Only one condition

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Many people want to follow Jesus Christ and often put a great deal of effort and diligence into it. However, it not infrequently becomes clear over time that in some cases, Christ is not the central focus, but rather the individual themselves with all their abilities, wisdom, and greatness. The reason for this may lie in the fact that a fundamental prerequisite for discipleship is not met.

 

A condition without ifs or buts

When Jesus spoke to the people about discipleship, He mentioned only one condition: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23). Jesus mentions only this one point of self-denial. This single requirement applies to every person, and no one can or needs to add anything else to it. To follow Jesus, no certain age, no special ability, and no particular status in society is required. The only contribution a person can make is to deny themselves.

What Jesus expresses here is not simply a wish. It is a condition that no human being can circumvent. Jesus cannot accept one's own "self." If this sinful, self-centered "self" is not denied, it manifests itself always and everywhere—both in our everyday interactions with our neighbors and in our service to God.

Follow Jesus or only follow yourself?

We often think that we can follow the Lord through our abilities, zeal, and perseverance. In doing so, we fail to realize that we are not actually following Jesus, but are pursuing our own goals in our ministry. Such worship only makes our own wisdom, our own skills, and our own greatness visible. But this misses the main goal of ministry, which is for Christ to grow in the church. If, however, it is not Christ who grows in the church, but rather the individual, then the individual takes the place that rightfully belongs to Christ.

Even successes in ministry are not necessarily confirmation that God approves of such service. Rather, it is only a matter of time before God pronounces His judgment on the person's attitude, and everyone wonders how such a seemingly powerful servant could have fallen. Under the guise of divine commandments, the person sought self-realization in service. He did not lead believers to Christ, but to himself.

The consequences are inevitable, for the Lord himself says: “I am the Lord […] and I will not give my glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8). Following Jesus Christ without denying oneself—that is the truly broad road that leads to destruction. And many take it. The narrow road is the road where one's own “self” has no place. The self cannot endure the narrow road. It always seeks where it is more comfortable and how it can further develop itself. The narrow road is the wrong place for that.

In their letters, the apostles warn the church about the conditions of the last days. The Apostle Paul calls them "horrible times" that are coming. He describes the believers and their attitude, which is an abomination to God. Among the signs of the last days is that people are selfish and indulge their own desires. Their mouths speak proudly, and they seek their own advantage (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3 and Jude 1:12).

There are many more examples in Scripture that speak of the end times, in which the carnal "self" is strongly pronounced even in believers. This is what makes the end times so unbearable. Many errors and wrong actions often stem from the fact that the call to self-denial was not taken seriously.

One's own "self" in daily life

That the Lord Jesus names self-denial as a condition for discipleship is no accident. He addresses a sore point, which is also the reason why humanity is inherently spiritually dead. When Satan offered the fruit to humankind in the Garden of Eden, he spoke of the consequences if they were to eat it: “But God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

Humanity's eyes should therefore be opened. They would be able to distinguish between good and evil. They would be independent of God—they themselves would be like God. After humanity accepted this offer, their eyes were opened, and the belief that they were like God took root in their hearts. The place in the heart that belongs to God was occupied by their own "ego."

This attitude has changed the human mindset. It has become part of human nature. Since this event, everything revolves primarily around the individual. The pursuit of personal honor now determines their life. They are only satisfied when they are better off than their neighbor, or at least not worse off. Their focus is now on themselves and the people around them. In their mindset, they are the center, and it is unbearable for their own ego if someone else is better off than they are, even if it is their own brother or son-in-law.

Cain killed his brother because he could not bear that God accepted his brother's offering but not his own (cf. Genesis 4:5-8). Saul persecuted David because, in the eyes of the Israelites, David was more successful than he was (cf. 1 Samuel 18:8-9).

When one's own "self" is disregarded, offended, taken advantage of, or even humiliated, a battle erupts in the human heart. This situation gives them no peace. It blinds their eyes. Envy, anger, hatred, and slander arise. People are then prepared to commit evil deeds. Instead of rejoicing in God's great works, the Pharisees and Sadducees handed Jesus over to be crucified—out of envy, as Pilate had already observed (cf. Mt 27:18). Instead of rejoicing in David's victory over the Philistines, Saul devoted all his energy to killing David. We see that people are even prepared to suffer disadvantages in order to eliminate their rivals, who make their own "self" seem insignificant.

One's own "self" within the community

If one's own "self" is not denied, this circumstance naturally has a devastating effect in ministry. As long as a person has not denied their own "self," they carry within them an attitude that is completely contrary to the attitude of Christ: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:6-7).

The spirit of Christ is alien to such a person, and this affects their entire worship. For them, gentleness is a sign of weakness. Acts of love are merely a means to an end, to achieve their own goals. And serving in Jesus' name is simply a means to self-promotion. Such a person doesn't truly see other ministers as brothers, but as competitors, and acts accordingly.

He tries to be better than others. To achieve his goal, he puts a lot of effort into it. He pays very close attention to his appearance, to what he does, and to how and what he says. He adapts to his surroundings. Jesus warned against people who “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

When his efforts fail, he is first disappointed, then despondent, and finally looks for fault. But not in himself, rather in his neighbor. In a gradual process, he begins to inwardly despise and even belittle his brother. His own ego takes up more and more space in his heart, leaving no room for anyone else. He tries to justify his evil deeds with good intentions or with convenient Bible quotations. The main thing is that his own ego is portrayed in a positive light.

A person who appears to follow Jesus Christ but is unwilling to deny their own self pretends to fight for truth, justice, and holiness. In reality, however, they use even things that are holy and precious in God's eyes only to justify their own self-image and to appear good in the eyes of others.

The only contribution a person can make to the succession is to deny themselves.

One's own "self" and the effective grace of God

This self-righteousness, behind which one's own sinful "self" hides, always stands in opposition to the effective grace of God. This is very clearly seen in the Pharisees who lived in Jesus' time. They sought out Jesus only to contradict Him, to test Him, and to question everything He did. The Pharisees and the scribes knew the Holy Scriptures, but they used them only for their own benefit, to gain prestige in the eyes of others. Their own "self" was strengthened by the lengthy prayers they offered in front of people. Their self-esteem grew because they were not like the obvious sinners and the despised tax collectors. In their self-righteousness, they were inaccessible to the grace of God.

The self, which always comes to the fore when it comes to mere religion, is very deceptive, because such people possess a form of godliness but deny its power (cf. 2 Tim 3:5). The Apostle Paul repeatedly had to deal with false brothers: “Some preach Christ out of envy and selfish ambition, but others out of good intentions. The latter preach Christ out of selfish ambition, intending to add to my chains and afflictions. The others, however, preach Christ out of love, knowing that I was destined to defend the gospel” (Phil 1:15-17).

This resistance to the effective grace of God has existed throughout history. Whether from the outside through atheism, in the name of religion, or even from within the church itself through false brothers, what unites them all is their own sinful self, which has never been denied. They may have different worldviews, but the inner orientation, which by its very nature opposes the Spirit of God, is the same. It is a condition the Bible describes as carnal, a condition that cannot please God. Whether a person is religious or not makes no difference—they are closed to the effective grace of God.

Jesus – the greatest example of self-denial

When Jesus came to earth, something fundamentally distinguished him from all other people who had lived, were living, or would ever live on earth. He was the only one who did not have the sinful "I" in his heart. He was completely free of it. In him, there was nothing that stood in the way of God's effective grace. In him, the Spirit of God had complete freedom; he was full of grace and truth (cf. John 1:14). The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:19: "For it pleased [God] to have all his fullness dwell in him." In Jesus' ministry, there was no self-interest, no self-will, and no striving to make a name for himself. He always did what was pleasing to God (cf. John 8:29). His worship was so perfect that nothing could be added to it or taken away.

Jesus calls us to follow Him in this service. He Himself has gone before us and left us a perfect example. But Jesus has set a condition for everyone who wants to follow Him: deny yourself! This is true discipleship, where one's own "self" no longer sits on the throne of the heart, but Jesus takes that place. The Spirit of God has freedom within us only when we deny our own "self." Only then can Jesus Christ take shape within us. It is our own sinful "self" that distinguishes us so greatly from Jesus. And not only that. It is also the greatest obstacle to Christ being able to transform us into His image.

Love – the clearest sign of discipleship

The first thing a disciple of Jesus learns from his Master is that everything in Christ is done in love. And an important characteristic of love is that it does not seek its own (cf. 1 Cor 13:5). The self, therefore, has no place in true love. What makes love so great is its selflessness. It is ready to give everything. It is ready to take on the weaknesses of others, to bear injustices, to endure ridicule, and even to suffer disadvantages. In Jesus Christ, love is revealed in all its perfection. His love was so great that He went to the cross for our sake and sacrificed His life for us while we were still sinners.

If love is to flourish within us, our own ego cannot find fulfillment. These are two opposing forces that cannot coexist. For as soon as our ego, striving to elevate ourselves and seek our own advantage, stirs within the service that should be performed in love, it ceases to be service performed in love. Our own selfish ego is the greatest enemy of love. Wherever and whenever love manifests, it brings great blessing and immense joy.

But as soon as one's own ego creeps in and it becomes apparent that the servant even hopes for some personal gain from their actions, the entire service achieves precisely the opposite. Instead of joy, there is sorrow; instead of spiritual edification, spiritual despondency. Instead of unity, there is division; instead of blessing, only distraction. For someone who wants to follow Jesus, their own ego will always be an obstacle. While they should be looking to God in faith, they see themselves, their own abilities, or the circumstances surrounding them.

When discord arises, one's own ego usually plays a part. For obedience is a heavy burden for the ego. What is a source of strength for someone who has denied themselves—drawing closer to Jesus, getting to know Him, and becoming like Him in character—is an almost unbearable burden for someone who has not denied themselves. But the worst thing is that such a person will always remain a stranger to Jesus Christ, someone whom the Lord does not know.

Self-denial – and then what?

By calling people to deny themselves, Jesus showed them that deep within them there is something He does not want to see, and that it is Jesus who can set them free from it. Denying one's own "self," or even recognizing it in the first place, is a work of divine grace. For the natural person, eyes are closed to it; they see no need for it. Only when God's goodness leads them to repentance are their spiritual eyes opened.

In the light of God, the sinner sees God's holiness and greatness and his own sinful nature. He recognizes that it is not only his actions that displease God, but that his entire being is corrupt. He realizes that he cannot stand before God in this state. He is eternally lost if he remains in this condition. Now the sinner turns away from his sinful nature. He wants nothing more to do with it—he denies it.

The sinner pronounces judgment upon himself and asks God for mercy. In that moment, he experiences God's grace, mercy, and love. The certainty that God has accepted him and that he may now follow Jesus fills his heart. Repentance is a crucial part of the process by which a person turns away from his old life, shaped by his own ego, and begins a new life in Jesus Christ.

Denying oneself is only the beginning of following Jesus. The Lord Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23). “If anyone would come after me” is the state when the will to follow arises in a person’s heart; this is the call of God reaching them. Their spiritual eyes have been opened. Their mind tells them there is no other way, and their heart has a new longing—it wants to follow Jesus. And into this moment of deciding to follow Jesus, Jesus speaks and tells them that they must first and foremost deny themselves. And when that has happened, when they have turned away from their old, sinful life and turned to Jesus, comes the next step: “Take up your cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

After denying himself, the follower of Jesus is to take up his cross. The cross is to be laid upon his own "self" in order to follow Jesus under this cross. The cross is a means of execution, and it kills the one who bears it. With this, Jesus expresses that the self, which has been denied, must now be put to death. While denial is merely a turning away from one's own "self," taking up the cross is an effective action against one's own sinful "self." It serves to ensure that one's own sinful "self" dies more and more, and that Jesus grows more and more in its place, as the Apostle Paul says: "And now I live, and it is no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

Now it's your turn – it's worth it!

It is the paths taken by which one follows Jesus that lead to the death of one's own "self." When, despite all circumstances, one looks to Jesus, trusts in Him, asks about His ways, and tries to please Him, the self dies. The self is not yet dead. It resists wherever it can. It searches for escape routes, it wants to be pitied, it tries to survive somehow.

But in such moments, don't look at yourself or at the people around you. In faith, fix your gaze on Jesus Christ, from whom your help comes. When you do this, you connect with Jesus. He comes so close to you, the comfort is so great, and the peace so deep. You come to know Jesus Christ in a special way. You learn to taste that the Lord is good.

It is an experience accessible only to those who deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ, whether these paths are easy or difficult, whether they bring sadness or joy. In all your ways you will recognize the Lord, for he himself makes your paths straight (cf. Prov 3:6).

Alexander Kort

Municipality of Sottrum