Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s assertion that “Grace is free, but not cheap; the cost is nothing less than everything” remains a piercing critique of a diluted faith. His seminal work, The Cost of Discipleship, masterfully unpacks the nature of “cheap grace”—a grace divorced from the demanding call to follow Christ. As Bonhoeffer eloquently argues, this counterfeit grace manifests as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
History, from the commitment of the first disciples to countless acts of sacrificial faith throughout the ages, bears witness to the profound cost inherent in genuine discipleship. Following Christ has consistently demanded a willingness to surrender comfort, security, and even life itself. This historical reality underscores Bonhoeffer’s point: true grace, while freely offered by God, inevitably calls for a costly response from those who receive it. It necessitates a fundamental reorientation of our lives, a turning away from self-interest and towards the way of the cross.
While the prospect of grace once again demanding an overt and potentially dangerous cost might understandably generate apprehension, it’s crucial to recognize that the “everything” Bonhoeffer speaks of isn’t solely about external persecution. It encompasses the daily, internal struggle to live out our faith authentically. It demands a constant dying to self, a persistent effort to embody the love and justice of Christ in our interactions and choices.
Therefore, this year’s Lenten discipline takes on a deeper significance. It isn’t merely an exercise in self-denial, but a deliberate practice in embracing the “cost” of discipleship in tangible ways. By intentionally engaging in disciplines that require effort and sacrifice, we resist the allure of cheap grace and cultivate a deeper understanding of what it truly means to follow Jesus. This focused effort serves as a reminder that the free gift of grace calls for our wholehearted commitment—our everything—in response.
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