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The Cost of Discipleship

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I recently took a seminary class that dealt with traditions in Christian devotion, and one of the assignments was to pick a classic Christian book and do a report on it. I chose "Cost of Discipleship" because I had wanted to read it for some time. Much has been said about the book's power, and I desired to experience that for myself. After finishing it, I can see why "Cost of Discipleship" has challenged so many in their walk with Christ.

The book's major theme centers on what it really means to be a disciple of Christ. This is summed up by Bonhoeffer's statement that Christ calls us to "come and die." Christ wants all of us - nothing is to be held back. One is either a disciple of Christ, or they are not. There is no middle ground. The true disciple is dying to his or her life as a whole, and their old life is being replaced with the life of Christ.

"Cost of Discipleship" is soaked in Scripture, and that is one of its main strengths. This is not surprising, since reading the Bible actually contributed to Bonhoeffer's personal conversion and commitment to Christ. Bonhoeffer constantly refers to Biblical passages to make his points, and he does not resort to storytelling or even personal anecdotes. One can sense his deep love for the Bible and for Christ throughout the book. Another strength is Bonhoeffer's conveyance of how imperative commitment to Christ really is. Bonhoeffer was an early foe of Adolph Hitler, and this book was published while he was being persecuted by the Nazis. Thererfore, he wrote as one who has stood for Christ in tough times, and he knew that Christ is one's only hope. Indeed, he eventually gave his life for his faith, and by all Christian and secular accounts glorified God to the very end. Finally, even though "Cost of Discipleship" was published in 1937, every page in this book counters the "easy believism" and license that tempt and seduce many Christians today. Bonhoeffer attacks "cheap grace" and demands a steadfast, deep loyalty to Christ. He illustrates the power and holiness of God in a way that indicates the necessity of a healthy, reverent fear towards God.

However, I did have a couple of minor issues with the book. It is somewhat densely written, and therefore may be daunting to the average layreader. Bonhoeffer was a highly educated theologian, and it shows in his writing style. In addition, Bonhoeffer tends to neglect grace in favor of emphasizing absolute holiness and commitment. His moralistic leanings have the danger of encouraging legalism and asceticism if a reader is inclined toward those pitfalls. I'm sure this was not his intent, since it was Bonhoeffer's genuine love for Christ that motivated his passion and perseverance. But this may be a situation where a person takes for granted a truth they have worked through and internalized, and therefore they fail to communicate it to others because it is so integral to them. I think Bonhoeffer loved God so deeply, with all his being, that he never thought to specifically describe loving God as the basis for the principles in this book. However, it is also possible that the times he lived in prevented a more introspective writing style. Bonhoeffer was under persecution by a political regime that he knew to be the epitome of evil. Therefore, he knew what was at stake, and so focused on what needed to be heard about the cost of Christian discipleship, with the assumption (or at least hope) that the reader already had an abiding love for Christ.

Overall, "Cost of Discipleship" challenged me in a number of ways. First, Bonhoeffer's life and death were inspiring - he lived what he wrote, and I consider him to be an example of faith in action that every Christian should emulate. I pray that I would face persecution with his courage and perseverance. Second, his linking of sanctification with being part of the Body of Christ encourages me to avoid being a "lone wolf" Christian. It's important for my spiritual health to become part of a church so that I can minister to others and be ministered to as well. Third, his love for Scripture reminds me to never forsake reading the Bible, and also not to rely exclusively on the writings of others, or their interpretations of Scripture. Fourth, his focus on a relationship with Christ prods me to examine my own relationship with Him, and to ensure that I don't neglect it. Finally, his statement that Christ bids us to "come and die" leads me to evaluate the level of my own commitment as a Christian, especially in light of current events.

"The Cost of Discipleship" was difficult to read. This was in part due to its literary density, but also because of its powerful message about the true cost of being a disciple of Christ. Bonhoeffer's words are relevant, convicting, and challenging to anyone who claims to be a Christian. Highly recommended.

"And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God." These words of Aeschylus echoed through me time and time again as I read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Cost of Discipleship". This was not an easy book to read. I do not think it was meant to be easy.

Bonhoeffer was a person of limitless courage and faith. Born 1906 in Breslau, Germany to a prosperous family Bonhoeffer studied theology and completed his doctoral thesis when he was 21. He rose to some measure of fame in the 1930s by virtue of his writings and radio sermons.

The rise of Adolph Hitler ran parallel to Bonhoeffer's own rise and it was opposition to the evils of Nazi-ism that compelled Bonhoeffer to put his words into actions, actions that cost him his life. As is set out in the introductory memoir in this edition, Bonhoeffer understood immediately that Hitler and his national socialist ideology represented a grave threat to Germans, to Christianity, and to western civilization. In a radio adress he gave in February, 1933 Bonhoeffer denounced Hitler and denounced his fellow Germans for accepting a corrupt and inhumane leader and system as its idol. Although Bonhoeffer spent a great deal of time living in England, safe from harm, he understood that he could not in good conscience "participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people." Bonhoeffer returned to Germany in 1939 to take up the struggle against Nazi-ism. He had to have known that his return would lead to his death but he knew he could not do otherwise. He was called and he obeyed that call without question.

Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943 after being caught assisting the escape of a number of Jews from Germany. On April 8, 1945, with Allied troops only days from liberating his prison, Bonhoeffer was executed on the orders of Hitler by the S.S. Black Guards. One cannot read the Cost of Discipleship without an acute understanding that his writings on sacrifice, on obedience, and on the cost of grace were mirrored by his actions.

Cost of Discipleships consists of a series of set pieces on grace, justification, and obedience to God. This was a tough book to read for two reasons. First, I grew up in a tradition in which words like grace and justification were concepts best left for other denominations. I had to think about the meaning and context of those words in order to understand what he was saying. Second, Bonhoeffer does not speak to his reader in the manner of a kindly, easy-going grandfather. Rather, he speaks in the manner of the strict drill instructor in boot camp whose manner is designed to hit you in the face with your own (and his) inadequacies until you break. As you read further the purpose behind Bonhoeffer's harsh manner evidences itself. Like the drill instructor his purpose is not to be harsh for the sake of harshness but to save your neck once you leave boot camp and make your way to the front lines. The drill instructor is harsh to help ensure your survival. Bonhoeffer is harsh to help one seek salvation through faith.

The book begins with a section entitled The Call to Discipleship. Each step of the way Bonhoeffer sets up a test, a test that this reader invariably fails each step of the way. He discusses `cheap grace', the kind where "my only duty as a Christian is to eave the world for an hour or so on a Sunday morning and go to church to be assured that my sins are all forgiven." Bonhoeffer asserts that if one `believes' one must obey and if one does not obey they cannot believe. He argues that prayer should be hidden, not public. Too often public prayer in churches is nothing more than `empty noise'. Further, he suggests that our own good deeds, like our prayer, should be hidden. If we perform righteous acts to receive a pat on the back from our friends or family it is valueless to God. It was hard not to recognize myself every step of the way. It clearly must have been Bonhoeffer's intent to have us feel this discomfort and if so he did a remarkably good job of it.

Bonhoeffer suggests that too many people feel they must know the path they are about to follow before beginning their spiritual journey. In fact, Bonhoeffer claims the opposite is the case. He argues that we will find out once we begin: "plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do."

The heart of Cost of Discipleship is found in Bonhoeffer's extensive examination of the Sermon on the Mount. It is at once both illuminating and powerful. Again, Bonhoeffer's own life provides justification for the argument that the call to discipleship is not easy and will likely bring pain and suffering but that it can be done if one so chooses. The fact that I have no doubt that I lack the wherewithal to act in a similar fashion is both depressing and challenging. How does one respond to such a challenge? Such wisdom as I acquire from this book will, no doubt, come drop by drop and with no small amount of pain.

This is a compelling book for anyone interested in matters of faith and the role of faith in contemporary society.

This is an intense work,though not as intense as some of Dietrich's other works.This book lives up to it's title in every way,he pulls no punches as he relates the scriptures to real life and expounds upon the teachings of Jesus.He plainly teaches that there is a cost to following in the footsteps of Christ,just as Christ himself taught that Christ must be first and there is no compromise.This work is so intense,even Dietrich himself later in life,wondered if he was too blunt.Definitely not for those who enjoy sugar coated watered down messages,but if you've got the guts to read it,it will change your life!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is without question a hero of the Christian Faith, and one would be well served to study his thoughts, theology, commitment and example. But this is probabaly not the place to start, for two reasons.

(1) The writing style of this book is badly outdated and hard to follow and understand. This book badly needs an editor to put Bonhoeffer's thoughts into more modern prose. This book, as it is, is a difficult and at times convoluted read. A new updated editon is badly needed.

(2)Secondly, and more importantly, this book is early Bonhoeffer,full of didactic thought, at times morally pompus. A better place to start a study of Bonhoeffer might be his last work, "Letters from Prison..." written at the end of his life. this work is the more seasoned, more mature Bonhoeffer, a man who has seen to some the degree the mistakes and folly of his earlier thinking.

Case in point: In this work, Bonhoeffer says to be a disciple a man must separate himself from the everyday living of life. In the later book, "Letters from Prison," he writes, it is "only by living completely in the world that one learns to have faith..." He says he stands by his earlier book because he wrote it, it is his work, but he makes it clear that if he had it to do over again, his thought would be different and he would express himself in a way much more understanding of the world in which we live.

For that reason, "Letters From Prison..." would be the best place to get the complete, aged and wise Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship explores the challenges of embracing the gospel theme of sacrifice. In a direct, sometimes harsh assessment, he points up the difficulty of actually living a creed which embraces sacrifice of the individual believer called to task by the divine.

The phrase "cheap grace" remains the watch-phrase of the work. "Cheap grace" refers to the counterfeit self-acceptance the would-be believer experiences, and is discussed in sharp contrast to the genuine experience caused by the demands of the Christian faith. Bonhoeffer cautions us against 'easy religion' and mere emotive response to the Christian message. He portrays Christian life as demanding unflinching self-awareness and struggle, culiminating in surrender.

In later writings, Bonhoeffer himself modified the viewpoints he set forth in the Cost of Discipleship. An argument can be made that the work's stringent tone fails to convey the richness of the Christian life to which his book seeks to call adherents.

Nonetheless, Bonhoeffer's construct of "cheap grace" serves as a useful metaphor in a time in which materialism, inequity, and disconnection plague us. We may not choose Pastor Bonhoeffer's iron-clad distinctions as to what constitutes authentic spiritual experience, but we will not easily forget his call to embrace the genuine, and not merely counterfeit assuaged feelings for genuine spiritual experience.

Although this is a work of theology accessible to most readers, it is never patronizing in tone. Although one would have only a limited vision of Bonhoeffer's work if one read only the Cost of Discipleship, this is an excellent first Bonhoeffer book to read. The Cost of Discipleship is not a radical work, but rather a work of then-mainstream Christianity intended to provoke the reader into action. Even if one cannot reach all of Bonhoeffer's conclusions, and even if one does not share Bonhoeffer's theology, the inquiry is certainly worth undertaking.

You want to read about the cost of discipleship? Bonhoeffer gives it to you! Discipleship is a hard pill to swallow, and Bonhoeffer doesn't try to sugar coat it for you. He wants you to know exactly how bitter and choking it will be.
Still interested? This caution, then -- the more you read about the cost of discipleship, THE MORE YOU WILL WANT TO PAY. It's a mystery. Read at your own risk

For those who wonder if there is more to the Christian life than just living and occasionally asking for grace, while seeing minimal change in your life, this book expains why that is. This is by far the most beneficial book I have read apart from the Bible. Bonhoeffer's view of following Jesus is intense and inspiring (just read the intro about his life). If you want to follow Jesus, I would not miss out on this book.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost of Discipleship" is a tremendously inspiring, motivational, and insightful look into what Christian discipleship is all about. Bonhoeffer, who wrote the book in the midst of struggling to stand up against the evils of Nazi Germany in the 1940's, provides the reader with a transformational look into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and what it means to us as believers today.

If you are not inspired and given food for thought and prayer about your journey with God after reading this book, then check your pulse!

His message, like the message of the Gospels, when truthfully proclamied, is not easy to hear. He writes something to the effect of "When Christ calls a [person] he bids them to come and die...that they might gain new life." That is the radical message of Christian discipleship in a nutshell- Christ calls us to give our ALL for Him.

The first step of discipleship is putting Christ first, and following- no matter what the cost may be. For Bonhoeffer, his faith cost him his life. He was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for his open opposition to the tyrrany of Nazism, where he died helping others at the age of 39.

If you have not done so already- READ THIS BOOK- it WILL change your life! Or should I say that through this book Bonhoeffer's witness to the transformational power of Christ will change your life.

I do not want to be guilty of over-hyping this book, but THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP radically and positively affected my life when I was 18 years old and I have returned to its wisdom and insights many times since. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a martyr for his faith in WWII Germany. He lived out what he wrote and believed.

Bonhoeffer understood clearly that Christianity was not a mere creed, nor was it an offer of membership into an exclusive country club. The apostle Paul wrote of his need and challenge to "die daily," laying down his own will to do the will of God. Jesus said that whoever would believe in Him must "take up their crosses" and follow Him. He also said, "I only do those things which please the Father." This is the basic framework from which Bonhoeffer builds and shares truth with the reader.

This is not "light reading" and it is not for those interested in being "stroked." It's challenging, and at times, maybe a little bit angering. Bonhoeffer had never heard of "political correctness" and he was not interested in catering to the reader's "inner child." He simply lays it on the line for the reader to either accept or reject. But He backs up His challenges with solid biblical research and great passion...not to mention his own personal living example.

This book confronts the reader with the reality that we are not just called to believe "nice things" or even simply to look nice or act nice. It's a radical call to discipleship and to embrace the cost of the cross. Without wanting to sound cliched, I believe this book is a treasure of great wealth for the mind and the spirit...and will produce great things in the reader's life as they receive and embrace these truths.

Even if you do not consider yourself a Christian, you will find this book extremely stimulating and enlightening. It gives superb insights into the mindset of many committed believers today.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one who knew of that which he spoke when dealing with the issue of cheap grace versus costly grace. Bonhoeffer's commitment to the principles of his vocation and being cost him his life - executed in the closing days of World War II, Bonhoeffer walked a dangerous path through exercising his vocation faithfully in the midst of the twin evils of warfare and Nazi domination of Germany.

Bonhoeffer's life, from the earliest days, probably seemed like it was set on an idyllic path - the son of a professional family with strong roots in a prosperous and civilised culture, Bonhoeffer would seem to have `had it made'. His early days in school showed him to be a minister and academic of great promise. However, his experiences at Union Seminary in New York City, an academic environment very different from the German academy, and at the Abyssian Baptist Church, an African-American congregation, vastly different from his Germanic Lutheran background, prepared a way for Bonhoeffer to expand beyond his upbringing and learning to become someone striving to find God in all people, and the will of God in all that he did.

The subject of this book is grace - too often, in Bonhoeffer's day and our own, people seem to look at grace as something free, instead of something freely offered. Bonhoeffer points out that the call of God and the gift of God's grace is not to be taken lightly - `the call to follow Jesus always leads to death'. This may seem an unusual call in our day; after all, the more prosperous of our churches would seem to espouse a conventionally respectable lifestyle (far from the `death' Bonhoeffer speaks about) as the reward for following God. However, Bonhoeffer uses the example of the disciples, each of whom faced martyrdom, as did many early Christian leaders, as a touchstone for the vocation.

Bonhoeffer also gives a great deal of attention in this text to the Sermon on the Mount, providing interpretations that still speak to congregations today, but also with warnings. Bonhoeffer admonishes those who would pick and choose the parts of scripture, or indeed the parts of the Sermon on the Mount, that fit what they want to hear, disregarding the rest. Bonhoeffer writes that we are not called to interpret, but to obey, giving ourselves up to God, as the disciples did, as martyrs did, and as Bonhoeffer himself would do in the fullness of his lifetime.

This edition of Bonhoeffer's great work is prefaced by his friend, Bishop G.K.A. Bell of Chichester, a friend and admirer of Bonhoeffer, who states that, `Dietrich himself was a martyr many times before he died'. There is also a memoir provided by G. Leibholz, which puts the text in historical context. However, the real substance of the book is in Bonhoeffer's own words. Cheap grace was the deadly enemy of the church then, and it remains a dangerous foe to this day.