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Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship [Paperback]

Jon Walker , Rick Warren
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 1, 2010
In 1937, on the threshold of Nazi Germany s war on the world, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote what turned out to be one of the most influential books of the century, The Cost of Discipleship. In it, he challenged the flabby faith and compromises of German Christians, famously writing, When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die. Now, seventy-three years after the book was first published, Jon Walker writes Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship.
Walker brings to a new generation the timeless message of Bonhoeffer against the background of today's political upheaval and societal change and what it means to those who claim to follow Christ's teachings.
Christianity Today named Bonhoeffer's book one of the ten most influential books of the twentieth century, but although the book still has a loyal readership, it has not been adequately viewed through the eyes of the twenty-first century, until now.
In Costly Grace, Walker, who worked with Rick Warren for several years and recently authored Growing with Purpose (Zondervan, 2009), writes a book that will challenge contemporary teachings and lifestyles.
Grace is a foundational doctrine for Christians, yet it is one of the most misunderstood. Bonhoeffer watched as many used the doctrine of grace as an excuse to do whatever they wanted, and in response, he wrote his classic work on what it truly means to follow Jesus. We cheapen grace, he declared, when we use it to compromise our behavior or to lower the standards of God s Word. In a modern retelling of this Christian classic, Walker explains what Bonhoeffer meant when he taught that grace is free but will cost us everything.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Dietrich Bonheoffer saw the church abandoning Christ in two ways and both are as prevalent today as they were in Bonheoffer's generation.

First, Bonhoeffer says the church has reduced the gospel to a set of burdensome rules, the antithesis of the easy yoke we should find in Jesus. We've loaded the gospel down with so many extra-biblical routines and regulations--a real Christian ought to, has to, must do--that it is difficult for anyone to find the real Jesus, let alone make a clear and conscious decision to follow Christ.

We proclaim a religion of rules, which appeals to our prideful desire to show God we're good enough for his kingdom. We make our legal lists and that makes us legalists. Essentially, we're teaching people they have to work their way up to God's standard of righteousness, which challenges the very Word of God, who is the crucified and resurrected Jesus. It is a hopeless proposition and God meant it to be so--he wants us to understand that we can't because only Jesus can.

When we keep insisting that, through our behaviors and our attitudes, we can match godly standards of righteousness, is it any wonder why the world sees Jesus as insignificant?

Second, Bonhoeffer says we've wrapped the gospel in a sense of false hopes, using the doctrine of grace as an excuse for shallow discipleship and a pervasive acceptance of sin in the Body of Christ. Grace is meant to justify the sinner; yet, we use it to justify our sins. In other words, we've taken "I am a sinner saved by grace" and turned it into "I can sin because of grace."

Because of this, we've become satisfied with discipleship as mere Bible study, maybe a weekly prayer breakfast, and for the really committed, a handful of rules to follow that make us feel and look particularly pious.

In either case--a burdensome religion or a presumptive attitude on grace--we end up practicing a religion far removed from the intimate relationship God wants us to have with Jesus Christ.

Jesus brings us grace and truth -- On the surface, both these extremes look a bit like following Jesus, but my friend and long-time spiritual mentor Steve Pettit says they both attempt to do the impossible: the first tries to separate grace from truth and the second tries to separate truth from grace--either way, it only creates a monumental mess where, instead of becoming monuments to God's grace, we become monuments to our own foolish pride.

The apostle John tells us that Jesus is full of grace and truth and, now that we have the life of Christ present in our lives, we are full of grace and truth (John 1:14-16). Jesus holds them together in us just as they are held together in him. Pettit says legalists like to dismiss grace while those unrestrained by grace (licentious) want to disregard truth.

Since Jesus embodies the unity of God's Word (truth) and God's activity (grace), we're quickly greeted by the spirit of error when we try to process either grace or truth apart from the person of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, when we seek life and freedom by following the rules (laws, principles, truths separate from grace), we easily slip into legalism. How do we know when this has happened?

Says Pettit, "Grace will be seen as license; it will sound like heresy." On the other hand, when we seek life and freedom in self-determination, in choosing whatever feels or seems good, when we become unrestrained by grace (licentious), Pettit says truth will be seen as "law." Truth sounds like legalism if we are abusing grace.

We're meant to seek life and freedom only in Jesus Christ. The fullness of both grace and truth are in him. His grace is always truthful; his truth is forever gracious. There is no way to have the fullness of grace and truth apart from him. He didn't come to show us ways of grace and truth or give us definitions of grace and truth. He came to be all the grace and all the truth we will ever need and to freely offer both to us in the gift of himself.

If I am full of grace, there is no excuse for legalism in my life (Matthew 23:4;
11:28-30). If I am full of truth, there is no excuse for unrestraint (licentiousness) either (Matthew 5:17-20; John 8:11).

As we follow Jesus, we find he consistently moves us toward a choice--and then he commands us to make the choice: Will you believe I am adequate to meet your needs or not? Will you let me be myself in and through you or not?

We must look to Jesus and no where else for our answers. We must know a Christ who is real and solid, and this knowing doesn't come from conveniently memorizing Bible facts or comfortably studying theological systems. It comes in the willingness to pay the cost of knowing him and sacrificially living out of what we believe to be true of him.

Jesus wants you to know him. He wants you to live an extraordinary life, full of grace and truth. He calls you to a miraculous life, one that requires edge-of-your-seat faith to follow him, where you find yourself asking in joy, "What's next, Jesus? What are you going to do though me today?"

You can have that. Jesus calls, you must respond. My prayer is that this book will help you see the simplicity of following Jesus while also helping you understand the cost of such discipleship.

About the Author

Jon Walker is the author of Growing with Purpose. He is the managing editor of Rick Warren's Daily Hope devotionals and served on staff at Saddleback Church as well as Purpose Driven Ministries. He also served as editor-in-chief of LifeWay's HomeLife magazine and was founding editor of Rick Warren s Ministry Toolbox. His articles have appeared in publications and websites around the world.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Leafwood Publishers (September 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0891126767
  • ISBN-13: 978-0891126768
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After two decades in ministry, Jon Walker was laid off twice, lost his home and savings, was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, and then his wife filed for divorce just a few days before their twenty-fourth anniversary. It was during this time that he immersed himself in the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, resulting in his first two books on the German theologian: Costly Grace and In Visible Fellowship. But, more importantly, the writings of Bonhoeffer helped Walker set aside religiosity so he could discover follow Jesus with an obedient faith, even as his world collapsed around him. Walker tells his story in Breakfast with Bonhoeffer: How I Learned to Stop Being Religious So I Could Follow Jesus.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and longtime friend and mentor to Walker, said Walker's first book on Bonhoeffer, Costly Grace, "may be one of the most important books published during this time of economic uncertainty and world turmoil."



Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
(27)
4.5 out of 5 stars
Walker has interpreted Bonhoeffer's work for the present generation. Joan N.  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
I don't want cheap grace but costly grace because it costs my Savior everything! Tammy's Book Parlor  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Costly Grace September 21, 2010
Format:Paperback
My husband "found" Dietrich Bonhoeffer about 3 years ago. Ever since then we've read everything that has been written about him. So, when I was offered the chance to read the manuscript of COSTLY GRACE by Jon Walker I jumped at the chance to learn more of Bonhoeffer's life.
In COSTLY GRACE, A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Grace Bonhoeffer challenges christians! In the very first sentence of the book "Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared cheap grace the deadly enemy of our church in 1937. 'We are fighting today for costly grace,' he said. We are in that same fight today." With this opening statement I was stricken in my heart to find out what is cheap grace? "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolutions without personal confession, says Bonhoeffer. 'Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." Oh.the.truth.hurts!
As I read this book I wanted my heart to be cleansed. I don't want cheap grace but costly grace because it costs my Savior everything!
When I got to the middle of the book on page 123 "Is It Ever Appropriate To Tell A Lie?" I was curious to know and was not disappointed to find that Bonhoeffer states, "The issue is not whether a particular lie is more forgivable, the issue is that we all need to be forgiven. A lie is a lie, and a lie is a sin, and that brings us short of God's standards." Bonhoeffer tells us that if we're looking for a way to make lying acceptable we will BUT if "we look to Jesus, we see our sins are forgiven, so stop arguing about the acceptability any form of lie."
As I read this chapter I was reminded of a short story that Corrie ten Boom told of her niece during this terrible regime: She told of how the her niece and her husband taught their children that lying was NEVER acceptable and if you always told the truth God would make a way. The story continues with Corrie telling of how the Nazis would go house to house looking for men and teenage boys to capture. Her niece and husband and their children, two of which were teenage boys, were home when they heard the terrible knocking of the Nazis on their door. Her niece went to open the door but before she did her husband and her two sons hid in a hiding place that was a trap door under the kitchen table with a throw rug on top. As the Nazis stomped in guns pointed at the girls, one of the soldiers yelled at Corrie's young grandniece, "Are there any men hiding here?" Her grandniece was terribly frightened but she would only tell the truth. She replied while nervously giggling, "Yes, they are under the table." The guards looked under the table and saw nothing. Thinking it was a joke all the guards began laughing and left the house. Corrie's nephew and his boys were saved that day by truth!
This is a FANTASTIC 5 star read! Not a fantasy story but the truth of God's Word is revealed! This is one of THE best books I have read that opened my eyes to God's will for us....COSTLY GRACE requires obedience to the ONE who loves us most!
If you don't want cheap grace but costly grace then this is the read for you! Bonhoeffer will pierce your heart with his timely words for such a time as this. Be encouraged in the Lord!

*I reviewed the Costly Grace manuscript for ACU Press/Leafwood Publishers*
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars It's Not Cheap! November 19, 2010
Format:Paperback
One of the recent books sent to me by the B & B Media Group (Thank you Audra!) for review was Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship by Jon Walker.

Rick Warren in his foreword to the book says this:

"We speak too often of winning, succeeding, overcoming, and conquering and too little of yielding, submitting, obeying, and surrendering. Yet, we can only follow Jesus when we obey Jesus and his commands. To say 'No Lord' is to speak a contradiction."

In the book, Walker does an excellent job of relaying Bonhoeffer's idea of "cheap grace" in contrast to "costly grace" by showing how we can become "like" Jesus in several areas:

* Becoming like Jesus through His call
* Becoming like Jesus in Obedience
* Becoming like Jesus in Suffering
* Becoming like Jesus in Our Loyalty
* Becoming like Jesus by Developing His Character
* Becoming like Jesus in Influence
* Becoming like Jesus in Righteiousness
* Becoming like Jesus in Authenticity
* Becoming like Jesus in Purity
* Becoming like Jesus in Transparency
* Becoming like Jesus through Redemption
* Becoming like Jesus in Loving Enemies
* Becoming like Jesus in Quiet Service
* Becoming like Jesus in Prayer
* Becoming like Jesus in Spiritual Disciplines
* Becoming like Jesus in Trusting the Father
* Becoming like Jesus in Our Acceptance of Non-Believers
* Becoming like Jesus in Abandonment
* Becoming like Jesus in Wisdom
* Becoming like Jesus in His Compassion
* Becoming like Jesus Together
* Becoming like Jesus in Our Work
* Becoming like Jesus through Persecution
* Becoming like Jesus in Our Faith
* Becoming like Jesus to Others

These thought provoking insights are divided up into short chapters, giving the reader a chance to meditate on and digest a small portion of rich material at a time. At the end of each chapter, Walker gives a short synopsis of the cost of discipleship in relationship to the material covered in that chapter along with statements that would be considered "fallen thinking" and statements considered to be "kingdom thinking". Finally, he offers a section called "Your Choice", where the reader is challenged to work through the truth shared and evaluate where they are in their own life.

Walker does a good job of breaking down amazing truth in an easy to read format. I would consider his writing to be conversational. I liked the way the chapters are organized: At the beginning you get a quote from Bonhoeffer, scripture to consider, and then Walker gives you "Jesus' Objective". Each chapter is 8 to 10 pages long and then the section at the end (given in the paragraph above) allows you to apply what you've read.

My only criticism of the book has nothing to do with content. The editing was rather sloppy. There were numerous places in the book where words were either left out of sentences or the wrong word was given in a sentence. In reading and having the context, the reader would be able to figure out what was meant, but the mistakes happened often enough that it became a little annoying. For example this sentence on page 211:
"Only be will he blessed who remains loyal to Jesus and His word until the end".

I would recommend this book. It is one I'm sure I'll read again and refer to often. I'll leave you with this portion from the introduction:

"Why instead of the abundant life, do so many of us end up living lives of quiet desperation? We go to church; we read the Bible; we pray; we try to be good people and to serve other people; yet, for many of us, our life with Jesus doesn't seem to be much more than an add-on to our increasingly complex lives, where we are over-stretched and now seem to be facing a tsunami of uncertainty in many areas that for so long have seemed relatively secure - our finances, our jobs, our homes, and even our fundamental safety. So, we try harder, work harder, pray harder, study harder, and try to figure out what we're doing wrong because that's what we think Jesus wants us to do. And, all the while, he keeps asking, in a sense, 'Are you tired of this yet? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace' (Matthew 11:28b-29 MSG). Jesus calls us away from the hows and whys and whats into the rhythms of his grace, standing before us as the Son of God Incarnate, Jesus, God's Word in the flesh. The answer to our frustrations is 'who' not 'what' or 'how'. The Word of God who stands before us is not a problem to be solved, but a person to know...Instead of trying harder, we need to trust more."
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars every Christian needs to read this book October 23, 2010
By Joan N.
Format:Paperback
Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship over 70 years ago. Walker has interpreted Bonhoeffer's work for the present generation.
Walker's book is penetrating. Almost every paragraph required careful thinking. His writing is not difficult, just very convicting. If you read only a couple of Christian books this year, this needs to be one of them.
Walker notes that many Christians today end up living a life of quiet desperation, trying harder rather than trusting more. "The essence of discipleship," Walker says, "...is to know Jesus at a level of intimacy that can only be sustained by his constant presence in our lives." (21)
Bonhoeffer was concerned about cheap grace, "the arrogant presumption that we can receive forgiveness for our sins, yet never abandon out lives to Jesus." (25) Most Christians go to church a couple of hours a week, go to a Bible study, but rarely do we see radically changed lives. We have allowed cheap grace to be the norm of Christian living today.
Walker says Jesus' call is a command to abandon our life so he can fill us with his life. It is an intimate journey down a difficult path. We must listen to Jesus and do what he says. Paul says we have the mind of Christ and we access Christ's mind by meditating on God's Word and listening to the Spirit. Jesus calls us to a life of total dependency on him as we are called to do things that are impossible for mere humans.
Walker is specific with the cost. "The cost of discipleship, then, is this: The way we become like Jesus is through suffering and rejection." (61) "Everything that touches you is designed to de-center you from your self-for-self mentality in order to be recentered in God's self-for-others nature." (196)
Walker summarizes each penetrating chapter with bullets of kingdom thinking and questions upon which to meditate.
I'd read Bonhoeffer's book several months ago. It certainly did not have the impact that Walker's book has had. Every Christian should read this book.
This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars COSTLY GRACE
I chose this rating because I am really enjoying the book. It makes me think of just how much JESUS sacrificed for me.
Published 2 months ago by LINDA PARKS
5.0 out of 5 stars Very convicting
This book is a must read....you just have to be able to get past the myriad proofreading errors, but content will convict your heart.
Published 2 months ago by Barbara
5.0 out of 5 stars Costly Grace
This is an excellent book. Great interpretation of the original book. Very succinct Author does a great job. Highly recommend.
Published 4 months ago by Sharon Gilaspy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Book is grace-saturated and very relevant for today's reader. Author uses Bonhoeffer's original book to flesh out what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.
Published 5 months ago by Carolyn A. Wershing
1.0 out of 5 stars Read Brad Hayton's review . . .
Rather than simply duplicating particular criticisms (thus wasting viewers' time), let me affirm and fully support Brad Hayton's review. Read more
Published 5 months ago by John W. Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
It's a great book! I recommend it to anyone trying to find their place in life and discern God's will for their life. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Change Your Words Change Your Life
As yet I have not been able to read this book, but will certainly be doing so as time permits. Joyce Meyer writes simply and shares her thoughts freely. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lillian Joan Gullick
5.0 out of 5 stars costly grace
wonderful book,hard to put it down,if you are interested in growing in your walk with the Lord this is a book for you1
Published 8 months ago by Anne Parks
4.0 out of 5 stars Costly Grace
This book is wonderful full of useful and powerful information. For anyone seeking to know more about grace and God and how grace applies to each of us. Read more
Published 9 months ago by B.E
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for those who want to stand on the sidelines
This is a "get in the game" challenge to all of us. Bonhoeffer is brilliant at reaching us where we are and Walker has brought it to the 21st century. Read more
Published 13 months ago by David Hall
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