Jesus Christ never draws near in the course of a fleeting, passing impression. Either He brings God’s whole kingdom forever, or He gives nothing. Only those who want to receive Him completely and forever can experience Him. To Him it is given to know the secret of God’s kingdom. Wherever there is life that comes from God, life takes on that form which corresponds to the complete image of Jesus Christ, and therefore to the kingdom of God.
- Eberhard Arnold
- Eberhard Arnold, January 1920 From an EssayJustice and love demand that everyone take part in simple practical work with a spade, hatchet, or rake. Everyone should be ready to devote a few hours every day to this practical work; those who have done purely mental work till now will feel its humanizing effect especially. In this way it will be possible for each person’s unique gifts to be kindled. The light that flickers within each heart will then exhibit its once-hidden glow in scholarly research or in music, in expressive words, or in the craftsman’s art in wood, stone, or paint…such work will reveal the joy in life that is in each person. Only death knows idleness and tedium. Where there is life, the mind’s creative will remains alert and comes to expression in the service of the whole.
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Only if we accept the whole Christ, for the whole of life, can everything be changed and renewed. It is a lie and a delusion to think that Jesus can be accepted in part, for only part of life. The spirit of life tolerates no choosing of guiding principles or elements of faith, no selecting from God’s truth, by a self-willed spirit. Truth is indivisible.
- Eberhard Arnold
There is no other life of faith than that of the unity and community in which Christ lives. Faith lives in Christ. The deepest relationship of unity is the necessary condition for the restoration and renewal of life. The believer is in Christ and Christ is in him; this is the power that transforms from within all relationships of life.
- Eberhard Arnold