“Whenever Christ calls us, his call leads us to death.”

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Source: Discipleship (1937), Discipleship and the Cross, p. 87. This quote ends with an oft quoted aphorism: Jeder Ruf Christi fährt in den Tod.
Variant translations:
Every call of Christ leads into death.
When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.
Context: The Cross is not the terrible end of a pious happy life. Instead, it stands at the beginning of community with Jesus Christ. Whenever Christ calls us, his call leads us to death.

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer161

German Lutheran pastor, theologian, dissident anti-Nazi 1906–1945

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Source: Discipleship (1937), Discipleship and the Cross, p. 87