Can you be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus?

If you are an apprentice to an electrician or plumber, studying bricklaying, or learning any skill from a master teacher, you would not hesitate to tell me you are a student of “so and so.” If I ask if you are a good apprentice, you might say, “Yes, I am” or perhaps “No, I am not.” However, what if I asked if you could be a better student? You would probably say, “Why, sure I could be!”

So I ask again, can you be a Christian without being a disciple of Christ?

Is it really possible to be a professing Christian and a member of the church in good standing and not be a disciple of Jesus? Have you met people in the church who are not students of Jesus? They simply have no intention of being a disciple nor have they ever intentionally decided to please God by following Jesus and obeying Him.

Unfortunately, what sometimes happens in the church is that we accept the “musts” and “oughts” and “shoulds” of life as if they were authentic translations of the gospel. After all, if we sing on the praise team, serve as an usher, are a member of the church board, or greet at the front door, we must be really spiritual, right? If we show up at church with our teens entertained, the children quiet and well behaved, the bills paid, and everyone happy, then the church ought to be fine for now, right? As long as we get our promotions, have enough vacation and salary to live a comfortable life, and maintain an acceptable level of personal happiness, then we should be okay with God, right?

Actually, none of these things has anything to do with being an authentic student of Jesus. None of it has much bearing upon the mission that He gave us – to make Christ-like disciples.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” So, again I ask, can you really be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus?