Hodges writes, "How fortunate that one's entrance into the kingdom of God [does] not depend on his
The Cost of Discipleship
n previous chapters we have touched on Jesus' call to discipleship. Here we will examine it more closely. Let me say again unequivocally that Jesus' summons to deny self and follow Him was an invitation to salvation, not an offer of a "higher life" or a second step of faith following salvation. The contemporary teaching that separates discipleship from salvation springs from ideas that are foreign to Scripture.1
Every Chris tian is a disciple.2 In fact, the Lord's Great Commission was to go into all the world and "make disciples . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19 – 20). That means the mission of the church, and the goal of evangelism, is to make disciples. Disciples are people who believe, those whose faith motivates them to obey all Jesus commanded. The word disciple is used consistently as a synonym for believer throughout the book of Acts (6:1, 2, 7; 11:26; 14:20, 22; 15:10). Any distinction between the two words is purely artificial. Though introduced by sincere and well-meaning men, it has given birth to a theology of easy-believism that disposes of the hard demands of Jesus.
When Jesus called disciples, He carefully instructed them about the cost of following Him. Halfhearted people who were not willing to make the commitment did not respond. Thus He turned away anyone who was reluctant to pay the price — such as the rich young ruler. He warned all who thought of becoming disciples to count the cost carefully. "Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if
1. Cf. Zane C. Hodges, Th e Hungry Inherit (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah, 1980), 83 – 84, where Hodges writes, "How fortunate that one's entrance into the kingdom of God [does] not depend on his discipleship. If it did, how few would ever enter that kingdom!" Yet didn't Jesus Himself explicitly teach that "few" would enter? Wasn't that the whole point of His warning about the small gate and the narrow road? "Few are those who fi nd it" (Matt. 7:14).
2. It is also apparent, however, that not every disciple is necessarily a true Chris tian (cf. John 6:66). Th e term disciple is sometimes used in Scripture in a general sense, to describe those who, like Judas, outwardly followed Christ. It certainly is not restricted to some higher level of believers. Th e disciple in Matthew 8:21 – 22, for example, was anything but committed.