Book SummaryThe Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Cost of Discipleship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and seminary professor before and during World War II. He published The Cost of Discipleship in 1937 as a wake-up call for Christians: Bonhoeffer expressed concern that by trying to make Christianity easier for people to practice, churches had, in fact, made it meaningless. As a remedy, he challenged Christians to adopt a rigorous lifestyle of “discipleship,” which involved self-denial, suffering, and renouncing your civil rights.

(Shortform note: The Cost of Discipleship did not directly discuss political events of the time or Bonhoeffer’s own experiences, but his arrest (in 1943) and execution (in 1945) by the Nazis contributed to his fame and the subsequent popularity of his book. Although he doesn’t discuss the Nazi ideology specifically in this book, Bonhoeffer was openly critical of it, leading the Nazi Party to regard him as an enemy of the state.)

The Cost of Discipleship opens with a chapter on “cheap grace” and “costly grace,” in which Bonhoeffer introduces his criticism of the modern Christian church. To show that his concept of discipleship is biblical, he then spends the next 25 chapters presenting a commentary on many passages in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Finally, in the last six chapters of the book, he lays out what modern Christianity should look like in his view, revisiting themes from his gospel commentary and fleshing them out.

In this guide, we’ll focus on presenting Bonhoeffer’s ideas in...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Discipleship and Expensive Grace

Bonhoeffer is probably best known for criticizing what he called “cheap grace,” and contrasting it with what he called “costly grace.” Bonhoeffer subscribed to Luther’s view that people can only receive salvation by trusting in God’s grace (not by earning God’s favor through righteous works). Thus, he treats “grace” as being synonymous with “salvation.” In his view, real salvation requires a serious commitment, and so anything less (i.e. “cheap grace”) is fake salvation. And fake salvation is dangerous, because it lures you into a false sense of security until you find yourself condemned to Hell.

(Shortform note: “Salvation” in Christianity primarily refers to being saved from condemnation in the afterlife. If you commit sins (offenses against God or against your fellow man) during your lifetime, God will punish you for your sins in the afterlife, unless your sins have been forgiven. Most Christians believe it is not possible to make it through life without committing any sins, so you need God’s forgiveness in order to receive salvation. Bonhoeffer accepts this view of salvation, although he offers a unique perspective on how you obtain salvation, which we’ll discuss later in...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Obedience Is the Essence of Discipleship

In general, the term ‘disciple’ means a student, follower, or apprentice. To Bonhoeffer, the key distinguishing quality of a disciple is obedience—personal, unconditional obedience to Christ that takes precedence over all other obligations, such as family, country, and career.

A Personal Relationship With Jesus Christ

Bonhoeffer insists that Jesus Christ is a living person, and obedience to a living person is different from obedience to an abstract doctrine or ritual.

Adherence to a doctrine or ritual is uniform for everyone, but personal obedience to Jesus Christ is dynamic, because Jesus tells different people to do different things at different times. For example, in Luke’s gospel, Christ sent Peter and John to prepare the passover meal for the last supper. Similarly, he sent only two disciples to find a donkey for his entry into Jerusalem.

Bonhoeffer asserts that Christ still gives personal instructions to his disciples today. He claims that as you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives you insight into how it...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary The Lifestyle of a Disciple

As we have seen, Bonhoeffer emphasizes that discipleship is a matter of personal, dynamic obedience to Christ, not to a program of rituals. However, he does draw a blueprint for the general lifestyle of a disciple, based on what Christ taught his original 12 disciples. Four key aspects of a disciple’s life that he discusses are humility, self-denial, suffering, and pacifism. We’ll discuss each of these in the following sections.

The lifestyle that Bonhoeffer prescribes is difficult. In fact, he acknowledges that it is too difficult for the average, sinful human being. However, he argues that it is not too difficult for a saint, and he asserts that every disciple of Jesus Christ is a saint. If you are a saint, it’s only reasonable to expect you to act like one.

Comparing Traditions of Sainthood

Different churches define and administer sainthood differently. Like Bonhoeffer, most Protestant churches regard all true Christians as saints. As such, many of them rarely apply the word “saint,” to anyone as a title or description, because it is simply...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Humility

Bonhoeffer insists that as a disciple of Christ, you must be humble, so that you can serve Christ without ulterior motives. Following Christ will cost you your pride.

Bonhoeffer notes that Christ may command you to do extraordinary good works, such as selling your possessions to help the poor. But if you become proud of yourself for doing so much good, then, in Bonhoeffer’s view, you are no longer serving Christ. Instead, you are now serving your own ego: You are doing good works because it makes you feel good about yourself, not because you are obeying Christ.

Thus, Bonhoeffer warns that to be a true disciple, you must not let yourself become proud—not even proud of the good works you do in obedience to Christ.

Did Bonhoeffer Influence CS Lewis’s View of Humility?

In The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis argues that humility is only a virtue insofar as it turns your attention away from yourself and toward God and other people: As you become more humble, you become less self-serving, enabling you to serve God and help other people. Lewis cautions that as soon as you...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Self-Denial

Bonhoeffer asserts that discipleship will cost you your comfort, because denying yourself earthly luxuries is a key part of discipleship. In particular, he addresses the relationship between fasting and self-discipline and the virtues of voluntary poverty.

Fasting

Bonhoeffer asserts that severe self-discipline is an indispensable part of discipleship. This is because experiences are an internal conflict between the Holy Spirit, which desires to do the will of Christ, and your own sinful nature, which desires pleasure and comfort, even at the expense of others. It takes enormous self-discipline to overpower your selfish human nature so that you can yield to the Spirit and do the will of Christ. According to Bonhoeffer, the only way to develop this level of self-discipline is through voluntary forms of suffering, such as fasting.

Furthermore, Bonhoeffer notes that when Christ tells his disciples not to draw attention to themselves when they are fasting in Matthew 6:16-18, he implicitly assumes that his disciples will practice fasting. However, based on these verses, Bonhoeffer also cautions...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Suffering

According to Bonhoeffer, suffering is the hallmark of discipleship. Christ came to earth to suffer in our place so that our sins could be forgiven. By following and obeying Christ, we gradually become more like him. Since Christ’s earthly life was characterized by suffering, it is only natural that the more we become like Christ, the more we will share in the same kind of suffering that he experienced. Bonhoeffer declares that to suffer like Christ is the most glorious honor that a disciple can receive on earth. As such, you can triumph over suffering by accepting it and rejoicing in the fact that it allows you to relate more closely to Christ.

Bonhoeffer clarifies that when he speaks of “suffering” he is not referring to the “natural suffering” that is common to everyone, like catching a cold, getting a toothache, or developing aches and pains as you get older. Instead, he insists that disciples will suffer gratuitous persecution *because of their...

The Cost of Discipleship Summary Pacifism

Bonhoeffer asserts that disciples of Christ should practice strict pacifism. After all, as his disciples, we should model our behavior after his example: Christ loved us enough to die for us, even when we were hostile toward him. Thus, we should love others and treat them with kindness, even when they treat us with hostility.

Bonhoeffer affirms that we can love people unreservedly without condoning their sin. In fact, he says that non-resistance is the only response that truly condemns sin, because sin reproduces through retaliation: If someone hurts you, and you respond by hurting them, it will likely provoke them to hurt you again, and so on. However, if you let someone hurt you and forgive them instead of retaliating, then the sin they committed against you dies instead of multiplying.

Contrasting Views on Pacifism

Perspectives on pacifism vary widely, both among Christians and people of other religious persuasions:

• Christian groups that, like Bonhoeffer, advocate strict pacifism include the Quakers,...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on the Role of Your Possessions

Bonhoeffer teaches that as a disciple, you may make use of material things, but you should not place value on them, because the more wealth you have on earth, the more focused you will be on protecting your wealth instead of serving Christ.

Think about what you currently own. What possessions do you value the most? List your top three to five in the box below.

Shortform Exercise: Prepare Your Response to Being Wronged

Bonhoeffer teaches that as a disciple, you should always seek to minimize the amount of sin that is committed. He points out that accepting a loss or injury with forgiveness instead of retaliation can prevent that sin from multiplying through mutual retaliation.

Think about the last time somebody wronged you. What did they do to hurt you?