The Cost Of Non-discipleship

The Cost of Non-Discipleship

Read: Matthew 16:24-28

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

Matthew 16:26

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

—Jim Elliot

IN WORD The cost of discipleship is great. Jesus makes that point over and over again. Unlike some ministries today that almost beg people to entrust their lives to Christ, appropriate as the appeal may be, Jesus discouraged people from following Him if they could not do it wholeheartedly. He called for a willingness to deny oneself and take up a cross. He called them to suffer the cost.

But the cost of not following Jesus is even greater than the cost of discipleship. Those who do not follow Him— even those who follow Him, but not wholeheartedly—miss all of the blessings and benefits of being completely sold out to Christ. They miss intimate fellowship with the Creator of all that is; they miss the power of God at work in their lives; they miss the peace and fullness of knowing they are right with God. And they will miss great eternal rewards.

Every human being pays an extremely high price— either the cost of discipleship or the cost of opting out of it. The cost of opting out is greater. In fact, it’s infinitely greater. Holding on to a little bit of sin and self destroys intimacy with God and renders a life relatively fruitless. Maintaining one’s own agenda regardless of God’s will means missing the blessing of walking in His steps in the power of His Spirit. That’s costly.

IN DEED “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” Jesus asks. In other words, having just revealed the cost of following Him, He now asks: “Are you willing to pay the price of not following Me?” Too many Christians have held back a little from Christ, thinking the cost of all-out abandonment to a self- denying Savior is too costly. It is too radical, too zealous. But think about the alternative, and compare the costs. Either way, there is a price to pay. All things considered, it’s a pretty easy choice.