The Cost of Discipleship: The Doctrine of Imitation of Christ - Jonas Madureira

The Cost of Discipleship: The Doctrine of Imitating Christ -

People do cost calculations all the time. However, cost calculations do not only apply to the dilemmas of material life. They also apply to the dilemmas of spiritual life. The decision to follow Jesus inevitably entails a cost. In "The Cost of Discipleship," Jonas Madureira addresses both meanings of this expression in an accessible but profound way.

In general, in the Christian context, the word “discipleship” refers to the act of following Jesus (imitating Christ) and also to the act of helping someone follow Jesus (helping others in imitating Christ). These are distinct things that can easily be confused, because they are closely related. Those who do not follow Jesus cannot help others follow Jesus.

Only discipleship is capable of guaranteeing the formation of authentic “little Christs.” However, the beginning of this change does not come with “effective discipleship methods,” but with the imitation of Christ. The basis for this change is the imitation of Jesus. In discipleship, “do what I say, but not what I do” is not valid, because it is only possible to disciple by being, speaking, and acting as a disciple, as an imitator of Christ. This is the essence and condition of discipleship: to help someone follow Jesus, it is necessary to first pay the price of imitating Jesus.

May there be among us, despite the moral and theological crises that plague the minds and hearts of Christ’s followers, followers who can say to others what Paul said to his own: “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ”!