Discipleship

Jesus gave some demanding requirements for discipleship.

"25 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." Luke 14:25-27

The hating of one's parents would seem to contradict the fifth commandment that says to "honor your father and mother."    The hating here has to be about priorities.  Your priority of commitment is to the Lord.   Though you are to honor your parents, they are not to have priority over the things of the Lord.  I believe this is how to understand the Scripture that says "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated":  God's priority of commitment was to Jacob and Israel and not Esau and Edom.  There will be times when you have to make a decision of priority between doing God's will or your parents' (or family members') will or desire.   

Taking up the cross involves denying yourself for the things and will of God.  To be a disciple of Christ, you have to be willing to suffer for the will of God, just as Jesus did.   If they persecuted the teacher, they would persecute his disciples. "24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known." Matthew 10:24-26

Some Christians conflate discipleship with evangelism.  The terms of discipleship are not the same as the terms of eternal life.  Discipleship is demanding of surrender and sacrifice, while eternal life is by grace through faith alone..

I had a college advisor say that "all disciples are Christians, but not all Christians are disciples." Being a Christian doesn't automatically result in one fulfilling the terms of being a disciple. I believe it’s important to maintain the distinction that everlasting life is free while discipleship is costly. 

 However, during the time of Jesus, one could pursue being a disciple by following someone they saw as a teacher. Some followed Jesus without having yet come to believing in him as the Christ. Jesus had demanding requirements to be his disciple.   I don't think one could fulfill those requirements without being a believer first.

The resources or assets of salvation are necessary to meet the degree of commitment of being a disciple for Christ requires, but salvation does not guaranteed one will fulfill the commitment. 

I wouldn't seek to disciple unsaved people, because of what is required.  Salvation provides the motive and resources to be a disciple. possible but not guaranteed. I would evangelize before I would disciple a person. 

In the period of the Gospel accounts, a disciple could simply be a pupil of a teacher, but Jesus was demanding way much more.  Jesus’ terms of being his Disciple are not the terms of salvation, being by faith in Him alone, though maybe as a pupil, one might come to believe in Jesus as the Christ and Savior.

But it seems one can't be a good disciple of Christ, because of the type of demands he makes, unless you are already a believer in Him and have salvation.   But during the time of Christ, one could have been a disciple in the sense that they were the pupil, and he was the teacher, and yet they haven't come to saving faith in him as the Christ and savior from sin.

I would make a distinction between discipleship and evangelism.  In evangelism, I’m seeking to win someone to faith in Christ for salvation.  In discipleship, I’m seeking to help a new believer grow in his faith and walk in Christ.  It's hard enough to find believers to disciple.  How would someone disciple a non-believer?  They must be saved and want to be discipled.  The distinctions between the terms of discipleship and salvation are very obvious.

"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. 

And whoever does not bear his cross 

and come after Me 

cannot be My disciple." Luke 14.26-27