Book Review: The Cost Of Discipleship By Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s most famous line is a thunderclap that echoes through the comfortable halls of modern Christianity. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.

This is a Christianity of total commitment, a faith that demands everything from you. It shatters the easy answers and cultural comforts we have carefully constructed around the cross, leaving you standing exposed before God.

In The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer draws a stark and uncompromising line in the theological sand. He names the great enemy of the authentic Christian life: cheap grace.

The Cost of Discipleship

This seminal work contrasts easy “cheap grace” with the costly grace of true discipleship, which demands sacrifice and obedience. One.

Check The Price

You know this grace all too well. It is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, communion without confession, a hollow justification of sin without the justification of the sinner.

Bonhoeffer counters this spiritual poison with a powerful, life-altering antidote. He calls you to embrace costly grace.

This is the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price for which a person sells all they have. It is the grace that must be sought again and again, the gospel that costs you your very life because it is the only thing that gives you true life in return.

This book is a personal summons from a man whose convictions led him to a martyr’s death at the hands of the Gestapo. The text serves as a direct confrontation with your own faith, forcing you to examine what your discipleship will ultimately cost.

Who Will Benefit the Most from This Book?

Pastors and Ministry Leaders

Bonhoeffer provides a theological anchor for preaching a profound and costly grace. This book will sharpen your sermons and challenge your congregation to embrace true discipleship.

Christians Weary of a Lukewarm Faith

If you sense your faith has become too comfortable, this book is a bracing call to action. It redefines discipleship as a life of sacrificial obedience and complete surrender to Christ.

Students of Theology and Church History

This seminal work offers a profound exegesis of the Sermon on the Mount and a masterclass in applying theology under pressure. It is essential reading for understanding 20th-century Christian thought.

Believers Navigating a Complex Culture

For those wrestling with how faith intersects with civic duty, Bonhoeffer’s example provides a powerful framework. His life demonstrates the cost of following Jesus when worldly powers demand ultimate allegiance.

What Do Readers Think About The Cost of Discipleship?

Readers find Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic work a profound and convicting call to authentic Christian living. The book challenges modern believers to reconsider the true price of following Jesus.

Many readers point to the book’s central, stark thesis on the nature of discipleship.

In Bonhoeffer’s own words, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

This call to die to self is not merely personal but has profound societal implications.

I found that he thought it is not only the Christian’s right but duty to protest the government which is against God’s law, righteousness or providence.

The book redefines the concept of Christian effort and reliance on God.

Discipleship requires self-denial. It requires effort, not because we can work our way up to God, but only so we can see the ineffectiveness of our efforts and thus turn to God for help.

This journey of discipleship ultimately leads back to the foundational question of faith.

Simon Peter, faced with the same dilemma, answered him with the answer and belief we all need to have—the only reason it makes sense to choose to be disciples, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In the end, readers issue a simple, direct warning about the book’s power.

Prepare to be convicted.

5 Things You Will Take Away

You will finally grasp the difference between cheap and costly grace.

Bonhoeffer exposes the modern trap of “cheap grace”—forgiveness without repentance. He powerfully presents the biblical call to “costly grace,” a gift that demands your entire life in response.

You will see faith as an act of radical obedience.

This book demolishes the idea of passive belief. You will learn that authentic faith only becomes real in the act of obedience to Jesus Christ.

You will discover the revolutionary demands of the Sermon on the Mount.

Bonhoeffer unpacks Matthew 5-7 as the practical, life-altering blueprint for every disciple. These words are not lofty ideals; they are direct commands for today.

You will be called to a life of Christ-centered sacrifice.

Bonhoeffer’s famous words, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die,” will echo in your soul. This book is a direct summons to deny yourself and find true life in Him.

You will be emboldened to reject cultural compromise.

Drawing from his own stand against evil, Bonhoeffer provides a theological framework for choosing God’s law over the world’s. You will gain clarity and courage to live as a citizen of heaven.

Who is Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau, Germany, in 1906, the son of a famous psychiatrist. His rigorous theological studies took him from Berlin to New York City, providing a firm foundation for his later influential works. This international education gave him a unique perspective on the church and the world.

He made the fateful decision to leave the security of America to return to his homeland. Bonhoeffer’s courageous and public repudiation of the Nazi regime led to his arrest in 1943. Implicated in the failed plot to assassinate Hitler, he was martyred by hanging in April 1945, his life becoming a testament to his theology.

Where Can I Buy the Book?

Challenge your faith and deepen your understanding. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s landmark work, The Cost of Discipleship, is a must-read for every serious Christian seeking to understand the true price of following Christ. This essential book is available now on Amazon. Click the link below and read more about the book.