Discipleship in Systematic Theology: Implications for Soteriology

Authors

  • Adriani Milli Rodrigues Andrews University, Michigan, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v20.n1.pe1680

Keywords:

Discipleship, Systematic theology, Soteriology, Grace, Bonhoeffer

Abstract

Contrary to the general tendency to overlook discipleship as a prominent topic in the various loci of systematic theology, this article argues that this is a fruitful topic in the context of soteriology, assuming that discipleship is an integral part of the experience of the process of salvation in the development of Christian life. In order to constructively articulate the implications of discipleship for soteriology, this article investigates the concept of discipleship in the NT (the Gospels and Acts) and briefly dialogues with Bonhoeffer’s reflection on discipleship and grace, since it constitutes a relevant example of a systematic articulation between discipleship and soteriology in contemporary theology. Considering the biblical picture of discipleship and Bonhoeffer’s systematic articulation of discipleship and salvific grace, the article depicts the present experience of salvation in terms of a concrete process that involves the life of discipleship, not as a form of salvation by works, but rather as the divine gift of costly grace.

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Author Biography

Adriani Milli Rodrigues, Andrews University, Michigan, United States

PhD in Systematic Theology from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI; Master's in Religious Studies from the Universidade Metodista de São Paulo, São Bernardo do Campo, SP; Bachelor's in Theology and Administration from the Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo, Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo.

References

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BONHOEFFER, D. The cost of discipleship. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1963.

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LONGENECKER, R. N. (ed.). Patterns of discipleship in the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996.

MARKUSSE, G. Salvation in the Gospel of Mark: the death of Jesus and the path of discipleship. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018.

McKNIGHT, S. Matthew, Gospel of. In: GREEN, J. B.; McKNIGHT, S. (ed.). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992. p. 526-541.

STANLEY, A. P. Did Jesus teach salvation by works? The role of works in salvation in the Synoptic Gospels. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2006. (The Evangelical Theological Society, v. 4).

STRAUSS, M. L. Four portraits, one Jesus: an introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

TAYLOR, D. W. Reading Scripture as the church: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s hermeneutic of discipleship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2020.

VOLPE, M. A. Rethinking Christian identity: doctrine and discipleship. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell, 2013.

WILKINS, M. J. The concept of Disciple in Matthew’s Gospel: as reflected in the use of the term “Mathetes”. Leiden: Brill, 1988. (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, v. LIX).

WILKINS, M. J. Discipleship. In: GREEN, J. B.; McKNIGHT, S. (ed.). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992. p. 182-188.

WILLARD, D. Discipleship. In: McDERMOTT, G. R. (ed.). The Oxford handbook of evangelical theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. p. 236-246.

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Published

2025-05-27

How to Cite

MILLI RODRIGUES, A. Discipleship in Systematic Theology: Implications for Soteriology. Kerygma, Engenheiro coelho (SP), v. 20, n. 1, p. e1680, 2025. DOI: 10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v20.n1.pe1680. Disponível em: https://revistas.unasp.edu.br/kerygma/article/view/1680. Acesso em: 31 may. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2025): Fluxo contínuo

Section

Artigos

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