Cheap and Costly Grace
One of the greatest problems in contemporary Christianity is cheap grace. The only hope we have at revival, joy, and freedom in Christ, is through costly grace.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, and spy who was born in 1906. He was a vehement dissident of Hitler’s regime, which later cost him his life when he was hanged in 1945. Bonhoeffer failed his driver’s license three times.
I am currently reading his seminal book, The Cost of Discipleship, which I highly recommend. Bonhoeffer explores the most urgent question: “How can we live the Christian life in the modern world?” He addresses this first by speaking about one of the greatest problems in contemporary Christianity: cheap grace.
Cheap grace says, “Jesus died for your sins, so forget about them and be free, full stop.” It preaches forgiveness and absolution of sins without the call for repentance and discipleship. It is grace without cost, which is “sold cheaply on the market.” We bestow cheap grace upon ourselves, and it does not free us from sin because it does not give us a taste of freedom in Christ.
Bonhoeffer says, “Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his cheap grace” … “The devil hides under the cloak of cheap grace.”
Cheap grace is vastly contrasted with costly grace, which is what Christ demonstrated on the cross. Costly grace is treasure hidden in a field, and it says, “Jesus died for your sins, so forget about them and be free by leaving your old life behind and entering into discipleship with Him.”
Costly grace comes with the cost of following Jesus and leaving your old life behind. “Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God.”1 This grace leads to a “realm of infinite possibilities… this call, this grace, is irresistible.”
Cheap grace is the poisoned root which causes much of the spiritual dryness in churches and Christians today. When was the last time you heard the word repent? Churches are often too scared to speak of necessary truths like this, because people don’t want to hear it. We don’t lovingly correct people, because who do we think we are?
As a result, secular Christianity is rife, where people say they are Christians and even go to church, but they make no personal sacrifice for Christ’s sake. They are “spiritual corpses” and to these people Jesus will say, “I never knew you.”2
I bestowed cheap grace on myself for much of my university career. We would often party and get drunk, and I would feel okay about it because I knew God had already forgiven me. This grace abusing does not lead to freedom, revival, joy, or intimacy with Christ.
By His grace, I saw the fruitlessness of my sin which sprung an earnest desire to obey Him. And this was followed by sacrifice. For me it involved sacrificing close friends, living arrangements, many situations, a persona of mine, and of course, too many cold ones.
A principle my dad speaks of (all the time) is choosing your hard. Obeying Jesus is hard, but disobeying Him leads to a life that is harder. Being disciplined with alcohol can be hard, but a life of alcoholism is harder. Loving people is hard, but the life of a bitter and resentful person is harder. Choose your hard.
Let us choose costly grace, and never be afraid to make sacrifices for Christ, for we trust that this will lead to greater things. Bonhoeffer says, “Jesus asks nothing of us without giving us the strength to perform it.” He has given us the strength to follow Him and leave our old lives behind, so let’s get going.
Christians must live in the modern world in discipleship with Christ, and not with the world.
Bonhoeffer followed Jesus at the cost of his very life. Are we willing to do the same?
This is our hope: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”3
Colossians 3:3
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 19:29
So inspiring