Christian Classics Month: Bonhoeffer's 'The Cost of Discipleship'
Wow...I'm
almost overwhelmed as I try to sum up the first section of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. It is challenging me on
just about every level imaginable. Many of you will know that Bonhoeffer was a
Christian martyr of the Second World War: he did his theological work in 1930s
Nazi Germany, worked as part of the underground Resistance, was taken prisoner
by the SS, then finally executed for treason shortly before the end of the war.
This book was written in the context of a national Lutheran church which had
liberalised the doctrine of grace to such an extent that true repentance and
obedience to Christ were able to be evaded; in Bonhoeffer's words, they 'gave
what was holy to the scornful and unbelieving'.
Knowing
that the church fell tragically short of obedience to Christ when it came to
resisting the prevalent evil of Hitler's government helps me to understand the
seriousness of Bonhoeffer's argument. But, to be honest, I think the context is
not absolutely necessary - the voice of Christ speaks so strongly from these
pages that it transcends that particular situation. That is what Bonhoeffer is
about, after all, getting away from man-made doctrines and back to the call of
Jesus Christ. He starts off contrasting cheap grace - which assumes forgiveness
can be had while still clinging to our "bourgeois secular existence"
- with costly grace: the grace that cost Jesus his life and costs us our lives
when we take up his call..."When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and
die."
One of the
things I'm loving most about this book is that it is engaging deeply with the
gospel narratives and words of Jesus. It's the sort of writing that makes you
uncomfortable, in a good way, as you can feel the Holy Spirit prodding you to
examine your own life. Do we often get so caught up with the idea of
justification by faith that we squirm out of real, costly obedience? Do you
detect in yourself the 'vigilant religious instinct of man for the place where
grace is to be obtained at the cheapest price'? It is very confronting to read
what Bonhoeffer has to say about obedience. We are so used to talking about the
obedience that comes from faith...but what about the faith that comes from
obedience? The external act of obedience in response to the gracious call of
Jesus, eg Peter leaving his nets, that leads a person into the place where
faith becomes a possibility...like I said, it's challenging stuff.
I have
some friends who are struggling with issues of faith and assurance at the
moment. What Bonhoeffer might say to them is something like this: you haven't
got the faith you want because you are holding something back from Christ. Let
go of your old life and follow him single-mindedly and your faith will mature.
Not sure if I'm brave enough to actually say that to my friends though!
More to
come next week as Bonhoeffer discusses the Sermon on the Mount.
About our contributor:
Kristen
is wife to Pete and mum to three little girls, Eleni, Tessa and Freya. She grew
up in a non-Christian family, but Jesus took hold of her in her early teenage
years through a youth group ministry. She has been a member of St Aidan's
Hurstville Grove for about 13 years, where she has been privileged to be
involved in Bible Study groups, pastoral ministry, music ministry and Scripture
teaching. She is also a singer and choral conductor. She is a dog person, not a
cat person, although the right cat could possibly win her grudging affection.