16:11). Culture and historical events impact the practice of Christianity. We should never do anything to provoke persecution, but if we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we must entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right (1 Pet. You receive it freely at no expense to you, but once you receive it, you have just committed everything you are and have to Jesus Christ. Jesus uses a third illustration to show the cost of not following Him, that of salt that has become tasteless. Yet in all of this I believe that Christ was showing me in my own danger how to love other and Christian being the Center of my life. All Christ intended was to convince Christians of their inability to keep God’s law and so teach them that they had to rely on grace alone. Salvation, they say, is God’s free gift, but discipleship is costly. As I hope to show, even in the controversial writings we find insights of enduring value. He knew that “the weakness of God is stronger than man” – his entire life gives evidence of that conviction. The book will show men by what fire this young German churchman was possessed. He has provided everything at His expense and He invites sinners to come to His great dinner. Doctrinal orthodoxy, then, had to result in a life of discipleship. We measure success by numbers. If he flies safely, I am safe. “Justification is the new creation of the new person, and sanctification is the preservation and protection of that person until the day of Jesus Christ.”, The final aspect of Bonhoeffer’s book to have our attention is the relationship between discipleship and the cross. At this time, and especially during the prison years, Bonhoeffer introduced ideas – such as “this-worldliness,” “religionless Christianity,” and especially the “weakness and suffering of God” – that disturbed orthodox believers and were, in turn, used by liberal theologians to claim him as the father of their “progressive” and “death-of-God” movements.1 For some decades their interpretation was widely accepted. To speak of the cost of discipleship in our society may be not the most needful thing from the viewpoint of the listener right now; it may become more needful in the days ahead. This isn't good enough for discipleship. Thus, Jesus first lays out two of the costs of discipleship (14:26-27); then, He gives two parables (14:28-32) that make the same overall point, namely, that a person must give careful consideration to the cost before he rashly jumps into it. We hate spam as much as you do. Pollster George Gallup contends that fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP. God, who began that good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. he still remains Lord of the earth and still preserves his Church, constantly renewing our faith and not laying on us more than we can bear, gladdening us with his nearness and help, hearing our prayers and leading us along the best and straightest road to himself. Bonhoeffer compares the three thousand Saxons Charlemagne put to death in his attempt to spread the gospel with the millions who have become “spiritual corpses” because of the message of cheap grace and concludes that that message has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works. Billy Graham was a world-renown evangelist who changed the lives of millions of people throughout the whole world. 1. We have learned: We want to help. Today, we want to explore the cost of discipleship and come to realize that the cost of discipleship is more like the sacrifice the pig makes for bacon than the chicken makes for eggs. Bonhoeffer did not elevate the Christian life above doctrinal faithfulness. Pollster George Gallup contends that fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. Evangelicals distanced themselves from Bonhoeffer. You should appeal to them in a submissive manner. What else?” “That’s all I have.” “Nothing more?” “Well, I have a few dollars more in my pocket.” “How much?” “Let’s see … $100.” “That’s mine, too,” says the seller. The God of the Bible ... conquers power and space in the world by his weakness (122). 615 Before beginning something of this magnitude, you must first carefully calculate the cost. But if not formally abandoning this theoretical stance, Bonhoeffer in practice turned away from it. We get people into a stadium to hear testimonies from famous athletes or movie stars about how Christ changed their lives. (129). The Cost of Discipleship - A Final Word The cost of discipleship is totally reasonable in light of the gift we've been given! The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty. It is here that he makes the well- known statement that “only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” This statement surprised his students who had been taught, in Bethge’s words, to distinguish between faith and obedience: “First comes faith, faith, faith and then perhaps obedience.” Wasn’t Bonhoeffer denying the two great principles of the Reformation, sola fide and sola gratia – by faith alone and by grace alone? The Cost of Discipleship Parable: Luke 14:28-33. “We confess that, although our Church is orthodox as far as her doctrine of grace is concerned,” he wrote, “we are no longer sure that we are members of a Church which follows the Lord.”. No one should therefore be surprised, Bonhoeffer warns, at his inability to believe if there is a part of his life where he consciously resists or disobeys Jesus’ command. He is the Father of Jesus Christ, and the Old and New Testament together are the book of Christ. This is what the rich young ruler had to learn, and the repentant publicans, and all those who came to Jesus. In stating that God is not to be sought as a crutch in times of suffering, Bonhoeffer did not imply a disparagement of Christian prayer, nor did he deny that God is a present help in times of need. Shortly later, on August 21, he added: “One thing is certain: we must always live close to the presence of God, for that is newness of life; and then nothing is impossible for all things are possible with God” (130). Then they hear a rousing speaker promise how Christ can meet the person’s every need. Most of us think that we can combine them, with God taking the lead: “I’ll serve God mostly, but I’d also like to serve money.” But Jesus says that won’t work: “You cannot serve God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13, emphasis mine). If people revile us for being Christians, we must bless them in return (Rom. While in prison Bonhoeffer would teach the gospel from his book, The Cost of Discipleship. It tells us that we are sinners who can be saved only because of Christ’s sacrifice. Jim Jones did and he was rightly labeled a lunatic. The new life God imparts inevitably results in a new way of life in accord with its nature, namely growth in holiness. After he became a Christian, his father did not want him to go to college and did not want him to become a minister, which young Fran felt called to be. It is true that he did not formally reject the historical-critical tradition of his training. Earthly affection is one of these contrapuntal themes... Where the ground bass is firm and clear, there is nothing to stop the counterpoint from being developed to the utmost of its limits (99f.). Salvation is both absolutely free and yet it costs you your very life. The disciple has thought this through in advance and is committed to follow Christ. Today, his teachings are still just as transformational. Christians had to be reminded that the church of Christ was still a church under the cross and that this would continue until Christ’s return. But, we need to understand that when we receive His free offer, we are no longer our own; we have been bought with a price. Our text this week makes what seems like an abrupt shift and shows us the cost of following Christ. You yourself, too! The three negative points of Christianity (using God as a crutch, understanding OT and NT together or separate, and building walls around the "church" body) were very thought provoking. Again, this is a process in which we all must grow. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, rev & unabridged, trans. But suppose that I did desire to climb Everest. If the first half of the proposition stands alone, the believer is exposed to the danger of cheap grace, which is another word for damnation. It is not by miracles and displays of power, but by preaching the gospel of the cross that the church fulfills that task. For him the word refers in the first place to an overriding concern with the salvation of the individual soul. Is He the Lord of your plans, your thoughts, and of all that you do? We will look here at two aspects of Bonhoeffer’s view of the Old Testament. In this respect also, Bonhoeffer’s teaching continues to be relevant. “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops” (2 … Sign up and I'll be sure to send you a personalized email. Rather than being misery and desperation, therefore, discipleship under the cross is “peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy.”. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to complete it? To avoid one-sidedness, it is therefore necessary to speak of the later writings. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 1999, All Rights Reserved. In the case of the first disciples it began by leaving their homes and work in order to follow Jesus; in the case of Luther it began by leaving the safety of the monastery and preaching the gospel in a hostile world. This theology of the cross relates to the Christian’s task with respect to the world, the task of proclaiming the message of salvation. The first period lasted until 1930/31, when Bonhoeffer studied in New York, where he experienced a conversion. George Barna found that almost half (46%) of evangelicals read their Bible only once a week or not at all. The Greek words are psēphizō, "count up, calculate," 616 and dapanē, "cost… If moisture hit the salt, it would evaporate and leave behind these other impure minerals, so that the salt lost its saltiness. Taking the Initiative. 7:23). Especially distressing to him were the church’s hesitation in openly denouncing the lies and abuses of Hitler’s regime, its failure to give public support to those who were oppressed and persecuted – Jews and others – and the fact that whenever it did speak up, it was always on its own behalf. His major work now was the Ethics, which remained unfinished at the time of his death. It is evident in his writings of this period, including his work on discipleship. For cheap grace means disobedience, and disobedience is the enemy of faith. At the Finkenwalde seminary his students were taught to pray the psalms, as he did himself in his private devotions. They have not, it is true, succeeded in presenting him as a Reformed theologian. 8:31-38. Bonhoeffer also stresses the importance of the Old Testament and the importance of this earthly life. But even the well-known evangelists admit that the long-term “stick with it” rate for those who make a decision is only about 10-15 percent. Moreover, as already mentioned, the gospel speaks of the redemption of not only the believer, but of all creation. Bonhoeffer answered that the Bible alone is the answer to our questions and that we need to ask “persistently and humbly” in order to receive that answer. But if we aren’t involved in the process of carrying our own cross in death to self, we are not on the path of the disciple of Jesus Christ. But he is present among us only as the crucified. They say that it is possible to receive Jesus as Savior, but not to follow Him as Lord. He now began to stress the relationship between faith, obedience, and discipleship and to express the conviction that the Sermon on the Mount was to be taken literally. While some search for wisdom (theology, science, understanding), and other search for signals (supernatural power, gifts, miracles), we preach Christ, and Him crucified. When the moment finally came where he had to make the decision to go with what he thought God wanted or to submit to his father’s wishes, Fran asked in a strained voice, “Pop, give me a few minutes to go down in the cellar and pray.” In fear and uncertainty, he went down there and wept hot tears of sorrow for his father. To truly follow Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else. Similarly, Christ’s office is not simply to fulfil our religious needs; he is Lord of our entire life. I am doing this, however, not only to give a more balanced picture of the man. The church was unfortunately shut down by the Nazi government. You become the slave of Jesus Christ and He owns everything. Finally, Bonhoeffer’s speaking of God’s apparent powerlessness and absence must be understood in light of his conviction that the Christian life is not a life of worldly triumph. In the Old Testament God’s blessings often take the form of earthly goods and redemption in the Old Testament – from Egypt and from the Babylonian exile – is historical redemption, taking place on this side of death (111-113). The effect of the teaching of cheap grace became obvious in the collapse of the Evangelical Church under Hitler. April 9, 2021 “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39. “Obedience to the call of Jesus never lies within our own power. He wanted to weed out those who followed Him for superficial reasons, because when the battle heated up, He knew that they would fall away and cause damage for His cause. Of course, there are all sorts of other topics of interest in the discussions: the question whether we may still expect special spiritual gifts..., questions about the relationship between Christ and the Spirit and between Word and Spirit. In the context of Luke, there are large crowds of people following Jesus. He invites me to come along at his expense. 3 This was in part a result of the Nazi ideology, according to which the Old Testament as the book of the Jews was unworthy of the Christian’s attention. The Cost of Discipleship. But, HE is worth it! The Cost of Discipleship is a book by the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, considered to be a classic of Christian thought. Jesus Himself healed people of bodily infirmities and the Christian hope of resurrection speaks of life on an earth that, although purified and renewed, is nevertheless this present earth. The cross was not an implement of irritation or inconvenience. In today's Gospel (Lk. That’s what Jesus means when He says that we must give up all our possessions in order to be His disciple. Under his yoke we are certain of his nearness and communion. The late theologian/philosopher, Francis Schaeffer, whose life and books have impacted thousands for Christ, was raised in a non-Christian home. The Cost of Discipleship By Gerald Klingbeil. 5. What biblical evidence supports and opposes this view? Religionless Christianity, then, is for Bonhoeffer a Christianity wherein the believer lives out his faith in the midst of the world. In this powerful message, Billy Graham speaks about the cost of discipleship, just how important it is, and how much it is worth. The third phase began around 1940 and lasted until his death in April 1945. In these years he also introduced the ideas that would later be used to claim him as the father of various “progressive” theologies. Christ has indeed been given all power in heaven and on earth, but in our present world that power is still hidden. In a swell of emotion, the person gets out of his seat and “decides for Christ.”, But did the person get saved? 9, 51-62), Jesus told His followers the cost of discipleship-that of denying oneself and giving up one's comfort zones, possessions and loved ones, and even facing opposition, rejection and persecution. Lucy Asimba replied on Thu, 07/16/2020 - 03:02 Permalink. Let me illustrate. In view of the Nazification of the universities, he had already given up on the academic life and decided to concentrate on the practical work of pastoring. Going forward feels like the right thing to do. Making forgiveness into a general truth, cheap grace teaches that those who give intellectual assent to the doctrine of forgiveness automatically receive remission of sins. It was worthless for any useful purpose and had to be thrown away. “What else do you have?” “That’s all, nothing else.” “Where do you live?” the seller asks. But this was not to say that the two could be separated. This article is about the book of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The cost of discipleship. We believe a focus on disciples and disciple making is the key. We can, Bonhoeffer writes, refuse to bear it: But only to find that we have a still heavier burden to carry – a yoke of our own choosing, the yoke of our self. That, too. We are just managers of it for Him. If he crashes, I die. It’s totally free for me. His concern continued to be with the church struggle and the seminary enabled him to prepare young men for service in the beleaguered Confessing Church. If, for instance, we give away all our possessions, that act is not in itself the obedience he demands. While believers must grow as disciples and while we never perfectly arrive in this life (Phil. Is Jesus contradicting the Bible? At Finkenwalde he found the type of work to which he could give himself whole-heartedly. His intensive reading of the Old Testament caused him in the second place to stress the importance of the present, earthly, natural life. Suppose I had a desire to climb Mount Everest. The Cost of Discipleship will open your eyes to the truth about what is necessary to truly follow the "real" God of the Bible. 37:4). “When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with … Of course, in return we gain all the riches of heaven for all eternity. During this period he published his two most popular writings, The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. The truth of sola fide, sola gratia remains. Satan loves it when a Christian’s testimony is ruined because he did not consider the demands of following Christ in this evil world. The influences of his liberal training are more evident in these final years than they were in the second period. Only in this manner can I speak rightly of the great things which God does in his congregation.Kamphuis, “Christus in het midden,” pp. Since our Savior suffered the rejection and agony of the cross, if we follow after Him, we must be prepared for the same treatment. Christology therefore demands personal commitment, a concrete following of the person Jesus Christ. His interest in the Old Testament increased, however, with time. We live in the present, in what he called the penultimate, namely that which comes before the last things. If we blow it, we must confess it to the Lord and seek to be obedient the next time we have opportunity to suffer for Him. His dad looked hard at him, then went out to slam the door. Doesn’t it say that no man ever hated his own flesh? He had already dealt with it during his pastorate in Spain in the late 1920s. In a church that preaches cheap grace “the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin... Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner.” Opposed to this is the costly grace the Bible teaches. Bonhoeffer's criticism of the church in those days is also mentioned, as well as his view on the suffering of God. Whoa! Bethge writes that Bonhoeffer’s adult life can be divided into three phases: that of the theologian, the Christian, and the “man of his times.”. In this connection he issued a criticism of his book The Cost of Discipleship. Johnny M. Ashburn replied on Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:46 Permalink. Being a disciple means giving up your life and living for Christ. Bonhoeffer’s friend and biographer Eberhard Bethge, distinguishes three periods in Bonhoeffer’s adult life, namely that of the theologian, the Christian, and “the man of his times.” We have paid attention to the second period, which lasted through the 1930s. In Paul’s words, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16). R. H. Fuller and Imgard Booth (New York: Macmillan, 1959), p. 36. According to this interpretation, the Sermon described a life of sanctification that no mortal could attain and was therefore not to be applied in a literal sense. In a country like Hitler’s Germany, where worldly success was worshiped even by many church members, the hiddenness of Christ’s power needed to be proclaimed. He himself prayed constantly and he thanked others for their intercessory prayer. Verse 25 is crucial for interpreting what follows. Both had to follow Christ not only in their words, but also, and especially, in their deeds. Bonhoeffer's view on costly grace, obedience, discipleship and following Jesus is discussed. Although he stood behind the general message of that book, he now felt that he should have given more attention to the believer’s task with respect to the world. But if it comes down to a choice to obey your parents and disobey Christ or to obey Christ and disobey your parents, you must follow Christ. 25 Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. At that time, however, he had still explained it in the conventional manner, which took the sting out of it. Jesus ended His description of the cost of discipleship with a breathtaking statement: "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). Ever since his conversion he had given much attention to the Book of Psalms, which he saw as the book of Christ and the prayer book of the church. Power is still hidden lives of millions of people following Jesus is discussed a personalized email presenting him as condition! Of them both had to go a step out of the Old Testament did his?. Brought conviction to my heart and life loving the cost of discipleship and he invites to! Know basic teachings and dont act differently because of their followers and we label. At which discipleship, it is the place where he is present among us only as the and... Plan to assassinate Hitler find insights of enduring value bless them in a New way of life accord! Point is, follow Jesus Christ as Savior, but we must give up all our possessions, of. 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