Man has many ideas about what it takes to be a true disciple of Christ. In Matthew 16:24 we have the opportunity to allow Jesus, Himself, to tell us. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The word “if” in the beginning of our Lord’s statement reminds us that following Jesus is a personal choice. There will always be those who choose to pursue Christ in their life and those who choose not to. It should be pointed out, however, that this decision carries with it eternal ramifications. Jesus is the only solution to the problem of sin. Unless a person’s sins are properly dealt with, that is, removed from his account, a relationship with God is impossible (1 John 1:5-7). This is why Jesus said, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). So then, the decision to follow Jesus is a decision about where one wants to spend eternity. It should be kept in mind that there are only two choices. We will all spend eternity in either heaven or hell. The latter you can get to all by yourself. The former can be attained only through Jesus.

To pursue Christ, and thus be a true disciple of His, involves more than mental acknowledgement. Jesus said we must first deny ourselves. We live in a society that has a philosophy that is contrary to the concept of self-denial. Most people feel no real need to deny themselves of anything. Things such as personal rights and self-gratification have become all-important in our world today. Commercials on TV promote the pleasing of self. Billboards, placed throughout cities, advertise self-gratifying concepts. Even many churches today encourage prosperity as something that should dominate our thinking and even be used as a gage of how much faith we have in God. All these things lead us away from the concept of self-denial and therefore away from what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

True disciples are not obsessed with self. To be a follower of Christ is to put others first (Philippians 2:1-5). It is being willing to sacrifice personal pleasure to do what is right in the eyes of God. That does not mean that doing right always demands a sacrifice, but sometimes it does, and a true disciple will make the sacrifice. We should never forget that Jesus took our reproaches upon Himself so that we could have a chance at eternity with God (Romans 15:3). Jesus was rich, but He became poor so that we might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He denied Himself and being willing to do the same is part of following Him.  

Another part of denying ourselves, as disciples of Christ, involves cross bearing. All four of the Gospel accounts reveal that Jesus was forced to carry His cross a part of the way to the place of crucifixion. The synoptic gospels inform us that Simon, a man of Cyrene, was forced to carry the cross of Christ when Jesus could go no further (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). What is implied by those accounts is directly stated by John. Jesus carried His cross as a part of the price He paid in being our Savior. Now we, as a part of the price of discipleship, must carry our cross for Christ. This is a figurative way of saying that we must bear any burden that comes as a result of following Christ. We must be willing to sacrifice and suffer for Christ, just as He was willing to do for us. Peter said, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1).

 It is not just the burdens involved in following Christ that we must bear; we must bear all the burdens of life, regardless of their origin. We all face different burdens. The cross I am called on to bear may be very much different than your cross. My cross may be related to personal relationships. Your cross may be related to inner character. Someone else may be confronted by the cross of poverty. However, whatever our peculiar crosses may be, if it cannot be avoided or removed, it must be taken up and carried as we follow Christ from day to day.

True discipleship does not mean living an easy-going, trouble-free life. It means following Jesus no matter what. It involves deny ourselves of the various appetites, passions and desires of life that are contrary to the will of God; denying our natural self, our sinful self, our worldly self, and our self-righteous self; and enduring any burdens that come as a result of living for God. Are you a true disciple? Is burden-bearing and cross-carrying a part of your life, or do you regularly take the easy way out by following the flesh instead of following Christ? One thing is certain—Jesus tells us exactly what true discipleship is. The question is will we hear and obey?