Five Reasons Why We Don't Do Discipleship (Part 1)

Seven years ago, Christianity Today magazine asked John Stott to assess the growth of the evangelical church. Here is his response:

«"This is a growth without depth. None of us questions the extraordinary growth of the church. But it has been mostly numerical and statistical growth. At the same time, the growth in discipleship has not been commensurate with the increase in the number of believers.".

Sadly, seven years later, that assessment remains relevant. While our growth has become as broad as an ocean, it is often as deep as a puddle. Why is this happening? What went wrong? In the coming months, I will offer five reasons why we are not discipleship—or at least not doing it well.

But first: what is the biblical basis for discipleship? There are many, but the key text is Matthew 28:18–20:

«And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. [Amen]»

Now the question is: does this command («Go and teach…») apply only to the eleven disciples to whom Jesus was speaking at that time? Or is it perhaps addressed to every Christian?

Sometimes translations give the impression that the emphasis in this command is on the word «go,» which is why this text has become the driving force behind the modern missionary movement. But the main verb in the sentence is «teach» (or «make disciples»). One commentator explains it this way:

«"Jesus' commission here, in principle, does not concern a mission somewhere out there, in another country. It is a commission that makes discipleship a normal program and a priority for every church and every Christian.".

D. A. Carson comes to the same conclusion:

«The command was given at least to the Eleven, but in their role as disciples. They are an example for all followers of Christ… It is the duty of every disciple of Jesus to make others as they are: disciples of Jesus Christ.».

This brings me to a troubling question: If the Lord Jesus Himself commanded every Christian to «make disciples,» why don’t everyone follow that command? What prevents our churches from being thriving disciple-making communities?

Let me suggest five reasons—one we'll look at now, and the other four we'll discuss in future articles.

Why aren't we making disciples? Because we preach cheap grace.

You are probably familiar with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian. He defined cheap grace this way:

«Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without the demand for repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ» («The Price of Discipleship,» pp. 43–44).

When the Gospel is preached in your church, what do people hear? Does it sound like, «Sure, you sinned. But now everything is forgiven. Jesus paid for your sins. So now everything is settled»?

It’s okay to not stop there. Because it’s not enough. The problem is that this Gospel does not require discipleship. It does not require repentance. It does not call for holiness. Doesn’t this contradict Jesus’ words in Mark 8:34:

«"Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me"?

As the old adage goes, grace may be free, but it is not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. And it will cost us our lives if we are to follow Him. The invitation may be extended to all, but only those who respond to Jesus’ call to deny themselves and take up their cross have truly accepted it.

So the question is: do we teach this Gospel in our churches? Does our Gospel include a requirement for discipleship? Do we start to stammer and cough when we read the words recorded in Mark 8:34, trying to push them aside, hoping no one will notice or pay attention? It’s like signing a contract where there is something written in small print that they prefer to leave out… Do we lower the «price» of discipleship in order to attract more people?

Another related question is: Do we speak of God’s love as «unconditional»? If so, then we are unwittingly contributing to the problem of cheap grace. After all, in a sense, God’s love is not unconditional at all. Listen to what David Paulison has to say about this:

«While it is true that God’s love is not dependent on what you do, it is very much dependent on what Jesus Christ has done for you. In that sense, it is extremely conditional. It cost Jesus His life» (God’s Love: Better Than Unconditional, p. 11).

If we do not teach about the «conditionality» of God’s love, we offer cheap grace. Grace that does not require radical obedience, but only a sleepy nod. Grace that is not capable of moving and stirring, but only of putting to sleep.

The gospel is not conditional («If you obey me, I will love you»). But it is not unconditional («I will love you whether you obey me or not»). The gospel is unconditional: «I love you, even though you have not obeyed me, because my Son obeyed.» And the obedience of the Son on our behalf motivates us to love and obey. As Jesus said, «If you love me, you will keep my commandments» (John 14:15).

My fear is that in our evangelistic efforts to get people to «make decisions» we may have made many of those «decisions» meaningless. It is one thing to «pray a prayer,» it is quite another to repent and believe. It is much easier to walk a path of sawdust than to walk the road to Calvary.

How to make grace «more expensive»?

So what can we do to, so to speak, make grace «more precious»?

First, when we preach the Gospel, it is often tempting to focus only on the identity and mission of Christ («Jesus is the Son of God, and He died for sinners like you»). But we must also proclaim His call: «If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me» (Mark 8:34).

Let none of our listeners be in any doubt: a Christian demonstrates his faith by denying himself and taking up his cross. This means that in our gospel preaching we must not forget how Jesus Himself preached the gospel. He called people to repentance as well as to faith (Mark 1:15). These two aspects are inseparable. We must never separate them in our preaching, as if «faith» were a necessary condition for becoming a Christian and «repentance» was an optional addition for especially zealous Christians. Neither of these aspects is up for discussion.

Second, when people ask us how they can be sure that they are truly in Christ, we should not point them to a prayer we once said or a pulpit we once went to. The biblical basis for assurance is our continued presence on the road to Calvary, bearing the cross of shame and also bearing fruit worthy of our repentance (Matt. 3:8).

Cheap grace may be easier to «buy.» It may help fill our churches. But we will see them filled with people who are not disciples, do not want to be disciples, and therefore have no desire to engage in discipleship. We will create a culture where discipleship is effectively lost.