The Cost of Discipleship
Then [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” ––Luke 9:23
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer is one of the great Christian books of the 20th century. Born in Germany in 1906 and raised in a Christian home, young Bonhoffer saw the rise of Naziism and the effect it had not only on German society as a whole, but on the German church. In The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoffer writes, “[Discipleship] is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.”
Considering the fact that Bonhoffer called out Hitler and the Nazi party as the evil entities that they were, and was subsequently executed for his participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler, those are tall words backed up by very sober actions. Bonhoffer is a great example for every God’s man: He knew his priorities, was not afraid to vocalize them, and did all he could to carry them out.
Thankfully, we don’t live in 1930s Nazi Germany, and God most likely won’t ask you or me to pay the ultimate price for our faith. But it still begs the question: How far are you willing to go to represent Christ in an increasingly secular and hostile culture? Here’s the irony: God isn’t so much asking you to die for your faith as He is asking you to fully live for it.
What this means is summed up well by Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase: “They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb and the bold word of their witness. They weren’t in love with themselves; they were willing to die for Christ” (Revelation 12:11, MSG). The optimal word here is “willing.” This is a decision we make beforehand—before crisis occurs; before the proverbial poo-pay hits the fan. When we are under pressure, do we choose Jesus? What does that look like? It could be a “small” thing like deciding to tell the guy in front of you at the mall that $100 just fell out of his pocket. Or it could be a big thing like thoughtfully but strongly refusing to support a cause at work that you know is anti-biblical.
Discipleship is a long game; a lifetime endeavor. It’s contemplating your actions in response to the world’s pressures or demands—ahead of time. Discipleship’s foundation is built upon the small stones plucked from the river of decisions you make day by day and year by year. While I can’t guarantee you that discipleship—choosing to live by God’s Word in thought and deed—will be easy, I can absolutely guarantee you that it will be worth it.
Father, I know the cost of discipleship is high—give me the courage to pay the price to live for You each day.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1963; first published, 1937.