The fullness of God cannot endure any private life of self, however pious. He who toils to keep himself and his salvation and inner life afloat is still occupied with himself and has no strength for loving. But he who has been saved from the death-bringing, isolated life of self takes part in the all-embracing life power of God’s unity, and will give this power to his deliverer as love which goes out to all. In this unity, then, all who will accept the Word in Jesus will be set free.
- Eberhard Arnold
April 27,2026
- Eberhard Arnold From a letter, May 1920How glad I am that you are so positively united with me in the experience of peace and of Jesus’ spirit of love! The question is not at all one of our only refusing to do military service, though people always put it in this negative way. This refusal, after all, follows as a matter of course from a positive experience of the Spirit of Christ. When this Spirit, which is expressed so very intensely in the Sermon on the Mount and in Romans 8, penetrates us and glows in us, then we will become victorious people who must work as long as it is daylight—work in the productive, creative work of love.
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Keep your courage and hold fast to the holy expectation! The faith and the love of Jesus Christ will give you the great thoughts which are worthy of this hour. The more evil the hour, the greater it becomes for the Gospel and for the task of the Church. Do not be alarmed! God is greater than our hearts. The believing heart can embrace greater things than the whole world can imagine. Surrender every single thing into the whole! Let the great things rule over all small things!
- Eberhard Arnold
The love to Jesus, this burning personal love to God who has made himself known to us, is and remains the witness to the unity of all-embracing life. This love as the deepest and most heartfelt personal relationship finds its living expression in calling upon the One it loves. The truth and force of this love, however, lies in the decisive fact that it is God, really God, whom it meets in Christ. One who really believes in God as He is and works, will be urged again and again to communicate with Him.
- Eberhard Arnold