Like a metaphorical smack to the face, Bonhoeffer begins his work Discipleship with a profound and poignant contrast between cheap and costly grace. This blatant refusal and repulsion of cheap grace, and acceptance and requirement of costly grace by the Christian disciple sets the tone for the remainder of this stunning work. After my second read through, I have come to find Bonhoeffer’s views on the necessary life of a disciple of Jesus Christ to be ever relevant, as I am sure it was for believers during the writing and publication of Discipleship during the National Socialist regime of Germany. In our current Canadian and North American struggle of confessing Christian beliefs that oppose social and cultural issues, it is so easy to concede our moral beliefs so as not to appear intolerant and still relevant. To adhere to costly grace will result in exactly that adjective: the cost of something. We fear that our non believing friends or family will recoil in disgust if we oppose or disagree with societal norms; and that fear erodes our understanding and adherence to costly grace in place of something less. But that is exactly the meaning of Discipleship, as Bonhoeffer so clearly expounds in his exegesis of the Sermon on the Mount. Disciples of Jesus, when called, must leave all behind to follow Christ, not leave some behind.
The balance of following Jesus and living the Christian life is the last portion of Bonhoeffer’s work, and at what better time! We feel so moved, so inspired, yet also troubled and unsettled with the first half of the book because of the simplicity and piercing content. It is not surprising to feel a sense of repentance. But Bonhoeffer does not leave us feeling hopeless with our lives here on earth. The sense of grace and humility with which he explains life in community, as an individual, as a disciple of Jesus Christ leaves the reader with the ability to live life. A Christian does not need to remove him or herself from “the world” to be a disciple; in fact, that is contrary to what Jesus commanded of his disciples. Bonhoeffer gives full light to the verse living in the world, but not being of the world in the last section of Discipleship. And that is exactly how we live by Jesus Christ.
We must remember that as followers of Christ, we are His first and the world’s second. Thus, costly grace is our first priority, and yes, we may end up losing something or someone. Perhaps that is unsettling to a culture that lives by getting almost everything that we want. Our youth are considered weird or crazy if they are virgins; we are out of touch with civilization if we believe abortion is morally wrong; we are intolerant if we disagree theologically with another religion. But Jesus never said this life would be easy. In fact, he proclaimed the exact opposite. Costly grace is difficult, heartbreaking, perhaps alienating; but we must never forget that our lives are Christ’s first, and steps toward him are our first priority. As we live a life of costly grace, we will take those steps toward our Lord and Savior, only to find that in the end of this life we will not have lost the world; rather, we will gain a life that was agreeable to God, and we will hear him say “Well done, good and faithful one.”
I will read Discipleship again. I will continue to use it for devotion, encouragement, reprimand, and learning. Culturally, Bonhoeffer came and wrote from a much different time and place; however, his words are no less relevant for today. We know we are not alone in our struggle to live costly lives, and we will one day be rewarded