Quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

What does it mean to love God? Loving God means giving him everything that belongs to me; it means wishing nothing for myself; it means asking his will before everything you do; it means gladly thinking about him, praying to him, gladly hearing and reading his word.

To live in the light of the resurrection - that is what Easter means.

The only thing I am really clear about in the whole problem is that a 'culture' that breaks down in the face of danger is no culture.

It was Bonhoeffer and his friends who proved by their resistance unto death that even in the age of the nation-state there are loyalties which transcend those to state and nation.

Only from this point of view can it be proved that Hitler and his gang were not only the destroyers of Europe but also traitors to their own country; and, further, that men can lose their country if it is represented by an anti-Christian régime.

Why do I meditate? Because I am a Christian and because for that very reason every day is lost to me in which I have not deepened my knowledge of God's word in Holy Scripture. It is only on the firm basis of God's word that I can take certain steps. As a Christian, however, it is only through hearing the sermon and through prayerful meditation that I come to know Holy Scripture.

We have something to hide. We have secrets, worries, thoughts, hopes, desires, passions which no one else gets to know. We are sensitive when people get near those domains with their questions. And now, against all rules of tact the Bible speaks of the truth that in the end we will appear before Christ with everything we are and were…. And we all know that we could justify ourselves before any human court, but not before this one. Lord, who can justify themselves

Bethge's addendum: "Because I must practice so that I can stand alone before God, for I alone will stand in judgment before God, I alone will be accountable, and I alone will say: I trust in Christ.

"Authority rests upon his shoulders" (Isa. 9:6).

We can now continue to follow the Bible in answering the question "What is love?" Love is the reconciliation of man with God in Jesus Christ.

In normal life one is often not at all aware that we always receive infinitely more than we give, and that gratitude is what enriches life. One easily overestimates the importance of one's own acts and deeds, compared with what we become only through other people.

When God opens our eyes for his word, we see into a world of miracles.