Following Jesus

I believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that he has the means and will to save me, and that he did so when he came to earth, lived without sin, and drank the cup of crucifixion that his Father put before him. I believe I need forgiveness and Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient, and thus I am saved "by grace, through faith,” as Paul tells us (Eph. 2:8).

Salvation is the pinnacle of our story in this life, and at the same time, the beginning of a new story that never ends. We aren't saved to stay as we are, but to be reborn. Our life begins anew in Christ, and it is markedly different than our former life.

Indeed, Jesus did not save us so we could remain the same and have a free pass to eternity, but so we could become saints who know how to be free in eternity. His kingdom is so inconceivably wonderful that it is worth giving up whatever can be gained in this life for it (Matt. 33:44), and it is so high and holy that we will not enter it until we are willing to give up everything for it. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 16:25). Giving up our way and losing our self to find the kingdom within us is not without strain and growing pains.

Hence, the longer I walk with Jesus and follow his voice, the more startled and challenged I am by him. He subverts my instincts. "The last shall be first" (Matt. 20:16). "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). "Do good to those who hate you" (Matt. 5:44). His standard is uncompromising. "Strive to enter through the narrow gate" (Luke 13:24). "Be perfect, like your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). He calls for ultimate sacrifice. "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). This is why G.K. Chesterton commented that, "the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried" ("What's Wrong with the World", ch. 1.5)

Jesus lived without sin, and then died for our sins, so that we could be clothed in his righteousness while he makes us righteous — so that we can be saved while he sanctifies us. To accept salvation, we must repent and believe his sacrifice is sufficient to save us; and to be sanctified by his spirit, we must respond to his sacrificial call. We must follow him. Following Christ is not for the mind that is fixed or the faint in heart, but it is for those who want a life that is full. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b).