“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26
July 17, 2023
Does it cost anything to receive eternal life? No! There is no charge for the salvation that is offered in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28); “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (Jn. 5:24). The empty hand of heart is to reach out and receive eternal life as a gift. However, becoming a disciple of Jesus is a costly life. One of the stipulations of being a loyal follower of Jesus Christ is a love for Him that is so intense that love for all others would seem as if they were unloved. This is not a condition for eternal salvation. If our obedience to Jesus means the rejection of our family, then it must be so. The one who loves his own life (his own self) is the one who affirms his own rights and self-interest at all costs. As we come along in our devotion to Jesus there will be the denial of self in turning from the idols of the heart. Idolatry is the following of something or someone in the creation order to fulfill our desires. It is living only for the “now.” The disciple who “hates his life” is the one who is living for the life to come. He is laying “up treasures in heaven.” As Jesus goes on to say, it means bearing one’s cross, which is an instrument of death, not an instrument of inconvenience. Taking up one’s cross is saying yes to God’s will. In this way of thinking and living the disciple of Jesus is emulating Him. This is the kind of Christianity that makes a difference in this world. It draws attention to the Savior and the gospel life He offers. It will do us well to stop and assess the progress we are making in preparing to meet face to face the one who laid down His life for us.
H