About That Quote: Free and Costs

If a guy knew what it was for discipleship to cost him his life it was Bonhoeffer. This is a useful brief biography on just what it cost him to follow Jesus.

‘Salvation is free’, should not be a difficult concept for believers to grasp, because clearly we didn’t and cannot do anything to earn salvation.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

That part is clear. It’s also a very attractive part of the offer that is made for people to believe in Jesus. He did it all. We sinned, but He paid the price. We deserved the wrath of God, but Jesus took it on. The exchange on offer is a truly remarkable one – He takes on all our failings and gives us in response life to the full.

The second element of this quote is the part that I think still challenges believers today. Indeed note how it is easier to go by being called a believer than it is to be called a disciple. It’s easier to say you’ve been saved, than to confess that you follow Jesus. It’s easier to do one than the other because the first one is a relatively easy, casual and passive stance to take. The other highlights a response to what Christ has done that does not allow for the easy life. Following Jesus is active and ongoing. Following Jesus requires something of us. Everything. Luke 14:25-33 gives a good indication of what Jesus held as the price for following Him. That is something worth reading and meditating on.

For the time being, I am grateful to God for people who provoke and prod me to recognise and remember what following Jesus costs. Not just remembering what it costs, but how Jesus does not leave us to make the decision on our own. He encourages, He enables, He equips and He exemplifies. We’re not our own. He is with us every step of the way and every aspect of the cost.

God help us to appreciate the cost as we celebrate free salvation.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden