When The Christian Is Alone

What happens when the Christian is alone? What is he to do when he finds himself without the community and fellowship of the saints? Should his behaviors, actions, and thoughts be different than when he is in community?

Bonhoeffer titles chapter three “The Day Alone” and writes about the personal disciplines of a Christian when he is alone. He begins by writing about those that struggle to be alone with themselves, whose spiritual disciplines are so lacking that they turn to community in attempts to distract. “The person who comes into a fellowship because he is running away from himself is misusing it for the sake of diversion, no matter how spiritual this diversion may appear.” (Page 76)

Just like many things that Jesus addresses in the gospels, it is not necessarily the action itself that is sinful but the heart and motivation that determines the morality of your actions. A Christian may be wrongfully seeking community because he cannot be alone.

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community, and let him who is not in community be alone.” (Page 77) The Christian must be in community, but as God intended it. He must not misuse the fellowship of the saints in attempts to formulate a false sense of spiritual health. “Only in the fellowship do we learn to be rightly alone and only in aloneness do we learn to live rightly in the fellowship.”

Part of being alone is the practice of solitude, and the mark of solitude, Bonhoeffer says, is silence. Now, silence is not the same as dumbness. The Bible praises the man who holds his tongue (Prov 10:19). “The speech, the Word which establishes and binds together the fellowship, is accompanied by silence.” (Page 78) “The Word comes not to the chatterer but to him who holds his tongue. The stillness of the temple is the sign of the holy presence of God in His Word.” (Page 79)

In reference back to my previous entry, centered around the morning and the Christian’s time with the Lord, I want to share this quote from Bonhoeffer on page 79. “We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep because the last word also belongs to God.”

Solitude I am learning to implement and cultivate in my life. It is difficult this semester to find the time to rest, be in silence and solitude, and meditate on the word of God. My homework has significantly hindered my efforts to consume Scripture and meditate on God’s word. I am looking forward to the Thanksgiving break and the opportunity to rest from my work, pray, read Scripture, and consider all the ways that God has worked in my life this semester.

“Even if initially meditation means nothing but this one thing, that we are performing a service that we owe to God, it would still be sufficient.” (Page 81) This is what I will believe regarding meditation until it becomes easier. Until solitude and silence is a natural response to the word of God, I will believe the experience of past believers such as Bonhoeffer.