Salvation vs. Discipleship

​Let’s take a look at Luke 14:25-35 which has been identified by some in the Lordship Salvation movement as an evangelistic passage.  It is a long passage so I want to take it a few verses at a time. 
Luke 14:25-27 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

We can see a lot of similarity here to what the Lord said in Mark 8.  1st thing is the topic is again being a disciple. Jesus also mentions bearing a cross as in Mark 8.  While it is true believing in Jesus Christ can be described as coming to Him the word believe is not used.  The Lord spoke of love, hate and bearing a cross.  The word hate is obviously hyperbole because to actually hate would contradict the Lord’s command to love one another and the 5th commandment.  I take His meaning to be that loving Him has to take priority over all else including family relationships.   
 
Luke 14:28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 

Ok, everlasting life is a gift and gifts are free.  Romans 6:23b “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  I’ve never heard of or witnessed anyone asking how much they have to pay the giver for a Birthday or Christmas gift.  Everlasting life is either a gift or God is a liar and we know that is impossible.  Being a disciple on the other hand comes with a cost.  There’s the effort of learning and rightly understanding the Bible, 2 Timothy 2:15; loving our enemies Matthew 5:44 to name two.  Jesus Christ is telling the crowd to consider what it takes to be a disciple before they take it on.  Like the man building a tower, being a disciple is a public stance and failure will be noticed.  His loss is not material.  It is his reputation.  Better to not start than to start and not finish. 
 
Luke 15:31-35 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
​
The consequences in these verses follow the example of the man who failed to complete his tower.  Don’t start what you cannot finish.  Better to sue for peace than lose the war.  If you can’t keep the vow of a disciple don’t make it.  As for throwing out the salt that is not a lost of everlasting life and ending up in hell.  Notice the throwing out is by other people, not God.  To retreat from a public commitment to be a disciple of Jesus Christ will be noticed.  It could mean a loss of future usefulness in God’s Kingdom.  But it definitely will be noticed by people.  So, hear and count the cost. 
This is not an evangelistic appeal to receive everlasting life. It is a sober reminder that being a disciple does carry risk.