Take up Your Cross

Mark 8:34-37 (NIV)
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’”

I was taught in my youth that this passage was talking about the way I needed to live my life as a Christian. It was said that I was to give up everything I might want, including life itself, in service to God and if I didn’t, God wasn’t going to be very happy with me.

That idea is false.

Jesus is talking here about salvation. He is telling His disciples and the crowd of people listening to His teaching what they must do if they want to know Him and benefit from all He is about to do.

Jesus is telling people that they are unable to make themselves righteous and that the life they are living leads inexorably to death.

He is saying that if they will trust Him they will spiritually accompany Him to the cross where He will soon lay down His life in their place.

He is saying that everyone who tries to be perfect in their own power will die, but those who change their mind about that and believe in Him will get His indestructible life.

In light of this He asks them what the downside could possibly be. The alternative is losing their life to gain a temporal sense of being a “good person.” At the “end of days,” what will they be able to exchange for their salvation? All they will have to offer is their behavior, and that is unacceptable because it is not perfect.

This passage is all about the good news that Jesus Christ has accomplished everything that needs to be accomplished and that He offers His righteousness to everyone who will take Him at His word about that.

Faith in Him is our only hope.
Faith in Him is all that God requires.