The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Pastor Leslie Chua
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Last Sunday, we watched the film Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin. It was an engaging watch. Our hearts were deeply stirred. The film traces the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he struggled to live out his conviction as an uncompromising follower of Christ when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis ruled Germany.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German Lutheran pastor and brilliant theologian, known for his influential writings and his role as an anti-Nazi dissident. He was a co-founder of the Confessing Church, which opposed the Nazi regime’s control over the Protestant churches and persecution of the Jews.
Bonhoeffer was a vocal critic of Hitler’s policies, which he deemed evil and dangerous. He watched Hitler’s rise with great concern. While the German Christians, with the rest of the nation, were caught up in the frenzy of nationalism, Bonhoeffer discerned troubles ahead. In that sense, he was prophetic. His repeated warnings to the church hierarchy were largely brushed aside.
Bonhoeffer believed that true Christians must oppose Hitler, but he found few takers. Most Christian leaders were trapped in their religious bubble, ignoring the brewing storm. For those who were aware, most chose to look the other way for fear of reprisal. Soon, even the Confessing Church leaders capitulated under mounting pressure, and they acquiesced.
Stricken in his conscience and compelled by his conviction of biblical discipleship, Bonhoeffer joined the Abwehr, German military intelligence, as a cover to work with the German resistance. Essentially, he became a double agent. He served as a courier, attempting to alert the Western Allies to the resistance’s existence and plans for a post-Hitler government. He also got involved in “Operation 7,” a plan to smuggle Jews to safety.
In April 1943, Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Gestapo, the secret police of the Nazis, for his resistance activities. After the failed 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler, investigations revealed that Bonhoeffer was directly linked to the plot. He was moved to various prisons and concentration camps and eventually executed by hanging just weeks before Hitler’s death on 30 April 1945.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is remembered as a martyr for his faith and his opposition to Hitler's political regime. He is honoured with a statue at Westminster Abbey, alongside other 20th-century martyrs.
From Pacifism to Activism
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin.
How did Bonhoeffer, a committed pacifist, become involved in active political resistance and eventually the plot to assassinate Hitler?
It all boils down to his commitment to follow Christ and his understanding of Christian discipleship.
We gain insight into his thoughts in his book, “The Cost of Discipleship,” and his subsequent writings, particularly “Letters and Papers from Prison,” which was published posthumously.
Bonhoeffer’s writings remain influential today. “The Cost of Discipleship” is widely read. It is regarded as a modern classic. Millions worldwide have benefited from its profound insights. The book is frequently quoted and recommended in contemporary Christian circles spanning different traditions.
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How did Bonhoeffer, a committed pacifist, become involved in active political resistance and eventually the plot to assassinate Hitler?
It all boils down to his commitment to follow Christ and his understanding of Christian discipleship.
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If Bonhoeffer’s theology of “costly grace” is embraced, the contemporary church will not have been so enamoured by the prosperity gospel and hyper-grace gospel.
Let me highlight two salient points in the book “The Cost of Discipleship.”
Lordship: The Call to Follow
At its core, discipleship begins with a response to Jesus’ call to follow Him. On many occasions throughout the Gospels, Jesus called people to follow Him.
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
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Following Jesus demands our all – self-denial, taking up our cross, and following Him. The cross before me. The world behind me.
No turning back.
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It is a call to switch one’s ultimate allegiance from self and the world to Christ. Jesus alone shall be the Lord of our lives. Total allegiance. Nothing less.
It is an all-encompassing commitment that reorients one’s values, priorities, and life. We acknowledge Jesus as the supreme authority over every aspect of our lives.
Following Jesus demands our all – self-denial, taking up our cross, and following Him. The cross before me. The world behind me. No turning back.
Unlike many contemporary professing Christians, Bonhoeffer took the lordship of Christ and the call to follow Him unwaveringly very seriously. Either the disciple follows Jesus all the way, or he is not a disciple. And Bonhoeffer made no distinction between a disciple and a believer. A believer must necessarily be a disciple. Either he is in or he is out. There is no middle ground.
I agree with Bonhoeffer because that is the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels. You cannot embrace Jesus as Saviour but not as Lord. Acknowledging Him as Saviour and as Lord go hand in hand. Essentially, you cannot be a believer without being a disciple.
Costly Grace Versus Cheap Grace
Grace is given freely by Christ to those who repent and believe in Him. However, God’s grace is costly. It cost Jesus His life to save humanity.
On the other hand, grace is also costly in the sense that it demands our complete surrender. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value illustrate the costliness of our faith. We must be willing to surrender our all in our pursuit of God’s kingdom. There is a price to pay.
Of course, it does not mean working for our salvation. Nobody can be saved by his good works. Salvation cannot be earned; it is a gift of God. But having received the wonderful gift of life, God demands our total surrender.
God demands our obedience. Here is a signature quote from Bonhoeffer in “The Cost of Discipleship”: “Only the one who believes obeys; only the one who obeys believes.”
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“Cheap grace” refers to the notion of grace that does not require a fundamental change in one’s life and actions. It is the idea of grace without total allegiance, commitment, and surrender to Christ.
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Bonhoeffer contrasted “costly grace” with “cheap grace.” He defined “cheap grace” as “forgiveness offered without repentance, baptism without church discipline, and Communion without confession.”
“Cheap grace” refers to the notion of grace that does not require a fundamental change in one’s life and actions. It is the idea of grace without total allegiance, commitment, and surrender to Christ.
Bonhoeffer accused the German church of practising “cheap grace” – a comfortable, intellectual faith that required no sacrifice, no obedience, and no cost.
Bonhoeffer’s Journey from Pacifism to Active Political Engagement
Now, I shall explore how Bonhoeffer shifted from pacifism to active political engagement to undermine the Nazi regime and eliminate Hitler.
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“Costly grace” means that Christ’s disciples must exercise the complete surrender of all personal rights. They must renounce the right to self-defence, personal honour, and retaliation against injustice.
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Bonhoeffer started as a pacifist. In his book, “The Cost of Discipleship,” he presents a radical, literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount.
He argued that Jesus’ commands to “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” were not just ideals, but they were commands to be followed literally and concretely by believers.
“Costly grace” means that Christ’s disciples must exercise the complete surrender of all personal rights. They must renounce the right to self-defence, personal honour, and retaliation against injustice
“Costly grace” means that we must embrace suffering and rejection as a badge of true discipleship. To resist evil with violence is to reject Christ’s teaching and abandon the way of the cross.
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Bonhoeffer came to a terrifying conclusion: In the face of an evil and murderous state, “his refusal to act – his pacifism – was not a sign of righteousness but a form of complicity.” By keeping his own hands clean, he was sinfully abandoning his neighbour, especially the Jewish people, to mass slaughter.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reckoning of “costly grace” began to shift when he attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City, United States. There, he saw how black Christians were discriminated against and mistreated. Violence was tolerated, even justified.
In New York, Bonhoeffer saw for the first time “the view from below.” He witnessed the world from the perspective of the oppressed. That was in 1930-1931.
Several years later, Bonhoeffer’s absolute pacifism was shattered by the brutal reality of Hitler’s Nazi regime and the failure of the church to stand up against it.
Bonhoeffer came to a terrifying conclusion: In the face of an evil and murderous state, “his refusal to act – his pacifism – was not a sign of righteousness but a form of complicity.” By keeping his own hands clean, he was sinfully abandoning his neighbour, especially the Jewish people, to mass slaughter.
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In other words, traditional Christian ethics of duty and good conscience had failed in the face of Nazi brutality. Many “good Christians” in Germany followed the laws of the state, believing they were acting morally, while the state was committing atrocities. This strict adherence to the law, while self-righteous, closed their eyes to the greater evil around them.
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In “Letters and Papers from Prison,” Bonhoeffer argued that the “self-righteously law-abiding conscience” had become a form of “self-deception” and an inadequate guide for moral action during the Nazi regime.
In other words, traditional Christian ethics of duty and good conscience had failed in the face of Nazi brutality. Many “good Christians” in Germany followed the laws of the state, believing they were acting morally, while the state was committing atrocities. This strict adherence to the law, while self-righteous, closed their eyes to the greater evil around them.
Isn’t that the point in the Parable of the Good Samaritan?
The Levite and the priest had good reason not to help the seriously injured man lying on the road, lest he had died and they rendered themselves unclean.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s understanding of “costly grace” took a sharp turn in the face of the extreme evil of Hitler’s Nazi regime. “Costly grace” is not pacifism and restraint. Instead, it demanded that he love his neighbour like the good Samaritan, getting his hands dirty and paying a price to fight against injustice.
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Jesus’ question at the end of the parable exposed the lack of love of the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes – “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Luke 10:36). It is definitely not the Levite or the priest but the good Samaritan.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s understanding of “costly grace” took a sharp turn in the face of the extreme evil of Hitler’s Nazi regime. “Costly grace” is not pacifism and restraint. Instead, it demanded that he love his neighbour like the good Samaritan, getting his hands dirty and paying a price to fight against injustice.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s conviction to follow Christ compelled him to act in self-denial and self-sacrifice in the interest of his nation and the Jewish people.
Bonhoeffer understood the cost of discipleship. He knew what he had to do in the face of extreme evil. He had to get involved. He had to take the road less travelled. He counted his cost, which included his reputation, his future, and perhaps even his life. He gave himself totally to the cause of righteousness and justice.
In following Christ, Dietrich Bonhoeffer fought the good fight and finished his race as a true disciple of Jesus and a martyr.