the cost of discipleship
What does the Bible say about the cost of discipleship? These are the passages readers found most helpful — tap any citation to read it in context.
13 passages · most helpful first
25Now great crowds traveled with him. And turning around, he said to them: 26“If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he is not able to be my disciple. 27And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, is not able to be my disciple. 28For who among you, wanting to build a tower, would not first sit down and determine the costs that are required, to see if he has the means to complete it? 29Otherwise, after he will have laid the foundation and not been able to finish it, everyone who sees it may begin to mock him, 30saying: ‘This man began to build what he was not able to finish.’
23Then he said to everyone: “If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me.
26“If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he is not able to be my disciple.
23Then he said to everyone: “If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me. 24For whoever will have saved his life, will lose it. Yet whoever will have lost his life for my sake, will save it. 25For how does it benefit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose himself, or cause himself harm? 26For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words: of him the Son of man will be ashamed, when he will have arrived in his majesty and that of his Father and of the holy Angels.
33Therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all that he possesses is not able to be my disciple.
37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me.
1And so, I beg you, brothers, by the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, with the subservience of your mind. 2And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.
33These things I have spoken to you, so that you may have peace in me. In the world, you will have difficulties. But have confidence: I have overcome the world.”
7But the things which had been to my gain, the same have I considered a loss, for the sake of Christ. 8Yet truly, I consider everything to be a loss, because of the preeminent knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of everything, considering it all to be like dung, so that I may gain Christ,
27And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, is not able to be my disciple.
21For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
26For how does it benefit a man, if he gains the whole world, yet truly suffers damage to his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
34And calling together the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone chooses to follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.