The cost of salvation.

[fuddy]

Is discipleship a requirement for retaining salvation?

 

[Lamb]

Is discipleship a requirement for retaining salvation?

God makes disciples through baptism and teaching (both are His works). Jesus sent men out to make other disciples, but it's really God doing that work through the Gospel proclamation.

That question is as if you're looking for something to do...but it's not you doing things for salvation.

Remember that we're the adopted heirs! We didn't decide that, God did.

 

[fuddy]

So Lamb, you're saying discipleship is a separate thing from salvation? Put another way, should someone who fails at times to discipline his thoughts and behavior, yet still believes that Jesus's sacrifice on our behalf on the cross is the way of salvation, still have the confidence that they are saved?

 

[Lamb]

So Lamb, you're saying discipleship is a separate thing from salvation? Put another way, should someone who fails at times to discipline his thoughts and behavior, yet still believes that Jesus's sacrifice on our behalf on the cross is the way of salvation, still have the confidence that they are saved?

You can't be a disciple unless you have the free gift of salvation by God's grace through faith. Living out your life as a Christian does not contribute to what Jesus earned by His death and resurrection.

Your post indicates that you don't believe in the forgiveness of sins because of the cross? When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us and turns us back to God giving us forgiveness because of the Gospel. That's the free gift, not earned by us, not worked by us.

 

[jswauto]

Discipleship or Salvation-Which to Choose?​

1. The Original Thread Question is Slightly Loaded​

It asks:

“Is discipleship a requirement for retaining salvation?”

The phrase “retaining salvation” already assumes a particular framework.
It can make salvation sound something like:
Christ saves you → you receive salvation → your subsequent discipleship maintains possession of it.
But if our continued possession of salvation ultimately depends upon achieving a sufficient level of discipleship, we have quietly moved some of the ground of assurance away from Christ's finished work and onto our performance.
The short answer would be:

Salvation cost Christ everything, but it is given to us freely by grace. Discipleship costs the believer everything in the sense that Christ claims the whole life. But our imperfect performance as disciples is not what purchases, maintains, or completes Christ's saving work.

That distinction lets us preserve grace, discipleship, holiness, repentance, and assurance without sacrificing any of them.

2. The Title Itself Needs a Distinction: “The Cost of Salvation”​

There are actually two completely different perspectives from which we can ask about salvation's cost.

What did salvation cost Christ?​

Everything.
Peter says redemption was not accomplished with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but through the precious blood of Christ.
Christ bore our sins.
Christ suffered.
Christ died.
Christ satisfied what we could never satisfy.
So salvation is most certainly not cheap.

What is the price charged to the sinner for receiving salvation?​

Nothing.
It is a gift.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9

And then comes the verse that prevents grace from becoming an excuse for a barren Christian life:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works...”
Ephesians 2:10

There's the order:
Grace → salvation → new creation → good works
Not:
Grace + sufficiently successful discipleship → continued salvation
That's an enormous difference.

3. When Fear, Questions, and Concern Are Signs of a Healthy Faith​

Many believers panic when they feel fear, wrestle with questions, or experience concern about their spiritual condition. They assume these struggles mean something is wrong with their faith — or worse, that God is displeased with them. But Scripture paints a very different picture. Fear, questions, and concern do not necessarily indicate spiritual collapse. In the believer, a genuine concern about sin and a desire to remain close to Christ can actually be evidence of a spiritually sensitive conscience.. They reveal a heart that is awake, sensitive, and seeking God. And the time you spend with the Lord — in prayer, praise, and Scripture — is not earning salvation, but anchoring it. These inner struggles are not evidence against you; they are evidence that God is working in you.
“Your fear does not mean you’re fake.
Your questions do not mean you’re lost.
Your concern is not evidence against you — it’s evidence of sincerity.”
The time you're spending with the Lord (prayer, praise, bible reading) is strengthening your relationship with the Lord!