Paul Speaks of God as the Creator of the World

Paul Speaks of God as the Creator of the World 
Today, Christians are in some of the most controversial news stories in the world. Currently, the prosperity gospel takes center stage as churches appear to be chasing after money with pastors asking for the best in life to be able to spread God’s word. In Acts 17:24, Paul speaks of God as the creator of the world and further notes that God does not live in the super-expensive auditoriums and temples that men are committed to building. However, today, there appears to be a disconnect between the understanding of who God is, considering the many misrepresentations being showcased every other day. Further, the word of God has been transformed into a book of convenience, broken down into tiny bits and pieces of evidence to support what a preacher is trying to sell to his or her congregation. These acts continue to discredit the church and destroy its credibility, which individuals like Bonhoeffer fought to maintain. Through his book Life Together, Bonhoeffer offers Christians clear-cut instructions and guidelines on how to live as individuals, together, and as a Christian community. Through teachings on how to stay united as a community, seeking solitude, fellowshipping with God before a day breaks, and serving one another, Bonhoeffer delivers a selfless appeal to the Christian community. Provided herein is an analysis of how Bonhoeffer appeals to the Christian community to seek transformation and renewal of their minds by following God’s precepts found in his word, the Bible.
The first thing that Bonhoeffer did in his book is to lay a foundation for how the church ought to conduct itself as a community. However, Bonhoeffer is committed to maintaining a focus on God and what he can do for the church. Therefore, in his insistence on the church to live as a community, Bonhoeffer pleads with the church to trust God to lead them to a “genuine Christian community” (10). He believed that it all needs to start with God and be guided and delivered by God. To him, God had to be the center of everything the church does, including seeking to live as a community. However, for the church to exist as a community of Christians, Bonhoeffer asks the church to change their perception with regard to how they treat each other and view each other. “My brother or sister is instead that other person who has been redeemed by Christ, absolved from sin, and called to faith and eternal life” (8). The image he creates with this statement is one where people seek to view each other from Christ’s point of view. God saw that everything he created was good, and Bonhoeffer reminds Christians to embrace the perception of God in their approach to treating each other. That way, it becomes easier for the transformation that comes through the word of God to permeate and attain the intended results. He captures the above by noting that “God does not want me to mold others into the image that seems good to me, that is, into my own image” (71). He makes it clear that the intention of God is that everyone is accepted into this community. However, the only way this can happen is by first choosing to admit that their perception is wrong and to agree to be transformed and ...