Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/71

Contributor - Ted L. Dykstra

Title - Discipleship: Confession and Commitment

Topic - Discipleship

I have felt a need to write an article on discipleship ever since I had the privilege of reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost of Discipleship". While this book is undoubtedly very familiar to our pastors and theologians, it may perhaps not be as well known to the man in the pew. This is unfortunate. Although I have no intention of using the space allotted to me for this article for the promotion of a particular piece of Christian literature, I certainly will not hesitate to take every opportunity, including this one, to recommend Bonhoeffer's book very highly as a must on the reading list of every Christian. This book vividly describes how a Christian must live if he is truly a follower, a disciple of Christ.

What precisely do we mean when we talk about discipleship? Simply this. Every person who is confronted by the call of Christ, and who by faith accepts Him as his personal Savior and, Lord, not by his own merit, but through the Grace of God, commits himself to be, a disciple of Christ, a Christian. That is, he surrenders his whole life, body and soul, in complete confidence and trust, to the authority and control of Jesus Christ.

I doubt if many Christians would seriously argue the validity of that statement. Yet too many Christians do not abide by it because they are afraid to make this unconditional surrender. They believe that Christ is their Savior, that he is the Son of God, that he was crucified on the cross to bear our sins, that through this act of atonement our sins are forgiven, and that he arose on the third day from the grave as the Risen Savior, winning victory over death. Yes, they believe all of these articles of the Christian faith, but they fail to take the next step, that of accepting Christ not only as their personal Savior but also as their Lord and King. The necessity of recognizing both factors is clearly pointed out in the Scriptures:

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2 : 3 6 RSV)

I have been amazed, particularly since I have been active in consistory and evangelism work, by the great variety of excuses advanced by people who claim to be Christians, when they are called upon to contribute time, talents or possessions to the serv ice of God's church. It becomes rather obvious that many people, whose names are listed on the roll of the Christian church, have not made the unconditional surrender of both body and soul that Christ demands of us.

Christians today, like those in the churches of Corinth must be reminded constantly that:

"You are not your own; You were bought with a price." (I Cor. 6 :19-20 RSV)

"Likewise he who was free when called, is a slave of Christ, you were bought with a price."(I Cor. 7 :22-23 RSV)

That price, as we read over and over again in the Bible, is the blood of Christ. It is through this act of grace that we are justified. Bonhoeffer very appropriately refers to this act of grace as "costly grace". It is costly because it cost God the life of His only Son, and what cost God so much can not be cheap for us. It is grace because God did not think his only Son too great a price to pay for our life. This grace is also costly because it calls us to follow Christ.

What is the significance of all this to us?. Simply this. If we truly believe in our hearts that we have been saved through this act of "costly grace" then we automatically become slaves of Christ (not just "servants"). He then has complete authority and control over our lives, physically, spiritually, emotionally and materially A slave by its very definition can not possess property. Thus the property of every Christian belongs to Jesus Christ, without reserve, not just one-tenth of it but all of it. We are his stewards, keeping his property in trust, with the obligation to use it to the best of our ability. This is not only true of our financial or material possessions but of all facets of our lives, whether this be the choice of a new job, entertainment, beverage, friends or anything else in the realm of personal conduct. All things must be decided in the knowledge that we belong to Christ. We must never forget that as a result of our faith in Christ we have been crucified with him, and that we no longer live for ourselves but that Christ lives in us (Gal. 2 : 20 RSV).

Bonhoeffer also realized however, that when we talk of being a "Slave of Christ" we must also emphasize that while we remain in this state of slavery we at the same time enjoy "perfect liberty". Liberty from all man-made dogmas, from every burden and oppression and from every anxiety and torture which afflicts the conscience. Christ must certainly not be regarded as hard task master; on the contrary, Christ himself assures us that those who follow his commandments will find the burden light.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11 :28-30 RSV)

Although many of us were fortunate to have been born to Christian parents and raised in the fellowship of the Church, I can not help but feel that such a situation can at times become a stumbling block to true discipleship. Many who are raised in the Church become so accustomed to Christian teaching, preaching, observing and participating in the sacraments that the real significance of these functions no longer strikes home' They become customs and habits. Having always lived within the fellowship of the church we become complacent and do not feel the necessity for a spiritual change. Bonhoeffer, however, clearly points out that the first step which follows the call to discipleship cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. In order to become a disciple we can not remain in the old situation.

This is why some Christian churches place such a great emphasis on the "pulpit call", where people are asked to come forward and publicly commit or recommit their lives to Christ. It is unfortunate that many Christians in the Reformed-Presbyterian tradition, feel uncomfortable when they find themselves confronted by a "pulpit call". They immediately go on the defensive with statements such as "that emotionalism may be alright for Baptist, Pentecostal or Alliance Churches, but not for us. After all we already made our confession of faith". But that is just it. I am convinced that a considerable proportion of the communicant membership of many Reformed Churches have made public confession of faith, not as a result of a call from Christ but out of custom and habit. This is particularly true of many young people, some of whom are pushed into making confession of faith by their anxious parents. Public confession of faith has in many instances, become nothing more than the official graduation ceremony from catechism.

Please do not misinterpret my statements, I am not saying that there is no longer any justification for maintaining the ceremony for public confession of faith in the church. God forbid. No, I just feel that something should, yes must be done, to get away from our present emphasis on the rigid pattern leading up to it. Public confession of faith must represent, not only to the person involved but also to those present, that the person taking this step has heard and heeded the call of Christ to come and follow him, thereby leaving his old life behind him and becoming a new creature in Christ.

The need for such a change became clear in my mind as the result of the events which have taken place in our congregation in the last two weeks. Our pastor, J. Addison McIntosh, and two of our young people, had the privilege of attending Mission Festival '71 in Milwaukee. The experiences they shared at that festival have changed their lives as well as the life of our congregation. As a direct result of that festival five people in our congregation either committed or recommitted their lives to Jesus Christ. Four of them had made previous confession of faith, one just this year, the other is now enrolled in communicant class. All of them will testify that even though they previously believed in Christ and knew they belonged to him, that they now have a much deeper faith and a much greater understanding as to what obedience to the call of Christ and true discipleship really implies.

I hope and pray that Mission Festival '71 has had similar effects on the other Canadian delegates to that gathering. If it has then I know that the witness and the future of the Reformed Church in Canada is assured.

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