Brother this was rich to read and your heart comes through so clearly. Thank you for laying it out with such depth. And I agree completely the whole story of Scripture shouts one truth over and over again God moves first. He always has. He always will. And what you shared about deliverance before discipleship is exactly what the gospel shows from the very beginning. Before Israel ever obeyed a single command God said in Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Rescue first commands second. And in the New Testament Jesus does the same. He calls broken men before they know anything about holiness. He heals people before they fully believe who He is. He forgives Peter before Peter even knows how to repent properly. That is why Romans 5:8 is so powerful God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Salvation is not the reward for discipleship. Salvation is the foundation of discipleship. You are right grace is not opposed to effort it is opposed to earning. That is what Paul means in Ephesians 2:8 10 By grace you have been saved through faith not by works so that no one may boast for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. He saves us and then shapes us. And to the brother who was confused I would lovingly say Jesus tied discipleship to salvation because a true disciple is someone who has already been delivered. The disciples followed because Jesus found them first. They obeyed because Jesus loved them first. They surrendered because Jesus rescued them first. First John 4:19 We love because He first loved us. Brother thank you for sharing this powerful message. It reminds me that when we drift into performance mode or try to earn what has already been given we lose the joy of the gospel. Grace must lead the way every time. May the Lord keep your heart steady in His mercy and may your ministry continue to shine the beauty of Jesus who moves first so we can follow. Blessings to you my brother.
To be honest, the phrase “deliverance before discipleship” is confusing to me. How are you defining the word discipleship?
The Bible makes it clear that freedom (salvation/deliverance) is directly tied to being a disciple of His (John 8:31; Matt 16:24; Heb 5:9). If what you mean is “after you are saved, you continue to grow as a disciple” then yes, I agree.
But your title literally says “deliverance before discipleship.” Jesus directly ties salvation to being a disciple of His. So I’m just a little confused by this article.
“Deliverance Before Discipleship” reflects the pattern we consistently see in the life of Jesus. He calls the disciples before they understand much of anything (Matt. 4:19). He chooses them before they choose Him (John 15:16). He loves them before they obey Him (John 13:34). He dies for them before they follow Him faithfully (Romans 5:8). He restores Peter before Peter resumes ministry (John 21). Jesus acts first, and then discipleship unfolds from that grace. That’s all the phrase was meant to highlight: Christ’s work comes first, and our life of discipleship flows from His initiative.
Nothing in this idea negates the biblical conditions of salvation. It doesn’t remove repentance, confession, baptism, or faithful obedience. Rather, it emphasizes that our response is possible only because of what Jesus has already accomplished. We don’t obey in order to make God gracious. We obey because He has already been gracious. Our lifelong discipleship is the fruit of the salvation we have received, not the price of it.
So, the phrase wasn’t meant to dismantle anything Scripture says about discipleship. It was meant to push back against a performance-based mindset that some Christians struggle with—this idea that we must “prove ourselves” worthy before we can belong. The point was simply that Jesus rescues us first, and then He trains us to walk like Him. That’s all the phrase was trying to convey.
Maybe you are saying “Jesus offers deliverance -> we respond/accept -> He delivers -> we live holy lives of discipleship.” If so, I totally agree with you.
I just think the phrase “deliverance before discipleship” is used by many religious people to mean “Jesus saves before we respond as a disciple in baptism.” Which obviously is not true. Jesus calls us to die to our self through baptism, which is the accepting of the free gift (aka Gods grace).
Yes … that’s exactly what I’m saying and I certainly do not use the title in the context that many of our denominational friends do. I just want to help us get away from performance based religion that is driven by fear and not gratitude for God’s grace.
Amen. Trying to produce discipleship without a prior deliverance is like getting the course before the heart.
True discipleship is organic.
Brother this was rich to read and your heart comes through so clearly. Thank you for laying it out with such depth. And I agree completely the whole story of Scripture shouts one truth over and over again God moves first. He always has. He always will. And what you shared about deliverance before discipleship is exactly what the gospel shows from the very beginning. Before Israel ever obeyed a single command God said in Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Rescue first commands second. And in the New Testament Jesus does the same. He calls broken men before they know anything about holiness. He heals people before they fully believe who He is. He forgives Peter before Peter even knows how to repent properly. That is why Romans 5:8 is so powerful God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Salvation is not the reward for discipleship. Salvation is the foundation of discipleship. You are right grace is not opposed to effort it is opposed to earning. That is what Paul means in Ephesians 2:8 10 By grace you have been saved through faith not by works so that no one may boast for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. He saves us and then shapes us. And to the brother who was confused I would lovingly say Jesus tied discipleship to salvation because a true disciple is someone who has already been delivered. The disciples followed because Jesus found them first. They obeyed because Jesus loved them first. They surrendered because Jesus rescued them first. First John 4:19 We love because He first loved us. Brother thank you for sharing this powerful message. It reminds me that when we drift into performance mode or try to earn what has already been given we lose the joy of the gospel. Grace must lead the way every time. May the Lord keep your heart steady in His mercy and may your ministry continue to shine the beauty of Jesus who moves first so we can follow. Blessings to you my brother.
To be honest, the phrase “deliverance before discipleship” is confusing to me. How are you defining the word discipleship?
The Bible makes it clear that freedom (salvation/deliverance) is directly tied to being a disciple of His (John 8:31; Matt 16:24; Heb 5:9). If what you mean is “after you are saved, you continue to grow as a disciple” then yes, I agree.
But your title literally says “deliverance before discipleship.” Jesus directly ties salvation to being a disciple of His. So I’m just a little confused by this article.
Grace → God offers the gift
Discipleship → I turn to Jesus (faith, repentance, baptism)
Deliverance → God saves, forgives, adopts
Growth → I obey and become more like Christ
Grace comes first, but salvation does not happen until you respond as a disciple.
“Deliverance Before Discipleship” reflects the pattern we consistently see in the life of Jesus. He calls the disciples before they understand much of anything (Matt. 4:19). He chooses them before they choose Him (John 15:16). He loves them before they obey Him (John 13:34). He dies for them before they follow Him faithfully (Romans 5:8). He restores Peter before Peter resumes ministry (John 21). Jesus acts first, and then discipleship unfolds from that grace. That’s all the phrase was meant to highlight: Christ’s work comes first, and our life of discipleship flows from His initiative.
Nothing in this idea negates the biblical conditions of salvation. It doesn’t remove repentance, confession, baptism, or faithful obedience. Rather, it emphasizes that our response is possible only because of what Jesus has already accomplished. We don’t obey in order to make God gracious. We obey because He has already been gracious. Our lifelong discipleship is the fruit of the salvation we have received, not the price of it.
So, the phrase wasn’t meant to dismantle anything Scripture says about discipleship. It was meant to push back against a performance-based mindset that some Christians struggle with—this idea that we must “prove ourselves” worthy before we can belong. The point was simply that Jesus rescues us first, and then He trains us to walk like Him. That’s all the phrase was trying to convey.
Maybe you are saying “Jesus offers deliverance -> we respond/accept -> He delivers -> we live holy lives of discipleship.” If so, I totally agree with you.
I just think the phrase “deliverance before discipleship” is used by many religious people to mean “Jesus saves before we respond as a disciple in baptism.” Which obviously is not true. Jesus calls us to die to our self through baptism, which is the accepting of the free gift (aka Gods grace).
Thank you for being so kind and gracious in your conversation.
Yes … that’s exactly what I’m saying and I certainly do not use the title in the context that many of our denominational friends do. I just want to help us get away from performance based religion that is driven by fear and not gratitude for God’s grace.
Thank you for this whole series! It’s been excellent and so encouraging!
You are very welcome! Appreciate you!