In his 1937 book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer painstakingly commends joyful suffering through the lens of Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount.1 Paramount is his distinction between “costly grace” and “cheap grace” (43-56). Being a good Lutheran, Bonhoeffer assumes his tradition’s dialectic between a theology of glory and a theology of the cross. The former relies on cheap grace—a grace that does not make demands and leaves the human person free to earn his salvation. But if we are to truly hear Christ’s words to his disciples, Bonhoeffer argues, we will see the reality of costly grace.

Full review here: https://thepublictheologyproject.substack.com/p/followers-of-christ ( )

After the Bible, the next book to read in understanding discipleship.

Bonhoeffer, who takes his inspiration from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, makes what I would call the ultimate challenge for Christians. Nobody can live up to this, just like no one can ever achieve Christ's perfection, but Bohoeffer challenges us to get as close as we can get.

The book can be kind of a downer at times since we all can see how short we come of the goal. Bonhoeffer would have (did?) freely admit his own shortcomings, but that's not the point here. If we do evaluate ourselves then we are seeking out of our own ego, not Christ's, so the effort is pointless. By keeping your eye constantly on Christ you will achieve the most you can, as long as you do freely repent of those times when you did not keep your focus there.

Dense in theology and philosophy the book is not an easy read on an intellectual level. I wouldn't recommend for novice Christians but only for so-called "mature" Christians. ( )

Dense. I will need to read this again, slower. I picked up enough to know that this will be beneficial to anybody who puts in the effort and the time to read it properly. ( )

Wow--this was so packed with profound ideas that I think I only absorbed and understood maybe 20% of the entire book. This is a book that needs read a chapter at a time with extensive note taking. To sum it up (and I will probably do it very badly), grace (God's unmerited favor) is not cheap. Bonhoffer believed the "church" had made grace just about lip service. I agree! Grace is difficult. How do you pay God back for what he has given or allowed you? I'm in awe of Bonhoffer, who was hanged by the Nazis in 1945. I will be rereading and studying this book more in detail at a later date. 322 pages ( )