Following Christ requires a commitment from His disciples.  Jesus expects us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. 

Have you ever heard of gamophobia?  It’s an extreme fear of commitment, especially to marriage.  While the actual phobia may be rare, it seems that many people want the benefits of marriage without the commitment. Unfortunately, this refusal to commit has infiltrated the church.  Many people who want Jesus to save them from their sins, but they don’t want to commit to Him as their Lord.  So, carnal Christianity was invented.  Proponents of this belief teach that it is possible to trust in Christ as your Savior without ever choosing to or even desiring to live a life of obedience to Him.  However, the idea of carnal Christianity is in direct contradiction to the clear teaching of Scripture.

Love Leads to Commitment

In a previous post (United to Christ Through Faith), I talked about how we are in Christ by being united with Him through His death.  We were crucified with Christ and have died to self and to sin.  Our love and gratitude should cause us to want to live for Him. In fact, Jesus clearly says, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15, emphasis mine).  The implication from this verse is, “If you don’t keep my commands, you don’t love me.”  That clearly calls for a commitment.

Jesus speaks even more explicitly on this subject in Matthew 16:24-27.  In verse 24, He gives three requirements for those who would be His disciples, or followers. All of them require a commitment on our part.

Three Requirements for Following Christ

 First, we must deny ourselves. 

According to Blue Letter Bible, the word deny means “to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests.”  When we are saved, we cannot continue to focus on ourselves.  That doesn’t mean that we can never follow our own dreams or do the things we want to do. However, we must do everything to the glory of God (Colossians 3:17).   If our desires are contrary to God’s Word, then we must abandon them.  If we are to be a disciple of Christ, we must forget about ourselves and our own desires. Instead, we must focus on Christ.

Second, we must take up our cross.

To take up our cross means we must seek God’s will, no matter the cost.  Being a disciple will cost you, and it requires being committed even to the point of death.  There’s no room in God’s kingdom for those who merely give lip service to being a disciple.  Jesus makes that clear when He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Third, we must follow Him. 

The word follow implies becoming one’s disciple. The word disciple means “learner.”  So, we must learn from Christ and follow His example.  Jesus says in John 8:12, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  In order to truly follow Christ, we cannot continue to walk in darkness or sin.  We must commit to becoming more like Jesus, which is what we were chosen for (Romans 8:29).

In Matthew 16:25-27, Jesus also gives three reasons of why we must commit to Him.

Three Reasons for Following Christ

First, Jesus says, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (verse 25).  

Some people don’t want to commit to Christ because they are afraid of what He will ask of them.  They’re afraid of losing their lives, of giving up their way of life or even being martyred.  They choose to save their physical life, but, in the end, they lose eternal life.  However, those who are willing to sacrifice their physical life will find that it was worth it compared to an eternity in heaven.

Second, when we gain the world, we actually forfeit our soul (verse 26). 

Jesus is talking about here about seeking earthly treasure.  However, those who cling to the things of this world rather than following Christ will eventually lose it all when they die.  They won’t have the possessions or the power or the position that was so important to them on Earth. They will also not have eternal life.  However, those who focus on building up their treasure in heaven will find that they have gained everything when they spend an eternity in heaven with God, even though they may not have had much on earth.

Third, when Christ returns, He will repay each of us for our deeds (verse 27). 

We are all going to face judgment one day.  Those who are not in Christ will be condemned to an eternity in hell. Those who are in Christ will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 4:5; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15). 

Based on these verses from Matthew 16, it seems clear that Jesus expects a commitment from His disciples.  He expects us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  Those who are in Christ will be rewarded with spiritual blessings and eternal life. 

What are some practical ways that you can deny yourself, take up your cross, or follow Jesus in your daily life? Let me know in the comments below!

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This post is part of my Bible study series called “A New Creation.”  You can find other posts and resources for this free online bible study here:

A New Creation-What It Means to Be in Christ

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.