34
COUNTING THE COSTS OF DISCIPLESHIP For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply [it happen], after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:28-33).
Jesus warned His listeners about the cost of being His disciple. The cost is high by the world's standards. The disciple must forsake everything that he possesses (v. 33). "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matt. 19:27). Elsewhere, however, Jesus said that his yoke is easy: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). How can we reconcile these two passages?
The Transfer of Assets The most important biblical economic principle is this: God owns the world. He created it; therefore, He owns it. "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods" (Ps. 24:1-2). The whole creation is God's possession. "The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them" (Ps. 89:11). This is the presuppositional starting point for Christian economics.(1)
The redeemed person's formal covenantal surrender to God necessarily mandates the formal surrender of his possessions to God, beginning with title to his own life. Baptism is an oath sign that acknowledges God's complete legal claim on a person. The Lordship of Christ involves His taking possession of all of the covenant-keeper's possessions. The Christian surrenders his goods to Christ.
Few Christians ever formally go this far in their walk with Christ. They do not mentally or publicly sign over all of their assets to God.(2) Then how can they become Jesus' disciple? Only because Jesus does this for them. He makes a perfect confession to God on their behalf. When He died for the sins of His people, he died for all of their sins. If one of these sins is stubborn possessiveness, then this sin is covered by Christ's perfect righteousness, which is imputed to them judicially by God the Father.
Paul tells us to conform our lives to Christ's life. "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Cor. 11:1). The Greek word translated as "followers" is mimetes: to mimic or imitate. Through the free grace of progressive sanctification, we are supposed to conform our thoughts and actions to His standards. Christ now owns the entire world as the true heir of God.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? (Heb. 1:1-5).
Christians are supposed to acknowledge this fact. We are to surrender all of our assets to Christ. This transfer of assets includes our bodies and minds. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2). We are not to hold back anything. It is all to be put at God's service.
Is this a heavy burden? Jesus said no. We gain a great inheritance by surrendering everything to Christ. This is because of our adopted sonship. We become the lawful heirs of God the Father through Jesus Christ, His only begotten son. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:14-18).
To gain our inheritance, we must surrender ownership. This inheritance is surely eternal, but it is also historical. Covenant-keepers will inherit in history. This is a kingdom promise. We read in the Book of Psalms:
What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth (Ps. 25:12-13).
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Ps. 37:9-11).
For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever (Ps. 37:22-29).
When covenant-keepers surrender to God through Christ's grace everything that they possess, they thereby admit that they are God's stewards rather than original owners. They are agents of God. They own nothing personally. They hold everything administratively. As stewards, they will have to present a final accounting to God regarding their administration of His assets. All men will be required to give such an account. They will have no choice. Adam was God's steward; so are all of his heirs. But the covenant-keeper acknowledges in history his subordinate position. This is what distinguishes his stewardship from the covenant-breaker's, who refuses to acknowledge ultimate ownership by the God of the Bible.
A Transfer of Allegiance and Ownership Jesus warned His listeners against becoming His disciples if they were not prepared to pay the price. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27). These are strong words. Why should a man hate his father? Because of the division within families that his discipleship will create. "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:34-38).
Jesus did not recommend that anyone become His disciple without counting these costs. The person who becomes His disciple, only to defect later on, will suffer ridicule: ". . . all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish." This is a great embarrassment. There are high costs of partial discipleship.
A disciple of Christ must permanently switch allegiance from mammon to God. He makes a new personal covenant. His old personal covenant must be broken. He acknowledges a new, superior sovereign in his life. He acknowledges a new, superior chain of authority over him. He surrenders ownership of everything he owns. This is a major transformation in a person's life. It should not be entered into lightly.
This covenantal transformation is like a marriage. When a man and a woman covenant with each other for a lifetime, they must break old allegiances and relationships. They accept new responsibilities and costs. They expect benefits from the new relationship, but they cannot gain these benefits free of charge. Once entered into, the marriage is supposed to last until one of them dies. People should not take marriage vows lightly.
Christ asks His disciples throughout history to count the cost of transferring their allegiance to Him. He does not invite people to come under His discipline on the assumption that they will not be asked to pay a price. Jesus paid the supreme price on behalf of the world (John 3:16) and His disciples: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). His prospective disciples are here told to think through the costs of discipleship before they commit to Him.
Assessing Future Costs When a man and a woman marry, they have only the vaguest notion of what lies ahead. They can only guess the costs. The benefits seem to be immediate. The costs seem far removed. This is one reason why so many people get married. But costs eventually come due. This is why, in our day, so many people get divorced. Society has lowered the price of divorce, so more divorce is demanded. The price of staying married rises as troubles multiply, and the immediate price of getting divorced drops. The rate of divorce goes up.
Making an estimation of future costs is not easy. Some of these costs will appear without warning. No one can foresee all of these costs in advance, but enough of them are known in advance to enable a person to make an intelligent estimate. Jesus mentioned hostility in family relationships. There would be other burdens for the disciples prior to the fall of Jerusalem. "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony" (Luke 21:12-13).
To make such an assessment of future costs, men must look to the past. What has happened before will probably happen again. This was bad news for wavering disciples in Jesus' day. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:11-12). Persecution in the immediate future would lead to blessings in the distant future -- eternity -- but for partially committed disciples, looming persecution was bad news. A faithful disciple had to be future-oriented. He had to assess the present value of his hoped-for eternal blessings more highly than he assessed the present costs of prophesied near-term persecution. This involved a high degree of confidence in the fulfillment of Christ's promises regarding eternity.
The more temporally distant a cost or a blessing, the more steeply it is discounted by decision-makers. This is why men naturally look to near-term consequences when they make most of their decisions. Jesus kept telling His listeners that this near-term focus is a mistake. People should look to the long-term results in deciding what to do. They must consider eternity. This is surely the case with costs. "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Luke 12:4-5). It is also the case with blessings. "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting" (Luke 18:29-30).
The Discount for Time
Men apply a discount to future costs and benefits. We call this the interest rate. The higher this discount rate, the less that people pay attention to distant events, i.e., the more present-oriented they are. This is another way of saying the more lower class they are.(3)
Jesus said it again and again: to be His disciples, men must take seriously the eternal realm. Men normally apply a high discount to the very distant future because they know they will be dead and gone. Jesus warned Nicodemus that in the distant future, there will be eternal life only for covenant-keepers. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16-18).
Eternity is a permanent condition. He who gains eternal life in history has a joyous eternity before him. He has the promise of blessings that will roll in forever. To apply a steep discount to eternity's blessings is foolish. The positive returns, being permanent, are not subject to removal through death. They will be made available sooner than covenant-breakers think. James wrote: "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:13-14). James also wrote, "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways" (James 1:9-11).
Eternity may be very close to a decision-maker. "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:20).(4) Long life delays the inevitable, but in relation to eternity, long life is the blink of an eye. Therefore, to apply a discount to the future that does not take eternity into consideration is suicidal. It places too low a value on eternity's permanent sanctions. It also assumes too high a value for the various possible income streams available in history. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26).
Public Failure Jesus used two examples in this passage: a man who begins building a tower and a king who makes plans for a war. In planning for the future, a person should assess future costs. He should decide early whether he possesses sufficient resources to complete the project. If he does not, he should not begin it, for when the uncompleted project stands empty before all men, they will ridicule the builder. As for a king who plans a war, he should recognize that a failure could cost him his kingdom and his life. He should count the costs carefully.
The costs of failure are high. It is not simply the cost of the time and materials that are wasted on an uncompleted project. It is the cost of ridicule. In fact, Jesus mentioned this cost rather than the construction costs. Public ridicule for a visible failure is what most men fear more than losing money. An economic loss taken is private is preferable to one taken in public.
The cross was the ultimate ridicule. "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself" (Luke 23:35-37). Jesus knew that His disciples would be mocked, too, by Jews and gentiles alike. This took place. "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter" (Acts 17:32).
Jesus did not tell His listeners that they should never risk failure for the sake of the kingdom. On the contrary, He called them to take such risks. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24). What Jesus taught was that the disciple should abandon his pride in advance. He told His followers to take the seats of lowest honor (Luke 14:7-10).(5) Paul extended this idea. Christians must first become fools in the eyes of the world.
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence (I Cor. 1:23-29).
This is all part of surrendering in advance all those possessions that we, as God's stewards, do not own anyway. Jesus told His listeners that they should count the costs of failure. The way to escape these costs is to surrender everything to God in advance. This way, a person is freed up to make mistakes on behalf of the Christ's kingdom. He can bear greater risks than the person who holds on tightly to all that he has, including his pride. But he should not bear these risks blindly.
The Exchange of Treasures The faithful steward seeks to make a profit on God's behalf. This means that he accumulates capital that can be used for God's kingdom. If he loses it because of bad investing, this will be revealed at the final accounting before God.
Jesus used money as a metaphor of final accounting in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30). A talent was an English unit of weight. It was specifically applied by the King James translators to precious metals.(6)
But it is obvious from the punishment of the unprofitable servant that the issue was not money. "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30). God does not send people to hell because they have not made a lot of money. On the contrary, those who make a lot of money are more likely to be sent to hell. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matt. 19:23-24). The servant was punished because he buried his talent. He did nothing with it on behalf of the owner.
God entrusts to all men the singular blessing of temporal life. They are supposed to exchange temporal life for eternal life. This exchange takes place in history. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). This exchange is the essence of faithful stewardship. Men are told to be faithful stewards. "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (I Cor. 4:2). Faithful stewardship involves a transfer of assets, Jesus said. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).
The essence of kingdom profitability is the exchange of temporal treasure for eternal treasure. "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:29-34).(7)
Jesus told His disciples to learn the techniques of eternal accounting. We are supposed to exchange what the world regards as high-value assets for what it regards as low-value assets. Unlike temporal assets, heavenly assets cannot be lost. They also cannot be liquidated. Accumulating heavenly assets is the investment strategy known as "buy and hold." Heavenly treasure purchased now is like an annuity: you will collect your return at a future date. A treasure stored in heaven is a man's secure inheritance as an adopted son of God. This treasure will be transferred to him publicly at the resurrection. The New Heaven and New Earth of the post-resurrection world is the ultimate location for treasure laid up in heaven. Heaven is a temporary place of residence for the disembodied souls of covenant-keepers. The final judgment brings covenant-keepers back to a transformed earth (Rev. 20, 21). It is here that men will put to eternal use the treasures they have accumulated in history and stored in heaven.
These treasures are ethical. They are classified under the category of wisdom. The wise steward is the rich steward, for he is the heir. "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath" (Luke 12:42-44). Jesus is this wise steward.(8) He died on the cross, stripped even of his robe and any dignity that it had provided. He died as the true heir, the wisest of all God's stewards. He collected His earthly inheritance at the resurrection (Matt. 28:18). His faithful disciples inherit through Him.
Accurate Accounting Count the cost, we are warned. But what is the proper unit of account? For earthly affairs, it is money: the most marketable commodity. For heavenly affairs, it is presently unstated. There is no public exchange rate: today's money vs. the heavenly unit of account. We must act in faith in making these exchanges on the assumption that God will not cheat us when we exchange earthly treasure for heavenly.
The most valuable things that we possess as God's stewards have no price tags. For example, what is the value of a virtuous wife? WE are not sure. All we know is that it is above rubies (Prov. 31:10). Our health has no price tag until we get sick and must pay to get well. The monetary value of close personal relationships is unknown and presumably unknowable. Where there is no market for exchanges, there is no numerical accounting system. We can sometimes establish a ordinal hierarchy of value -- first, second, third -- but not a cardinal hierarchy of value: exactly this much more or less.
God asks us to move from numerical treasure -- money -- to eternal treasure, but without stated prices or a stated exchange rate. We must therefore act entirely on faith. We must believe that God will not cheat us. If we have doubts about God, heaven, and the value of eternal treasure, then we will be sorely tempted to look to our tangible wealth in order to determine our net worth. God's estimation is then no longer ours. Whenever we do this, we divinize an aspect of the creation: money. This is idolatry. This is why Paul wrote:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses (I Tim. 6:6-12).
When we retroactively count the costs of our previous decisions, we use money to estimate our success or failure, our profit or loss. This procedure applies correctly only to those things that can be quantified. It leaves out anything that is really important in life, even earthly life. To assess the success of a marriage, monetary calculation will not do. The same is true of the other things that we value most highly. We cannot legitimately use money to estimate the value of whatever has really counted in our lives. Whatever really counts cannot be counted. This is even more true of assessing costs and benefits in the future.
Accounting and Productivity
People can estimate the monetary cost of building a tower. This procedure makes it cheaper to build towers. By budgeting our costs in advance, we reduce our costs by reducing our mistakes. This reduces waste. When we reduce waste, our total future output increases. There is no doubt that monetary accounting, especially double-entry bookkeeping, has revolutionized the world. Without monetary calculation, we could not have a high division of labor economy. We would become impoverished. But the vast increase in productivity that is attributable to the development of cost accounting is still limited to things and events governed by market pricing.
The modern world's multiplication of consumer goods is impressive. This increase in wealth has led to the vast increase in population. There are more survivors of childhood diseases and other disasters. In this sense, cost accounting is an enormous blessing. But the billions of people who are alive today, if they are not brought to saving faith through grace in their lifetimes, will suffer terribly in eternity. The blessings of history will then become the cursings of eternity.
This places a special burden on Christians today, who possess the message of eternal life. To fund the many programs of evangelism that are necessary to bring Christ's gospel of redemption to billions of people in one lifetime, Christians must sacrifice economically. They should view their wealth as a kingdom tool in a life-and-death race against time. Time is running out for billions of people. The laying up of treasure in heaven through funding world missions is an important heavenly wealth-building strategy -- more important today than at any time in history. There are more lives at stake than ever before.
Conclusion Decision-makers are told to count the cost of their actions. This means that they should estimate future costs. They must seek ways to estimate accurately what they will have to forfeit in order to buy what they need to complete their projects.
There is no way in the present that we can be sure what anything will cost in the future, but we can improve our productivity when we find better ways to accomplish this task. Jesus warned His listeners to regard a decision to become His disciples as risky. If they begin and then fall away, they will suffer great embarrassment. They should not rush into this decision. "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
The cost of becoming Christ's disciple is the permanent surrender to God of everything we own. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). This forsaking only rarely involves a literal depletion of all of a person's tangible assets. It is rather a covenantal surrendering. It is like donating the money to create a bank account with God's name on it, with the donor serving as a salaried trustee over what had been his money. God may never ask the trustee to spend all of the money on an account-emptying project. But we are told that in order to become Christ's disciples, we must acknowledge God as the absolutely sovereign owner, and our roles as His stewards.
Not every Christian does this mentally. Most do not. So, are there almost no disciples? After all, if this is what it takes to be a disciple of Christ, there are not many who have paid the price.
The answer is God's imputation of Christ's moral and judicial righteousness to us: definitive sanctification. Christ surrendered everything He possessed to God the Father. He took nothing of marketable value onto the cross. His atoning sacrifice becomes ours. We conform ourselves to this standard imperfectly, but Christ's perfect conformity is our possession judicially. Every redeemed disciple possesses Christ's perfect performance, judicially speaking. His assignment is to imitate Christ's performance historically. The early disciples did this. We should, too.
Footnotes:
1. Gary North, Inherit the Earth: Biblical Blueprints for Economics (Ft. Worth, Texas: Dominion Press, 1987), ch. 1.
2. A formal, public, signed transfer of assets to God is part of the financial training program of Crown Ministries.
3. Edward C. Banfield, The Unheavenly City: The Nature and Future of Our Urban Crisis (Boston: Little, Brown, 1970), pp. 53-54.
4. Chapter 24, above.
5. Chapter 32, above.
6. Exodus 25:39; I Kings 9:28; 10:10; 10:14.
7. Chapter 25, above.
8. Chapter 27, above.
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