The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Review of The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I knew Dietrich Bonhoeffer to be a martyr and great theologian but not until reading his work did I come to truly appreciate him as a great hero of the faith. Born in Germany in 1906, he spent much time in the academy outside his homeland, only to return when it became evident that the Nazi party was successfully co-opting the church for its own ends. When others may have stayed abroad, Bonhoeffer went into the fire to lead an underground movement of evangelical churches in opposition to the state’s maneuvers. This was a subversive and thereby dangerous task, and indeed it cost him his life in a concentration camp just days before allied liberation in 1945. Why did he return? He knew God had called him there. Did he know it would be costly? Yes. And thus the theme of this book: a true disciple obeys his call understanding that it costs sacrificing our will to God’s, and that this may indeed cost us dearly, even our lives.

The book itself is divided into 4 main sections, Grace and Discipleship, The Sermon on the Mount, The Messengers, and The Church of Jesus Christ and the Life of Discipleship. Working primarily from the Gospels, The Cost of Discipleship reads more like a series of theological commentaries than a linear themed narrative that was meant to be read as a whole. Indeed, each section and really even each chapter, could stand alone as a commentary on an individual portion of scripture or doctrine. Each chapter is tied directly to a certain text or theme (eg baptism), often quoting text at the beginning, with the exegesis and commentary following. The handy scripture index at the back of the book makes referencing The Cost of Discipleship as a resource for study very easy.

Grace and Discipleship, the first section, is five chapters of commentary on primarily four texts: Levi’s call in Mark 2:14, those questioning to the call to be a disciple in Luke 9:57-62; The Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-22; and the Lawyer in Luke 10:25-29. Throughout, a contrast is made between “cheap grace” and “costly grace”, a key idea for understanding the entire book. He takes great care to define each as the definition of “grace” would seem to say that it is free; to add a cost would be to add works to grace. In no way does Bonhoeffer support works based salvation!

According to Bonhoeffer, “cheap grace” is salvation offered as forgiveness without repentance and discipleship. In this way, “the justification of the sinner in the world degenerated into the justification of sin and the world” (p50). In other words, when we offer solace to sinners, simply offering forgiveness without repentance or a call to discipleship, we enable them to continue in sin because we don’t call their sin “sin”, we simply give comfort without calling for life change. We have not rooted out the source of evil without a call to follow Jesus...and that call will cost us something, thus “costly grace.” To Bonhoeffer, “cheap grace” is the “bitterest foe” of discipleship when in fact “grace simply means discipleship.”

Bonhoeffer is ahead of his time, noting the ill effects of offering “cheap grace” in society, noting how just as in the time of Constantine, the nation of Germany “became Christian...at the cost of true discipleship.” This is a prophetic reminder to us today, in a nation that many believers consider to be “Christian”, to examine our churches for the signs of true discipleship. This is an especially poignant call as he predicts the downfall of what constitutes the mainline denominations due to an offering of “cheap grace” at the expense of discipleship. Indeed, this is playing out even as we speak.

While the first section lays the theological foundation for “costly grace” and true discipleship, the following three sections of The Cost of Discipleship, expound on its implication for the believer and the church. Section two offers a 100 page, section by section commentary on the Sermon on the Mount with challenging ethical and societal implications of discipleship. Section three focuses on Jesus’ call and commission of the disciples to be workers for the harvest in Matthew 9:35-10:42. Here, many of the true costs of obeying the call as an individual are laid out. Finally, section four deals with implications for the church, as a visible community, living out costly discipleship, not as an isolated kingdom, but as a transformational body within the world as proclaimers and partakers in the Kingdom of God.

Instead of speaking of strengths and weaknesses, it is more helpful to speak of what audience would most benefit from this read. The Cost of Discipleship is dense philosophically and theologically! Especially having the first section in mind, I feel I need to re-read several chapters to get the full sense of Bonhoeffer’s thoughts. This, combined with the fact that much of the exegesis uses arguments based on the Greek, in fact printing the Greek words directly in the text, suggests that the expected reader be somewhat learned in hermeneutics. And so, as a whole, I would recommend this book to a mature leader as a tool and resource for discipleship. That being said, certain sections, taken individually, would provide great material for discussion within a new believer’s discipleship class. Further, well read and erudite outsiders might connect with Bonhoeffers excellent literary skill and thorough exegesis. Specifically, I would recommend the Sermon on the Mount section to my non-believing friends for its well articulated presentation of the Kingdom of God. Who knows, maybe this could be the doorway to encouraging conversations about the Gospel?

Overall, The Cost of Discipleship is an incredibly encouraging, though extremely challenging read. Knowing the story of the author further adds to its authenticity and persuasiveness. The Cost of Discipleship is not for those who knowingly ignore the tension between Ephesians and James; that we are justified by our works as they testify to the fact that we have first been truly saved by grace, through faith. Faith without works, what Bonhoeffer would call the effect of “cheap grace” is truly dead. However, though self-denying, it is only through “costly grace” that we find the true and joyful life as it was meant to be, in communion with our creator and savior, who paid a great cost for us.