From the Pulpit...

This passage has to do with the cost of Christian discipleship. Being a disciple is the same as being a true believer in Christ. It is the same as being a follower of Christ, a student of Jesus. Early in the NT, the word disciple described anyone who was "hanging around" Jesus, perhaps following Him as He taught. But it became clear as time passed that there were some false disciples (John 6:66). The most common use of the term has to do with the 12 disciples of Jesus. In Acts 6:1 and 14:22 (among others), the word means the exact same thing as a believer or Christian. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26).

There is an error that has been circulating among some evangelicals, namely the teaching that not every believer is a disciple. They suggest that someone can become a believer through mental assent to the facts of the gospel, and although they should go on and become committed as a disciple, many do not do so. They feel it is no big deal—the person is saved and assured of heaven. But Peter denied being a disciple (John 18:17, 25-27), and it is unimaginable that in his deep grief he would have consoled himself by saying he was still a believer and everything was fine. No! His denial was at the core of what it meant for him to be a follower of Jesus.