"The whole Word of the Scriptures summons us to follow Jesus" - so said the 20th century Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his seminal book "The Cost of Discipleship." In this book, Bonhoeffer lays out the biblical mandate that all professing Christians are to place themselves continually under, in regards to Christ's discipleship, so as to truly be called one of His disciples. Bonhoeffer first points out the many instances in Scripture where Jesus explicitly calls people to literally follow Him, and not simply to follow His example. As Bonhoeffer wrote, "Discipleship means an adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship." Bonhoeffer is then able to elicit a model of how Christians are to take heed of the seriousness of that call, and to answer it wholeheartedly and accordingly in a manner worthy of a Master/Disciple relationship.
Undoubtedly, the most important aspect to take away from "The Cost of Discipleship" is the fact that to follow Jesus Christ is not merely to obey His commandments, but by obeying Him, the disciple will actually partake of His nature and begin to resemble His Master in all aspects and spiritual countenance. As Bonhoeffer declared, "Christ's followers always have His image before their eyes, and in its light all other images are screened from their sight. It penetrates into the depths of their being, fills them, and makes them more and more like their Master... That image has the power to transform our lives, and if we surrender ourselves utterly to Him, we cannot help bearing His image ourselves." This scriptural truth is stated clearly in Romans 8:29, "For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
For those who wish to attain and read through material that will make more real and genuine an individual's relationship to Jesus as a true disciple, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost of Discipleship" will greatly assist in just such an important and biblical endeavor in the Christian's life.
"If we answer the call to discipleship, where will it lead us? What decisions and partings will it demand? To answer this question we shall have to go to Him, for only He knows the answer. Only Jesus Christ, who bids us follow Him, knows the journey's end. But we do know that it will be a road of boundless mercy. Discipleship means joy."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, Introduction, pg 38
