I’m not sure anybody can be a moral person if he’s not courageous as well.

I can profess my undying faith in Jesus Christ, but if I’m afraid to act on that faith, am I really a righteous man?

Courage must consume Christ’s disciple, otherwise fear will.  Somehow, I must learn how to become courageous or I’ll never be able to defend what I claim is important to me.  But just like anything else of value, I need to be prepared to pay for it.

What, then, is the cost of courage?

Perhaps I could calculate its cost by observing the habits of living men who aren’t afraid of anything.  Or, I could read historical accounts about gallant men of the past.  Fortunately, the Bible has plenty of stories about some big spenders.  But they didn’t just do it for kicks.

I’m convinced that bravery can never be fully experienced without first seeking and securing the bigger prize—that is, God’s grace.

Jesus had a lot to say about how costly God’s grace was, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood Him well enough to write a book about it.  He articulated the pricing structure of grace, from top to bottom:

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ…Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field.  For the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has…Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.  Such grace is costly because it calls 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.”  [taken from The Cost of Discipleship, 1937, Dietrich Bonhoeffer]

Cheap grace is the temporal bargain of a lifetime.  It’s peddled on our television screens and street corners for a profit.  It’s even preached in our sanctuaries to keep the pews full.

Conversely, costly grace is that precious pearl many have convinced themselves they can’t afford.  It’s the grace they identify with, but are afraid to embrace.

Jesus told His disciples:

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?”  [Matt. 16:26]

Understanding this verse wasn’t what made me a Christian man.  Nor did it close the deal for my redemption.  It simply forced me to perceive discipleship the same way Jesus did––as an all-in deal.

Then it began to make sense.