The Cost of Discipleship

           One cannot read through the New Testament without coming to the conclusion that being a disciple of Jesus is a costly undertaking.  “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)  But the Bible also says “it is by grace [we] have been saved, through faith, and this not of [ourselves] it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”  (Eph 2:9 NIV)  This is true, salvation is completely free, all we need is to “confess with [our] mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in [our] heart that God raised him from the dead, and [we] will be saved.”  (Rom 10:9 NIV)  But once we are saved by faith we are called to action.  “Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions?  That kind of faith can't save anyone.  Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, 'Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well' – but then you don't give that person any food or clothing.  What good does that do?  So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith.  Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless.”  (James 2:14-17 NLT)  We are saved by faith alone, and if we have true faith we will act upon it.

“...Christians sometimes have just as much trouble seeing that “faith” as belief is not enough.  Those who truly believe are called on to put faith into practice, and obey the One they have acknowledged as Lord...

Faith and Works.  Christians have often debated the relationship.  But we can agree on certain basic statements.  Salvation comes through faith and faith alone, for the death of Jesus purchased our forgiveness and new life.  When a person has new life from God, that life will be expressed.  Just as a living infant cries and moves, so a person with new life in Christ will express that life – in works.  It is not that works bring life, but that those who are alive in Christ will work.”

                                                                        (The Teachers Commentary)

            In fact, even in the aforementioned verse Romans 10:9, after Paul tells us that if we confess and believe we are saved, he goes on to say in vs 10, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  (NIV)  Paul is saying that it is not enough just to believe; belief must be accompanied by action.  We also know, however, that salvation is not by works but by faith in Christ. (Eph 2:9, Titus 3:5, Rom 9:12, Gal 2:16)

            This seems like a contradiction, and some, in fact, have claimed it as a theological paradox (The Cost of Discipleship Charles C. Bing) but James holds the key.  There is more than one kind of faith.  James talks about two types of faith in James 2:14, dead faith and saving faith, and these two faiths are easily distinguished.  Dead faith is simply believing.  When a person has dead faith they will simply claim to believe and possibly go through some motions, but living faith causes a transformation in a person evidenced by action.  It makes it so that they see and treat others differently. (James 2:14-17)  It makes it so that they are led by the Spirit to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, instead of by the flesh to sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (seduction, corruption – leading others to wrong) idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy, drunkenness orgies, and the like.  (Galatians 5)  Saving faith “trains us to renounce impiety [irreverence, profanity] and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly...That he might...purify for himself a people of his own that are zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:11-12,14)

            Therefore, we have been saved by grace, through active faith, completely apart from works, deeds, or anything human.  (See above verses along with myriads of other verses.)  We have been set free from sin and death and have been given  eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  And because of all these things, if we truly believe all these things, we will live lives of discipleship, daily becoming more like Christ.  “You were set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness...But now that you have been set free from sin and been made slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:18,22-23)  Now that it is understood what it means to have true faith let us examine what it means to be a disciple and the cost associated with that.

            First we must understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  He tells us in Luke 14:33 that, “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”  “Those who are truly His are devoted to Him,  and as such, devoted to learning all about Him – Who He is, what He likes and dislikes, what makes Him smile, His expectations, His purpose for me in the earth – to learn His heart and will and way and character – to evaluate my every response not according to what I think I know, but who I am in light of His heart.  These are those who have discovered the simplicity of taking up His yoke, learning from Him, and who find soul rest (Mth 11:29).” (Are You A Disciple? Doug Morrel)  So a disciple is someone who is completely devoted to Christ, who yearns to live for Him, even to the point of giving up everything he has.  When we understand what Christ did for us and how much he loves us we can't help but “love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  We love Christ and because we love Christ we love other people.  (The rest of the passage in 1 John 4)

            So to be a disciple of Christ we are completely devoted to following him and loving him.  We live, not for ourselves, but completely for him. 

“Discipleship was based on a call by Jesus (Mk. 1:16-20; 2:13f.; Lk. 9:59-62; even Lk. 9:57f. presupposes Jesus’ invitation in general terms). It involved personal allegiance to him, expressed in following him and giving him an exclusive loyalty (Mk. 8:34-38; Lk. 14:26-33). In at least some cases it meant literal abandonment of home, business ties and possessions (Mk. 10:21, 28), but in every case readiness to put the claims of Jesus first, whatever the cost, was demanded. Such an attitude went well beyond the normal pupil-teacher relationship and gave the word ‘disciple’ a new sense. Faith in Jesus and allegiance to him are what determine the fate of men at the last judgment (Lk. 12:8f.).

Those who became disciples were taught by Jesus and appointed as his representatives to preach his message, cast out demons and heal the sick (Mk. 3:14f.); although these responsibilities were primarily delegated to the Twelve, they were not confined to them (Mk. 5:19; 9:38-41; Lk. 10:1-16).”

                                                                        (The New Bible Dictionary)

Discipleship, therefore, is forsaking oneself for the sake of Jesus.

            Now that we have a good idea of what discipleship entails we can begin to consider the cost that goes along with it.  Discipleship is not an easy thing and it is not to be taken lightly.  “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?  Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you!  They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’

            “Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him?  If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace.  So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.”  (Luke 14:28-33 NLT)  Jesus tells us in this passage that we are to consider before we just run ahead and say, “Oh yeah, I'll be his disciple”.  We need to be careful, because discipleship to Jesus is such a costly thing that if we don't consider beforehand what it might take we may only put up the foundation and then we won't have the strength to finish.

            The first cost of discipleship that we'll consider is the giving up of our careers.  At the time that Jesus called Peter and Andrew they were out fishing with their father on the Lake of Galilee.  Jesus came by and said, “Come on I'm gonna make you fishers of men.”  Then the two of them just got up and followed Jesus.  Then he came upon James and John fishing as well and so he called them and they just dropped what they were doing and followed.  (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11)  We find that the first four disciples that Jesus called he called while they were out working with there fathers.  At the time it was common for the sons of a man to continue on his business.  In fact, it was expected that they would do so.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John had their futures set.  All of them were already part owners in already established businesses and they were already trained to take everything over.  We don't know exactly how old the disciples were when Jesus called them but it's not like they were teenagers.  These were men that were already working a job, but when Jesus called them they didn't even consider that they were having to leave their job, they didn't think about it, they just got up and followed.

            Jesus didn't just call them from there current career, however, he also gave them a new career.  He said follow me and I'll make you fishers of men.  Jesus was asking them to turn from their current occupations and instead take on His heavenly occupation.  And we see that the disciples did it without questioning, until, of course, Jesus was killed.  Then, after the death of Jesus in John 21, we find Peter, James, John, and four other disciples out on a boat fishing again.  They had been following Jesus for about three years, and since that was done they didn't know what to do, so they went out and began fishing.  They forgot that discipleship to Jesus wasn't just following him, but that when he called them from their careers of fishing they were called to a new career, to be fishers of men.  So here they were, back at their old jobs now that Jesus wasn't around.  But then Jesus shows up and he has some interesting things to say to Peter.  See, obviously Peter hadn't understood the implications of the job change, he didn't realize that he had been given a new job, so Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter really loves him, and when Peter responds with a yes.  Jesus responds with a different thing each of the three times, after Peter says that he loved Jesus.  Jesus first said, “Feed my lambs”, then he said, “Take care of my sheep” and finally he said, “Follow me!” (Quotes taken from the NIV)  Jesus is making sure that Peter gets it this time.  Because Peter loves Jesus he was supposed to feed the lambs and take care of the sheep and by doing so he would be following Jesus.  The same goes for us.  We can't just be saved and think about how nice Jesus is and then go back to fishing, when we put our faith in Jesus it's going to change our jobs.

            This doesn't mean that we all need to go out, quit our jobs. and walk around with nothing to do but tell people about Jesus, although it may mean that for some people, but it does mean that when we go to work we need to consciously be doing it for Christ.  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col 3:23-24)  We are also told in 1 Thess 4:11-12 that we are to work hard as a way of winning respect of “outsiders” and so that we won't be dependent on anybody.  Our job is to be devoted to Christ so that even through our work we might win some to Christ.  It's the difference of looking at a job as a thing that you have to do to put food on the table, or even as a way to put tithe in the offering plate, but we have to see it as a service to Christ and an opportunity to live for and like Him.  Being a Christian might not necessarily affect what we do for a job, but it should affect how we look at our job and how we do our job.  And if we feel Christ calling us to put down the nets and follow Him, then we should do it.

            God also calls us to lay down our pride.  Proverbs 3:34 says, “[The Lord] mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.”  This verse is twice quoted in the New Testament in 1 Peter 5:5 and in James 4:4.  In both of these passages it is quoted as saying, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  We are told time and again throughout the Bible to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought, and to consider others over ourselves.  We cannot go around wondering what others our thinking of us or how what we are doing might affect our standing with others, we need to do what would please God, not man.  Jesus says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matt 11:28-30)  But in order to pick up His load and take the lighter way we need to set down the burdens of this world.  We need to set aside what others think of us and depend on Christ for our strength and self-worth.  And we have to do what he says, we need to learn from Him to be gentle and humble.

            Thomas Kempis writes in his book, “Vain is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.  Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and to seem poor in this world. Do not be self-sufficient but place your trust in God. Do what lies in your power and God will aid your good will. Put no trust in your own learning nor in the cunning of any man, but rather in the grace of God Who helps the humble and humbles the proud.”  (The Imitation of Christ)  We need to stop worrying about what others might think of us if we do something for Christ and we need to just do what God wants.  It requires laying down our pride and fully submitting to Christ, and this is truly an act of discipleship.

            The next cost of discipleship is being willing to give up our life, even to death, for the message of the gospel.  This may seem foreign to us, because we are not often put in a situation where we are threatened or even made uncomfortable because of the things that we believe.  However, it says in John 15:18-21,  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.   If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.   Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.”  From these verses we know that not everyone in the world will be happy to hear our message.  In fact, there will be some that will outright hate us because we represent Jesus.

            We need to be willing to take the heat if we are Jesus' disciples.  We aren't supposed to go out trying to pick fights with people because the world is supposed to hate us, but if we can be completely comfortable around all non-Christians without having some form of persecution from any of them then we need to wonder if we are presenting the true gospel message.  The world will hate us on Christ's account, and as his disciples this shouldn't worry us.  In Luke 21 Jesus says that persecution shouldn't worry us because as His disciples He will give us the words to say when we get in a tight spot, and we need to be willing to die for Him.  Paul says in Philippians 1:20-26, “ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.   For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.   If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!   I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;   but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,   so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.”  If only all of us could be like Paul.  To say that if Christ chooses for us to live then we'll go on living, but if he chooses for us to die, then we'll die.  In Acts we read that Paul was warned by prophets that if he went to Jeruselem he was going to be captured and eventually killed, but Paul had no fear.  His response was that if God wanted him to die, then he would die, but until then he was going to do what he knew he was supposed to.  As true disciples of Christ we need to have that kind of a spirit.  We need to love Christ so much that if he calls us to it we would die for him.

            So we know that as Christians we are not called only to believe but we are also called to action.  We are called by Christ to be his disciples.  We also know from Scripture that discipleship is truly a costly thing, and as such we are to consider it carefully before just running in to it.  Some of the things we'll have to turn over to Christ is our career, our pride and our lives.  As a result of Christ loving us and being willing to die for us, when we accept his payment we will love him back and turn our lives over to him so that he can live through us.