Costly Grace

Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke of "Cheap Grace," referring to the gospel that was being preached in Germany when Hitler came to power. Bonhoeffer didn't believe Hitler could have done what he did if the church was preaching "costly grace." Costly grace has something to do with the yoke of Christ, and if we are not wearing Christ's yoke we are wearing another's. Costly grace, the yoke of Christ, is the right one and is easy and light according to the word of Christ.

Bonhoeffer described cheap grace as grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. William Booth accurately predicted one hundred years ago: "The chief danger of the 20th century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."¹

^{Our 21st century pulpits regularly offer the blue light special on God's grace. (If you don't remember the blue light special, you are under forty. That's Ok. The message still holds. The blue light special is the really cheap deal of the moment.) The costly life of picking up our cross and following Jesus is gone. Worship now is about us; our songs are about us, our sermons are about us, our worship is about us. Sunday services are tailored for the lost but God is in effect asked to wait outside lest seekers be offended with the truth of Christ. We wield the same plastic sword that holocause-era German preachers wielded so as not to offend Hitler or the lukewarm pew dwellers. In the end, their cheap grace cost them their freedom and placed Hitler as sovereign over the church, and the western church (that's us in America) is in the process of repeating history in its effort not to offend.}

^{So what is the "costly grace" which Bonhoeffer lived and preached? Costly grace costs you something. Costly grace compels the sell of all one has to buy the Pearl of Great Price. It's a grace that calls us to follow Jesus and to know that the road he takes us down is not always "safe." It's not always a road that leads to success in the world's eyes. As Susan in The Chronicles of Narnia asked, "Is He quite safe?"... "Safe?" said Beaver..."Who said anything about safe? Of course He isn't safe. But He's good. He is the King, I tell you."}

Costly grace is dangerous to selfishness, dreams, songs, and worship. Costly grace means that by following Jesus one must deny oneself, pick up his cross and follow Jesus. In contrast, cheap grace creates a false Jesus which is the idol that suits our lifestyle, and allows us to still be in the world and of the world.

Costly grace does not offer a safe God, but a good God. Bonhoeffer followed Jesus to the gallows at thirty-nine years of age declaring, "It's not the end but the beginning."

Cheap grace is revealed in much of what we hear in the cool gospel of today. It knows no theology, no demands, and no Jesus.

Bonhoeffer said, "What has cost God much cannot be cheap for us...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.'"

If the Church doesn't put on the yoke of Christ, she will wear another's yoke and the burden will be unbearable. It's not too late to wake up and right the wrong.