God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own laws, and judges that brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself.
I have read this passage many times to seminarians – and also to the various staff teams over the years here at Millmead. Almost always it provokes a strong reaction. ‘Visionary dreaming is surely what leadership is all about?’ they say. ‘What’s wrong with having some ideals?’ Thus begins a lively debate, as we try to unpack what exactly Bonhoeffer means.
It’s worth remembering that Bonhoeffer was writing this at a time of hyper-visionary leadership in Germany. I am speaking about Hitler of course. And if you ever wanted an example of how ideology destroys a community rather than builds it up, Nazism is it. Bonhoeffer’s focus, however, is not the nation but the church, and how even in the Christian community our idealism, our visionary dreaming about community life, can be the very thing that destroys it, for the simple reason that people don’t conform to ideals – not even the ideals of a visionary. Church life, alas, is altogether more messy than someone’s ideals. And what binds it together, therefore, is not a strategic vision but the grace of God. Once we come to terms with that, and stop posturing, things begin to grow. But they grow not because we force them to grow, but because we thankfully receive the Christian community as it really is. The way forward in church life is not idealism. That way lies death. The way forward is through realism, patience and love.
Gracious God, help me to receive the church as it is, not as I want it to be. Help me to love it, warts and all. May your leaders be those who strive for excellence but also those who exercise deep compassion for your people. May we stop analysing and start celebrating the wonder of the body of Christ.
Amen
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
As a Lutheran preacher, Bonhoeffer believed wholeheartedly in justification by faith alone. That’s the grace bit. But with the capitulation of the German church to Nazism, he realised that it is possible for faith to end up as complacency – what he would call ‘cheap grace’. Hence, in the opening chapters of The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer is at pains to point out that the flip side of grace is obedience. As someone once said, salvation is free, but it will cost you everything you have.
On the surface this sounds like a contradiction. And if the stress is placed in the wrong place, it is a contradiction. Some preachers so emphasise obedience that it undoes the gift of grace and makes salvation into something we do. But Bonhoeffer is not saying that. Instead, with great skill, he is simply teaching, as Luther himself taught, that for grace to be truly saving it will end up as passion to follow Jesus, no matter what. We are justified by faith alone, but it is not a faith that is alone. If that is difficult to understand it is because we have not yet found the pearl of great price. Once we do, the desire to sell up and give everything begins to make sense.
Dear Lord, your love is so amazing, so divine, it demands my soul, my life, my all. On this first day of Lent, forgive me if I have ever made your grace cheap.
Amen
Please note: These 2026 Lentern reflections are the work of Baptist Minister Rev Dr Ian Stackhouse at Guildford BC, that were used last year for his church. I hope we can enjoy them and gain great benefit and insight from the reflections. We repost them during Lent for your encouragement.