{"id":6729,"date":"2026-04-23T20:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T20:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=6729"},"modified":"2026-04-24T21:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T21:05:20","slug":"disciplines-dont-save-christ-does","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/article\/disciplines-dont-save-christ-does\/","title":{"rendered":"Disciplines Don&#8217;t Save. Christ Does."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#ededed\"><em>This article was originally published in Christianity Today, January\/February 2026, Volume 70, Number 1. You can find that original article here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2026\/01\/disciplines-dont-save-christ-does\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2026\/01\/disciplines-dont-save-christ-does\/<\/a><br><br>Used by permission of Christianity Today, Wheaton, IL 60187.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A disciple was someone who followed a rabbi around not only to learn doctrine but also to see its application in life. Jesus was one such rabbi, as we see in the familiar story reported in Luke 10:38\u201342 (ESV throughout):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord\u2019s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, \u201cLord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.\u201d But the Lord answered her, \u201cMartha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Martha offers hospitality, preparing meals and hosting Jesus and his disciples. As we see in Jesus\u2019 ministry, this too was part of discipleship. Yet Jesus, the Word incarnate, found nothing greater than hearing and delivering his Father\u2019s words, the \u201cone thing \u2026 necessary.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chief mark of discipleship is receiving Jesus in his Word, as Mary does. There is a time for a disciple to do \u201cmany things,\u201d but attentiveness to Christ is first. Jesus is delivering himself to Mary as her Savior. The instruction Mary is receiving \u201cwill not be taken away from her.\u201d She will cherish these hours, for these words of life will fuel her many works.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-1a17336c uagb-blockquote__skin-quotation uagb-blockquote__align-left uagb-blockquote__style-style_2 uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><span class=\"uagb-blockquote__icon\"><svg width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M7.031 14c3.866 0 7 3.134 7 7s-3.134 7-7 7-7-3.134-7-7l-0.031-1c0-7.732 6.268-14 14-14v4c-2.671 0-5.182 1.040-7.071 2.929-0.364 0.364-0.695 0.751-0.995 1.157 0.357-0.056 0.724-0.086 1.097-0.086zM25.031 14c3.866 0 7 3.134 7 7s-3.134 7-7 7-7-3.134-7-7l-0.031-1c0-7.732 6.268-14 14-14v4c-2.671 0-5.182 1.040-7.071 2.929-0.364 0.364-0.695 0.751-0.995 1.157 0.358-0.056 0.724-0.086 1.097-0.086z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">There is a time for a disciple to do \u2018many things,\u2019 but attentiveness to Christ is first.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A disciple is first and foremost a recipient of good news. Following the example of Jesus is an important part of discipleship in the Gospels, but it is not the gospel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet many today are equating discipleship with the gospel. John Mark Comer focuses his recent book, <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, on discipleship. Comer reports that many people told him they had never heard about discipleship before in their evangelical churches.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is surprising to me. I grew up in an evangelical world in which Dallas Willard\u2014the preeminent name on spiritual formation\u2014made a significant impact. Everyone was talking about discipleship. A translation of Thomas \u00e0 Kempis\u2019s<em> The Imitation of Christ<\/em> (circa 1418\u20131427) was a well-marked-up volume in my mother\u2019s library. <em>In His Steps<\/em>, an 1896 classic by Charles Sheldon, was on the shelf too. In that book, Sheldon, a Congregationalist pioneer of the social gospel movement, asked the question \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For 19th-century evangelist Charles G. Finney and other revivalists, in fact, following Christ\u2019s example edged out Christ\u2019s saving work in their preaching. Evangelicalism is an activistic version of Christianity, which has its pros and cons, as Jesus\u2019 words to Martha and Mary suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One evangelical theologian who focuses on Christian activism is Scot McKnight. I appreciate his emphasis on Jesus himself being the gospel. But I think McKnight\u2019s reactions against a genuine problem of evangelical reductionism (found in such resources as the \u201cplan of salvation\u201d tracts) lead him to another oversimplification.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer, too, emphasizes the active nature of Christian practice, but he lacks McKnight\u2019s nuance. Comer acts as if no one had thought about discipleship and the kingdom of God until he came along.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I see it, the problem with Comer\u2019s emphasis is equating discipleship with the gospel. In <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, Comer says, \u201cAnd through apprenticeship to Jesus, we can enter into this kingdom and into the inner life of God himself.\u201d But even if we were to adopt this approach\u2014doing all the things Jesus said\u2014that is not salvific. Jesus taught that a person enters the kingdom through the new birth, which is an entirely supernatural gift of grace (John 3:1\u20138).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there is nothing really about grace in Comer\u2019s <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>. In fact, there is a lot about Jesus as example, but the main point is \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d Part of what is done seems to be a \u201crule of life.\u201d Comer\u2019s emphasis on a rule of life may echo the Benedictine Rule, but it is a decidedly modern monasticism, both in its view of salvation and in its individualism. His \u201cnine core practices\u201d can be done without any particular accountability to a local church. Like many who emphasize Christ\u2019s example over his achievement, Comer seems to think that God\u2019s work is something he accomplishes merely through us rather than for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wesley-tingey-mcmqaU8VhAI-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6734\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992854967554525;width:595px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wesley-tingey-mcmqaU8VhAI-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wesley-tingey-mcmqaU8VhAI-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wesley-tingey-mcmqaU8VhAI-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wesley-tingey-mcmqaU8VhAI-unsplash.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jesus is not just a preeminent rabbi. He is also the Father\u2019s incarnate Son, who descended in flesh to redeem us from condemnation and death. Jesus is the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So while the message of Christian formation according to Jesus\u2019 example is entirely appropriate for Christian growth, it is instead made into the gospel itself. It isn\u2019t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus himself summarized loving God and neighbor as the fulfillment of the whole law (Matthew 22:37\u201340; Galatians 5:14). Jesus exemplifies the perfect human, not only in his birth but also in his obedient life and sacrifice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d (or WWJD) gospel is not a gospel at all. It is the law\u2014the good law. We have it not only prescribed in the Ten Commandments but also fulfilled in Christ. The Good News is not \u201cGive your life to Jesus\u201d or \u201cSurrender all\u201d\u2014actions we take\u2014but the truth that the incarnate Son gave his life and surrendered all for you. Apart from this Good News, the example of Jesus leads us either to despair or to self-righteousness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This truth is abundant not only in Paul\u2019s writings but also in the Gospels, even in the episode with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16\u201322). The Pharisee in one of Jesus\u2019 parables goes so far as to thank God for his moral superiority, but Jesus says the tax collector \u201cwent down to his house justified, rather than the other\u201d (Luke 18:14). How could this happen unless, as Paul teaches, Christ\u2019s fulfillment of the law is imputed to us just as our transgressions are imputed to him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not a question of whether we hold in principle to such doctrines but rather whether they function as key drivers of gospel discipleship or are transformed into the gospel itself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have learned much from conversations with Professor McKnight. But I know more about what he believes about \u201cKing Jesus\u201d than \u201cthe Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world\u201d (John 1:29).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from the latter, it is terrifying news that Jesus is King. Look at me. My best efforts at discipleship are stained by pride and sloth. I\u2019m hardly a person Jesus could trust to help him usher in the everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. I want to be, but even my wanting is too often halfhearted and fleeting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is there a gospel for people like me? Maybe I don\u2019t have a great testimony of descending into a horrible life of rebellion and then surrendering all. But Jesus surrendered all for me. King Jesus on a cross: That\u2019s the story from Genesis 3:15 to the end of the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe we can\u2019t point to radical moments of transformation in our lives and in the world through us. Perhaps we are those who go to church, confess our sins, hear and believe the gospel, receive Christ\u2019s body and blood, and go out again into the world to love and serve our neighbors in meaningful but quiet and failing ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I need the body of Christ because I\u2019m not a good disciple on my own. There are no rules or core practices that will save me from this. Only the story I\u2019m baptized into can do that. Let me hear it again, from different episodes, until I feel myself becoming rescripted into it. Let me pray with other struggling Christians who sometimes just don\u2019t feel like praying.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Above all, let me be a recipient of grace. Instead of coming together to get our marching orders for consummating the kingdom, let us come together to confess our sin and our faith in Christ, who is greater than all our sin. And let us go out to offer a sacrifice not of atonement but of thanksgiving for the atonement Christ accomplished once and for all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus reigns. The good news in this is not that he gives you an agenda and example (which he does!) but that he is your \u201crighteousness and&nbsp; sanctification and redemption\u201d (1 Corinthians 1:30).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Discipleship is not the gospel. It is the fruit of the gospel. Just as fruit varies from tree to tree, so do our roles in God\u2019s kingdom. There is no promise that you will become a world transformer. You might just be somebody who washes dishes, changes diapers, or drives a truck. That\u2019s good. Jesus was a builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps there will be decisive moments where your discipleship enjoys a significant impact, but for most of us, it is a slog. We try not to be \u201canxious and troubled about many things,\u201d but we are. We try not to envy, but we do. We try not to surrender to sloth when there is so much to accomplish, but we are halfhearted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Martha thought Mary was wasting her own time and Jesus\u2019 by asking theological questions. But maybe that\u2019s what a disciple does more than anything. Mary and Martha were both disciples, but the work of discipleship starts with and remains grounded by the gospel that falls from Jesus\u2019 lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-f2a4b317 uagb-blockquote__skin-quotation uagb-blockquote__align-left uagb-blockquote__style-style_2 uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><span class=\"uagb-blockquote__icon\"><svg width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M7.031 14c3.866 0 7 3.134 7 7s-3.134 7-7 7-7-3.134-7-7l-0.031-1c0-7.732 6.268-14 14-14v4c-2.671 0-5.182 1.040-7.071 2.929-0.364 0.364-0.695 0.751-0.995 1.157 0.357-0.056 0.724-0.086 1.097-0.086zM25.031 14c3.866 0 7 3.134 7 7s-3.134 7-7 7-7-3.134-7-7l-0.031-1c0-7.732 6.268-14 14-14v4c-2.671 0-5.182 1.040-7.071 2.929-0.364 0.364-0.695 0.751-0.995 1.157 0.358-0.056 0.724-0.086 1.097-0.086z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Disciples do serve, work, and extend hospitality. But they do this because they have sat at the feet of Jesus to learn who he is and what he has come to do.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disciples do serve, work, and extend hospitality. But they do this because they have sat at the feet of Jesus to learn who he is and what he has come to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than providing comfort or anything else, the news that King Jesus is the Lamb of God is the fuel for following the example of the one who \u201ccame not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matthew 20:28). Martha indeed found the one thing necessary, which Jesus pointed out to her: \u201cMary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Michael Horton is J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. His most recent book is <\/em>Shaman and Sage<em>.<\/em><em>This article appeared in the January\/February 2026 issue of <\/em>Christianity Today<em> as \u201cAre You Really a Disciple?\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Horton exhorts Christians to not confuse discipleship with the gospel. A disciple was someone who followed a rabbi around not only to learn doctrine but also to see its application in life. Jesus was one such rabbi, as we see in the familiar story reported in Luke 10:38\u201342.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6733,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"quarterly-category":[701],"quarter":[799],"speaker":[800],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-6729","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","quarterly-category-gospel-changed-hearts","quarter-spring-2026","speaker-michael-horton","wpbf-post"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",1500,1000,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",1500,1000,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",1500,1000,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",300,200,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",400,267,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/engin-akyurt-G4UX1vt93QM-unsplash.jpg",600,400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"ginljoel","author_link":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Michael Horton exhorts Christians to not confuse discipleship with the gospel. A disciple was someone who followed a rabbi around not only to learn doctrine but also to see its application in life. Jesus was one such rabbi, as we see in the familiar story reported in Luke 10:38\u201342.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/6729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6729"},{"taxonomy":"quarterly-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/quarterly-category?post=6729"},{"taxonomy":"quarter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/quarter?post=6729"},{"taxonomy":"speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speaker?post=6729"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=6729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}