The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works

The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and pastor, is known for his strong stance against what he called "cheap grace." In his book "The Cost of Discipleship," Bonhoeffer argues that true grace is not cheap or easy, but rather requires a costly commitment to following Christ. He believed that the idea of cheap grace, which he defined as "grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ," had led many Christians astray and weakened the church.

Bonhoeffer saw cheap grace as a dangerous distortion of the gospel that allowed people to continue living in sin without truly repenting or seeking to change their ways. He believed that true grace, on the other hand, required a radical transformation of the heart and a willingness to take up one's cross and follow Christ. This idea of costly grace, he argued, was essential for true discipleship and for living out the teachings of Jesus in a meaningful way.

Bonhoeffer's critique of cheap grace was rooted in his own experiences as a pastor in Nazi Germany, where he saw firsthand the dangers of complacency and compromise in the face of evil. He believed that true discipleship required a willingness to stand up for what is right, even in the face of persecution and suffering. For Bonhoeffer, cheap grace was not only a theological error, but a moral failing that undermined the witness of the church and allowed evil to flourish unchecked.