Costly Grace

“Cheep grace”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Bonhoeffer contrasted cheep grace with the costly grace presented in the gospels. Real grace is so costly, it might even cost a man his life, as in the case of our Lord. “Such grace" he wrote, "is costly because it falls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too fear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”