Bonhoeffer's Teaching on Ethics as Action

Religious Studies: OCR A Level, topic 3.6.3

Bonhoeffer's Teachings: Ethics

Bonhoeffer drew a distinction between ‘cheap grace’ and ‘costly grace’.

Bonhoeffer thought people should be prepared for ‘costly grace’. The grace of God is something worth sacrificing everything for.
Grace is costly because it calls Christians to follow Jesus and make changes to their lives and their decisions.
Bonhoeffer said that Christians should reflect on how God sacrificed his only Son to save people from sin and people should respond by being ready to sacrifice everything to God.

For Bonhoeffer, the call to Christian discipleship is closely linked to the passion of Jesus – his rejection, suffering and death.
Anyone who follows Jesus must pick up the cross and follow Jesus’ path of rejection, suffering and death.
Discipleship and costly grace involve self-denial and endurance. Rejection for the sake of Christ is a central part of the Christian life. Being Christian is not just ‘being normal’, but is a life of suffering for Christ.

“Jesus must therefore make it clear beyond all doubt that the ‘must’ of suffering applies to his disciples no less than to himself. Jesus as Christ is Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, as the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion. Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus and therefore submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the cross.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”