The Cost of Nondiscipleship不作門徒的代價

The Cost of Nondiscipleship不作門徒的代價

Dallas Willard魏樂德

In 1937 Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave the world his book, The Cost of Discipleship. It was a masterful attack on “easy Christianity” or “cheap grace,” but it did not set aside—perhaps it even enforced—the view of discipleship as a costly spiritual excess, and only for those especially driven or called to it. It was right to point out that one cannot be a disciple of Christ without forfeiting things normally sought in human life, and that one who pays little in the world’s coinage to bear his name has reason to wonder where he stands with God. But the cost of nondiscipleship is far greater—even when this life alone is considered—than the price paid to walk with Jesus.

Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10). The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul.

1937 年，迪特裏希·朋霍費爾 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) 向全世界發表了他的著作《做門徒的代價》(The Cost of Discipleship)。 這是對“輕鬆的基督教”或“廉價的恩典”的巧妙批判，但它並沒有排除——甚至可能強化了——將門徒訓練視為一種代價高昂的屬靈過激行為，隻適用於那些特別追求或蒙召的人。 它正確地指出，不放棄一般人生活中通常追求的事物，一個人無法成為基督的門徒，並且那些在世界上為了耶穌的名付出很少的人有理由懷疑他究竟在何處跟上帝站在一起。 但不做門徒的代價——即使隻考慮今生——也比與耶穌同行所付出的代價要大得多。

不做門徒的代價是無法擁有持久的平安、充滿愛的生活、用神至高無上的良善治理來看待一切的信心、在最令人沮喪的環境中堅定不移的希望、做正確事和抵擋邪惡勢力的力量。 簡而言之，它的代價正是耶穌所說的他來要帶給我們的豐盛生命（約翰福音10:10）。 對於那些與基督一起生活在其中並學習內心溫柔和謙卑的人來說，基督十字架形狀的軛畢竟是解放和力量的工具，帶來靈魂的安息。