Taking up the cross does not mean seeking pain, carrying every ordinary hardship with a smile, or paying for one’s own sin. Christ paid for sin once for all. His call is to costly discipleship: refusing self-rule and following the Lord even when faithfulness brings loss.
READ THE KEY PASSAGES
Begin with what
Scripture says.
Luke 9:23If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Mark 8:35Whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Galatians 2:20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live.
01
Christ calls people to follow Him
Luke 14:27Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Jesus speaks after identifying Himself as the suffering Messiah. The cross-shaped life begins with allegiance to the crucified and risen Lord, not with private self-improvement.
The disciple does not choose which parts of Christ’s authority are acceptable.
In the first-century world, the cross was an image of shame and execution. Jesus uses that severe picture to describe genuine allegiance to Him, not merely the acceptance of an inconvenience in ordinary life.
02
Self-denial is not self-salvation
Matthew 10:38He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
To deny oneself means refusing to make self the final ruler. It is not hatred of the body or an attempt to earn forgiveness through deprivation.
The believer is accepted by grace through Christ, then called to obey Him in every area of life.
Not every hardship is a personal cross, and Christians are not called to seek suffering for its own sake. The point is faithfulness to Christ when obedience costs approval, comfort, opportunity, or safety.
03
The cross may bring real cost
Romans 12:1Present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Following Christ can mean loss of approval, comfort, opportunity, safety, or status. Scripture does not promise that obedience will always be convenient.
The Christian should not manufacture suffering, but neither should he abandon truth to avoid it.
Christ alone bore sin’s penalty and secured forgiveness. His disciples do not add to His atoning work; they follow His example of obedient submission to the Father.
04
Christ’s life and resurrection give hope
1 Peter 2:21Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.
The call to die to self is joined to life in Christ. The disciple follows a Savior who suffered, rose, reigns, and will return.
Therefore costly obedience is never meaningless; it is offered to the Lord who has overcome death.
The call to cross-bearing is joined to resurrection hope. The believer follows a risen Lord, so costly obedience is never wasted and death itself does not have the final word.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Questions for further reading.
- 01
What form of self-rule most competes with following Christ?
- 02
How does the gospel prevent cross-bearing from becoming self-salvation?
- 03
What faithfulness may cost you something now?
Read patiently. Let God’s Word speak.
To take up your cross is to follow Christ with daily, costly allegiance, refusing self-rule and trusting the Savior who gave Himself for His people. It is discipleship, not payment for salvation.
