| Author | Message | ||
| Max |
CHEAP GRACE MEANS THE JUSTIFICATION OF SIN WITHOUT THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE SINNER. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. "All for sin could not atone." The world goes on in the same old way, and we are still sinners "even in the best life" as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every sphere of life, and NOT PRESUMPTUOUSLY ASPIRE TO LIVE A DIFFERENT LIFE UNDER GRACE FROM HIS OLD LIFE UNDER SIN. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.43-44. | ||
| Max |
[CHEAP GRACE] WAS THE HERESY of the enthusiasts, the Anabaptists and their kind. Let the Christian beware of rebelling against the free and boundless grace of God and DESECRATING it [Jude 4]. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.44. | ||
| Max |
[CHEAP GRACE ADVOCATES SAY:] LET [THE CHRISTIAN] NOT ATTEMPT TO ERECT A NEW RELIGION OF THE LETTER BY ENDEAVOURING TO LIVE A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE to the commandments of Jesus Christ! The world has been justified by grace. The [cheap grace] Christian knows that, and, and takes it seriously. He knows that he must not strive against this indispensable grace. Therefore -- let him live like the rest of the world! Of course he would like to go and do something extraordinary, and it does demand a good deal of self-restraint to refrain form the attempt and content himself with living as the world lives. Yet it is imperative for the Christian to achieve renunciation, to practise self- effacement, to distinguish his life from the life of the world. He must let grace be grace indeed, otherwise he will destroy the world's faith in the free gift of grace. Let the Christian REST CONTENT WITH HIS WORLDLINESS and withthis renunciation of any higher standard than the world. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.44. | ||
| Max |
[THE "CHEAP GRACE" CHRISTIAN] is [RESTING CONTENT WITH HIS WORLDLINESS] for the sake of the world rather than for the sake of grace. Let him be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace -- for [in his mind] grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the ["cheap grace"] Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace! That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the JUSTIFICATION OF SIN WITHOUT THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE REPENTANT SINNER who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. CHEAP GRACE IS THE GRACE WE BESTOW ON OURSELVES. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.44. | ||
| Max |
CHEAP GRACE IS THE PREACHING OF FORGIVENESS WITHOUT REQUIRING REPENTANCE, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.44-45. | ||
| Max |
CHEAP GRACE IS GRACE WITHOUT DISCIPLESHIP, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
COSTLY GRACE IS THE TREASURE HIDDEN IN THE FIELD; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price[;] to buy [it] the merchant will sell all his goods. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[COSTLY GRACE] IS THE KINGLY RULE OF CHRIST, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[COSTLY GRACE] IS THE CALL OF JESUS CHRIST at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
COSTLY GRACE IS THE GOSPEL which must be SOUGHT again and again, the gift which must be ASKED for, the door at which a man must KNOCK. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[COSTLY] GRACE IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT CALLS US TO FOLLOW, and it is GRACE because it calls us to follow JESUS CHRIST. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[COSTLY GRACE] IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT COSTS A MAN HIS LIFE, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[COSTLY GRACE] IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT CONDEMNS SIN, and grace because it justifies the sinner. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
ABOVE ALL, [COSTLY GRACE] IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT COST GOD THE LIFE OF HIS SON: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
ABOVE ALL, [COSTLY GRACE] IS GRACE because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
COSTLY GRACE IS THE INCARNATION OF GOD. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
COSTLY GRACE IS THE SANCTUARY OF GOD; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God [Jesus Christ], which he speaks as it pleases him. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
COSTLY GRACE CONFRONTS US as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
GRACE IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT COMPELS a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says; "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.45. | ||
| Max |
[THE GRACE RECEIVED BY PETER] WAS CERTAINLY NOT SELF-BESTOWED. It was the grace of Christ himself, now prevailing upon the disciple to leave all and follow him, now working in him that confession which TO THE WORLD MUST SOUND LIKE THE ULTIMATE BLASPHEMY, now inviting Peter to the supreme followship of MARTYRDOM for the Lord he had denied, and thereby forgiving him all his sins. In the life of Peter GRACE AND DISCIPLESHIP ARE INSEPARABLE. He had received the grace which costs. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship, p.46. |
