoeffer, you can see why.
00:14:01.94\00:14:06.88
A classic today, he wrote
at length about the problem
00:14:06.88\00:14:09.94
of what he called cheap grace.
00:14:09.94\00:14:12.15
He argued that much
of German Christianity
00:14:14.52\00:14:16.95
had permitted itself
to be secularized due
00:14:16.95\00:14:19.79
to an understanding of
God's grace that emphasized
00:14:19.79\00:14:23.09
forgiveness at the expense
of repentance and obedience.
00:14:23.09\00:14:26.80
Here's what he said:
'"Cheap grace is the preaching
00:14:26.80\00:14:31.23
of forgiveness
without requiring repentance.
00:14:31.23\00:14:34.80
Baptism without
church discipline.
00:14:34.80\00:14:37.37
Communion without confession.
Cheap grace is grace without
00:14:37.37\00:14:43.31
discipleship, grace
without the cross, grace without
00:14:43.31\00:14:48.15
Jesus Christ." Bonhoeffer
believed that it was this
00:14:48.15\00:14:51.82
minimizing, or maybe
even belittling, of Christian
00:14:51.82\00:14:54.96
discipleship and sanctification
that brought about the docile
00:14:54.96\00:14:58.49
acceptance on the part
of so many German Christians
00:14:58.49\00:15:01.16
of the Nazi ideology. In
Bonhoeffer's view, Martin
00:15:01.16\00:15:04.50
Luther had made an important
correction to the monastic
00:15:04.50\00:15:08.04
movement of the Middle Ages
when he had emphasized faith
00:15:08.04\00:15:11.97
and God's
forgiveness as the only remedy
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.74
for sin, rather than
works that do nothing to change
00:15:14.74\00:15:18.28
the heart. But
Bonhoeffer believed
00:15:18.28\00:15:21.05
that it was God's pardoning
grace that had been emphasized
00:15:21.05\00:15:25.09
almost to the exclusion
of sacrifice, self-discipline
00:15:25.09\00:15:30.13
and service to
others in the centuries
00:15:30.13\00:15:32.56
that followed Luther.
Here's Bonhoeffer again:
00:15:32.56\00:15:35.63
'"The price we are
having to pay today in the shape
00:15:35.63\00:15:39.17
of the collapse of the organized
church is only the inevitable
00:15:39.17\00:15:43.37
consequence of our
policy of making grace available
00:15:43.37\00:15:47.01
to all at too low a
cost. We gave away the Word
00:15:47.01\00:15:51.71
and sacraments wholesale.
We baptized, confirmed
00:15:51.71\00:15:55.85
and absolved a whole
nation without condition.
00:15:55.85\00:16:00.36
Our humanitarian sentiment
made us give that which was holy
00:16:00.36\00:16:04.09
to the scornful and unbelieving.
But the call to follow Jesus
00:16:04.09\00:16:09.26
in the narrow way was hardly
ever heard." Could it be that
00:16:09.26\00:16:15.34
a cheap grace gospel has
removed the transformative power
00:16:15.34\00:16:19.07
of the Gospel from
much of Christian preaching
00:16:19.07\00:16:21.68
and teaching today?
Might it be that many people
00:16:21.68\00:16:25.05
have surrendered their
Christian beliefs to popular
00:16:25.05\00:16:28.52
culture, societal
trends and personal priorities?
00:16:28.52\00:16:33.12
Is there still a call
today to costly discipleship?
00:16:33.12\00:16:36.69
Do we still see
courage when majority opinion
00:16:36.69\00:16:40.13
no longer demands it?
Bonhoeffer spoke strongly
00:16:40.13\00:16:44.73
against cheap grace, and
so did the Bible writers.
00:16:44.73\00:16:48.64
In the Bible there is no
such thing as cheap grace.
00:16:48.64\00:16:51.94
Now, salvation is
free, no question about that.
00:16:51.94\00:16:55.18
We are saved by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:16:55.18\00:16:58.78
Salvation cost God
everything. It costs us nothing.
00:16:58.78\00:17:03.62
Paul wrote in Romans 6:23,
'"The gift of God is eternal
00:17:03.62\00:17:08.39
life through Jesus
Christ our Lord." But the cost
00:17:08.39\00:17:11.56
of discipleship? Now,
that's another matter.
00:17:11.56\00:17:15.20
Bonhoeffer once wrote, '"When
Christ calls a man, He bids
00:17:15.20\00:17:19.20
him come and die." Which
is consistent with what you
00:17:19.20\00:17:22.54
read in the Bible.
Paul wrote that when
00:17:22.54\00:17:24.94
a person comes to Christ,
the old person dies and a new
00:17:24.94\00:17:29.34
person is created. You
see, the Gospel involves
00:17:29.34\00:17:33.05
transformation. The
Gospel contemplates our
00:17:33.05\00:17:36.28
completely recovery
from the power of sin.
00:17:36.28\00:17:40.29
Rightly
understood, grace is power.
00:17:40.29\00:17:43.96
It's God's power at
work in the life of a sinner,
00:17:43.96\00:17:47.03
bringing that sinner to
the measure of the stature
00:17:47.03\00:17:50.13
of the fullness of
Christ. And that's good news.
00:17:50.13\00:17:54.94
[Music] So in a
sense it's no surprise
00:17:54.94\00:17:59.84
that so many German Christians,
when faced with Hitler's rise
00:17:59.84\00:18:05.15
to power, failed to
recognize what that might mean
00:18:05.15\00:18:08.18
in terms of the exercise
of their Christian faith.
00:18:08.18\00:18:11.52
Most Germans at that
time professed some form
00:18:11.52\00:18:13.89
of Christianity. And
today there are those
00:18:13.89\00:18:16.56
who say that if more
people had taken a stand like
00:18:16.56\00:18:19.56
that taken by Bonhoeffer
and his courageous colleagues,
00:18:19.56\00:18:23.40
the world may well have been
spared the slaughter of so many
00:18:23.40\00:18:26.90
millions during
those Nazi years.
00:18:26.90\00:18:29.67
I'll have more
in a moment. [Music]
00:18:29.67\00:18:33.81
"Every Word" is a one minute
bible based daily devotional
00:18:33.81\00:18:37.48
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw
00:18:37.48\00:18:39.31
and designed especiallly
for busy people like you.
00:18:39.31\00:18:42.55
Look for "Every
Word" on selected networks
00:18:42.55\00:18:45.22
or watch it online every day
on our website ItIsWritten.com
00:18:45.22\00:18:51.03
[Music] I get
asked every now and then
00:18:51.03\00:18:59.93
about this. We're saved by
grace through faith, right.
00:18:59.93\00:19:03.51
But then Revelation 22:12 says
And, behold, I come quickly;
00:19:03.51\00:19:07.14
and my reward is with me
to give every man according
00:19:07.14\00:19:10.58
as his work shall
be. Sounds to some people
00:19:10.58\00:19:13.35
as though this is saying,
"we're not saved by God's grace
00:19:13.35\00:19:15.42
but by our works. Now
let's look at this carefully
00:19:15.42\00:19:18.52
John writes that we
are "judged by our works"
00:19:18.52\00:19:21.36
not saved by our works.
The point is that our works,
00:19:21.36\00:19:24.73
how we live our lives
demonstrate or give evidence
00:19:24.73\00:19:27.50
regarding the
reality of our profession.
00:19:27.50\00:19:30.43
Anyone at all can claim
to be a follower of Jesus.
00:19:30.43\00:19:33.70
But it isn't what you say that
really matters, it's how you
00:19:33.70\00:19:36.97
live. That's where the evidence
really is. In the judgement,
00:19:36.97\00:19:40.84
it isn't just a profession God
is looking for, he's looking for
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.58
the real thing.
I'm John Bradshaw for
00:19:43.58\00:19:46.41
It Is Written. Let's
live today by Every Word.
00:19:46.41\00:19:51.72
[Music] Planning
for your financial
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future is a vital aspect
of Christian stewardship.
00:19:54.09\00:19:58.09
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer free
00:19:58.09\00:20:00.66
planned giving and estate
services. For information on how
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we can help you, please
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00:20:04.20\00:20:10.11
or visit our special
website, www.HisLegacy.com
00:20:10.11\00:20:18.25
[Music] [German] Unser Fuehrer,
00:20:18.25\00:20:28.39
Adolf Hitler, sieg
[German Crowd] Heil!
00:20:28.39\00:20:32.86
Sieg [German Crowd] Heil
00:20:32.86\00:20:34.56
Sieg [German Crowd] Heil
00:20:34.56\00:20:40.74
[German fades out]
JB: In the 1930s here
00:20:40.74\00:20:44.54
in Nuremburg, Germany,
Adolf Hitler was conducting
00:20:44.54\00:20:48.64
the Nuremburg rallies--massive
Nazi party propaganda events.
00:20:48.64\00:20:55.25
Vast crowds in the hundreds
of thousands would gather
00:20:55.25\00:20:59.52
right here to honor
Hitler as Germany's savior.
00:20:59.52\00:21:04.43
Support for Hitler was
rising; in fact, it was reaching
00:21:04.43\00:21:07.83
fever point.
Hitler was demonstrating
00:21:07.83\00:21:10.73
to the world that he
was a force that would
00:21:10.73\00:21:13.90
not be stopped.
It was while Hitler
00:21:13.90\00:21:16.50
was showing his strength
that Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
00:21:16.50\00:21:18.57
who had returned
to the United States,
00:21:18.57\00:21:20.94
decided it was time to
come back here to Germany.
00:21:20.94\00:21:26.45
Here's what he wrote: '"I
have come to the conclusion
00:21:26.45\00:21:30.29
that I made a
mistake in coming to America.
00:21:30.29\00:21:34.09
I must live through
this difficult period in our
00:21:34.09\00:21:37.03
national history with
the people of Germany.
00:21:37.03\00:21:40.80
I will have no
right to participate
00:21:40.80\00:21:43.26
in the reconstruction of
Christian life in Germany
00:21:43.26\00:21:46.07
after the war if I
do not share the trials
00:21:46.07\00:21:49.74
at this time with my people.
Christians in Germany will
00:21:49.74\00:21:53.81
have to face the
terrible alternative of either
00:21:53.81\00:21:57.41
willing the defeat of their
nation in order that Christian
00:21:57.41\00:22:00.88
civilization may
survive, or willing the victory
00:22:00.88\00:22:04.55
of their nation and
thereby destroying civilization.
00:22:04.55\00:22:09.66
I know which of these
alternatives I must choose,
00:22:09.66\00:22:12.86
but I cannot make
that choice from security."
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.77
He returned to Germany on
the last scheduled steamer
00:22:16.77\00:22:20.74
to cross the
Atlantic. Soon after returning
00:22:20.74\00:22:22.94
to Germany he joined the
Abwehr, a Germany military
00:22:22.94\00:22:28.04
intelligence organization
deeply involved in plots
00:22:28.04\00:22:31.31
against Hitler.
Before long, his discovery
00:22:31.31\00:22:35.42
of the Nazi atrocities
against the Jews and others
00:22:35.42\00:22:38.55
would drive him to decide
that any means of overthrowing
00:22:38.55\00:22:42.12
Hitler's rule,
even violent means,
00:22:42.12\00:22:45.09
were morally justifiable.
Bonhoeffer was finally
00:22:45.09\00:22:50.90
arrested on April 5,
1943. The actual reasons for his
00:22:50.90\00:22:54.97
arrest are a little unclear.
But while he was in custody,
00:22:54.97\00:23:00.64
evidence surfaced of his
involvement in several plots
00:23:00.64\00:23:04.61
aimed at assassinating
the Fuhrer and overthrowing
00:23:04.61\00:23:07.98
Nazi rule. [Music]
00:23:07.98\00:23:14.16
Although Bonhoeffer
had been in prison for over
00:23:16.26\00:23:18.66
a year by the time the
plot was attempted, documents
00:23:18.66\00:23:22.06
proving his involvement
soon surfaced in Berlin.
00:23:22.06\00:23:26.17
He was transferred to
Buchenwald concentration camp
00:23:26.17\00:23:29.57
and there here to
the concentration camp
00:23:29.57\00:23:32.31
in Flossenburg, Germany, where
before long, he would be put
00:23:32.31\00:23:36.54
to death. While he was here,
00:23:36.54\00:23:39.95
Bonhoeffer wrote his
famous '"Letters From Prison,"
00:23:39.95\00:23:43.28
in which he urged
Christian believers to be true
00:23:43.28\00:23:46.12
to biblical principles
and faithful to God in spite
00:23:46.12\00:23:49.96
of the
difficulties they were facing.
00:23:49.96\00:23:52.16
His courage remained
strong and his faith unshaken,
00:23:52.16\00:23:56.97
as he waited for what
he knew was inevitable.
00:23:56.97\00:24:00.77
[Music] On April
8, 1945, in a trial
00:24:00.77\00:24:10.75
held without
witnesses, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
00:24:10.75\00:24:13.95
was found guilty of conspiracy
against the Nazi regime,
00:24:13.95\00:24:17.82
and was sentenced
to death by hanging.
00:24:17.82\00:24:21.26
The next morning at dawn,
just two weeks before the United
00:24:21.26\00:24:24.46
States Army liberated
Flossenburg, the faithful
00:24:24.46\00:24:29.13
pastor and
theologian was executed.
00:24:29.13\00:24:33.34
One man who witnessed
Bonhoeffer's execution
00:24:33.34\00:24:36.17
said this: '"I saw
Pastor Bonhoeffer, kneeling
00:24:36.17\00:24:40.54
on the floor,
praying fervently to God.
00:24:40.54\00:24:44.61
At the place of execution
he again said a short prayer
00:24:44.61\00:24:47.88
and then climbed the few
steps to the gallows, brave
00:24:47.88\00:24:51.65
and composed. His
death ensued after a few
00:24:51.65\00:24:56.46
seconds. In the
almost fifty years
00:24:56.46\00:24:59.79
that I worked as a doctor,
I've hardly ever seen a man
00:24:59.79\00:25:03.77
die so entirely
submissive to the will of God."
00:25:03.77\00:25:07.87
So what about grace? Is
grace simply permission?
00:25:09.34\00:25:13.84
Is it permissiveness?
Is grace license?
00:25:13.84\00:25:17.81
Is it some kind of
get-out-of-jail-free card?
00:25:17.81\00:25:19.81
Is grace, well, it
doesn't really matter what I do
00:25:19.81\00:25:21.92
because, after all,
Jesus has got it covered?
00:25:21.92\00:25:25.19
Or does grace involve
power? Does grace bring
00:25:25.19\00:25:28.12
transformation? The
gospel of Jesus Christ
00:25:28.12\00:25:31.39
calls for a commitment
to Jesus, a total commitment
00:25:31.39\00:25:34.83
to Jesus. Jesus
says that we are not
00:25:34.83\00:25:37.70
to be of this world.
He said in Matthew 22:37
00:25:37.70\00:25:41.40
that you should love the Lord
your God with all your heart,
00:25:41.40\00:25:45.57
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
00:25:45.57\00:25:48.28
And quite simply, that's
just Jesus saying, if you'll
00:25:48.28\00:25:53.28
let Me, if you'll want
Me to, if you'll surrender
00:25:53.28\00:25:58.15
to Me, I'll come into your life
and impact you so radically,
00:25:58.15\00:26:04.09
so totally, that I'll make
a completely new person out
00:26:04.09\00:26:08.70
of you. Jesus says, I'll do that
00:26:08.70\00:26:11.60
for you, and I'll do that
for you today, if you'll let Me,
00:26:11.60\00:26:17.41
if you want Me to.
Do you want that today?
00:26:17.41\00:26:23.18
[Music]
00:26:27.62\00:26:44.23
[Change of music]
00:26:47.70\00:26:50.81
JB: I hope you'll get the
book I'm offering you this week.
00:26:59.18\00:27:02.95
it's called' "Revelation
Today." It unfolds the end times
00:27:02.95\00:27:07.26
scenario presented in the book
of Revelation. This little book
00:27:07.26\00:27:10.33
is going to help you understand
what the book of Revelation
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.03
is really all about.
It untangles the end time
00:27:13.03\00:27:16.67
prophetic scenario to let
you see how the battle between
00:27:16.67\00:27:19.57
good and evil ultimately
plays out. Just call or write
00:27:19.57\00:27:23.64
and I'll send you
'"Revelation Today."
00:27:23.64\00:27:25.34
There's no cost, no obligation,
it's absolutely free.
00:27:25.34\00:27:29.41
All you need to do
is call 1-800-253-3000
00:27:29.41\00:27:33.92
and ask for "Revelation Today."
You can call 24 hours a day
00:27:33.92\00:27:37.82
if the line's busy,
please just keep on trying.
00:27:37.82\00:27:41.39
You can also request your
free copy of "Revelation Today"
00:27:41.39\00:27:44.46
by writing to It Is
Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga
00:27:44.46\00:27:48.56
TN, 37401. We'll mail
you a copy to your address
00:27:48.56\00:27:53.34
in North America. To
get it right away you can
00:27:53.34\00:27:56.24
download a free
electronic version of the book,
00:27:56.24\00:27:58.61
"Revelation Today" from
our website, itiswritten.com.
00:27:58.61\00:28:03.38
It Is Written is a faith based
ministry, and your support makes
00:28:03.38\00:28:06.92
it possibe for us to share
God's good news with the world.
00:28:06.92\00:28:10.92
Your tax deductible gift
can be sent to the address
00:28:10.92\00:28:13.12
on your screen or
through our website at
00:28:13.12\00:28:15.72
ItIsWritten.com.
Thank you for your continued
00:28:15.72\00:28:18.63
prayerful support.
Again, our toll-free number is
00:28:18.63\00:28:22.00
800-253-3000 and our web
address is ItIsWritten.com.
00:28:22.00\00:28:31.01
JB: Let me pray with you today.
Our Father in Heaven, thank
00:28:31.01\00:28:34.41
you for the power of grace,
which allows us to be yours
00:28:34.41\00:28:38.48
in reality, not
just in name, not just in
00:28:38.48\00:28:42.12
profession, which transforms
us and makes us truly yours.
00:28:42.12\00:28:47.39
As we reflect upon the cost
of discipleship, I pray that
00:28:47.39\00:28:50.66
we will experience the
power, not of cheap grace,
00:28:50.66\00:28:52.96
but of your real,
saving, transforming grace.
00:28:52.96\00:28:58.10
We ask your blessing now,
and we pray in Jesus' name,
00:28:58.10\00:29:02.34
Amen.
00:29:02.34\00:29:08.24
[Music]
00:29:12.75\00:29:18.72
Thanks for joining me today.
I look forward to seeing you
00:29:23.46\00:29:25.66
again next time. Until
then, remember, '"It is
00:29:25.66\00:29:29.96
written, man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every
00:29:29.96\00:29:34.17
word that proceeds
from the mouth of God."
00:29:34.17\00:29:37.21
[Music]
00:29:37.77\00:29:40.38