Introduction
Many of us struggle to remain faithful in all things to the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings, especially when we face difficulties in life. We pray, yet it often feels as though the Lord does not answer our prayers in the way we hope, and we feel discouraged and want to give up praying. However, we must endure and keep our faith in the Lord Jesus until the end of our lives on this earth to receive the crown of eternal life (Matthew 24:13).
In His Word, the Lord Jesus teaches us that our faith in Him should not depend on personal signs and miracles we receive. The miracle of His birth and His resurrection from the dead should suffice for anyone to become a believer in the Lord Jesus (Matthew 16:1-4). While we still witness miracles performed today through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, our belief in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of our souls should not hinge on the expectation of personal miracles beyond His birth, death on the cross, burial, and bodily resurrection.
Comments on What It Means to Follow the Lord Jesus
In Matthew chapter 16, God the Father reveals to the human mind, for the first time, the true light about the Lord Jesus, when Peter stated that the Lord Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Throughout the Gospels, the Lord Jesus teaches us what it means to follow Him. From His teachings, we can identify three essential faith fundamentals that are essential to discipleship.
First, we must recognize the Lord Jesus as our God and Savior and have a reverent fear of the Father, who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell. Second, we need to hold firmly to our faith in the Lord Jesus, follow the Word, and stand strong in our conviction that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to heaven. Ultimately, we cannot abandon our faith in the Lord Jesus for the sake of our loved ones or out of fear of men and life’s challenges.
In this blog, we explore two passages from the Gospel of Matthew and one from the Gospel of John, where the Lord Jesus teaches about losing or gaining one’s life in the context of following Him. We also share our insights on these topics.
Matthew 10:38 And whoever does not take his cross and follows after Me, is not worthy of Me.
Carry your own beliefs, not the ones someone wants you to have. You have the true Word; it is your life; follow the Word of God.
39 The one having found his life will lose it; and the one having lost his life on account of Me will find it.
People will try to get rid of the true Word. They will change something in the Bible, and all the Bibles that will come out will not be true Bibles. Watch out; they think they have good news to tell you; do not believe them. It is good news to them to take your soul. The only way to be saved is by following the Lord Jesus’ teaching, so read the Word of God and obey.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Take this verse accordingly, as it is written. Deny the comforts you have and do the work for the Lord. Some may not be called to do specific things, but studying the Word is following the Lord. Here, the Lord did not ask us to deny our family but to deny ourselves only. The family is a responsibility the Lord gives to us as well.
“Let him deny himself,” plainly says that by accepting the Lord Jesus, we are no longer free. We belong to the Lord, and we are not supposed to do things that are against the Word of God, but we are to follow every word completely.
“Take up his cross” means to carry the call that the Lord had put as a burden on your heart to do. Some may have small burdens, while others may have more significant burdens in something to do for the Lord. The Lord knows the ability of each person, and He will never give more than we can carry. The heart to follow the call is the key to working for the Lord.
25 For whoever might desire to save his life will lose it; however, whoever might lose his life on account of Me, will find it.
Verses 25-28 talk about faith from two points of view: earthly and the world to come. They remind us that it is not about the life on this earth to lose it, but the eternal life to come. For this earth, if you look for fulfillment in this life, you lose the life in the Lord Jesus’ world. This earthly world is nothing; if you tighten your heart around the things in this world and are greedy for the things of this world, your connection to the next world becomes thinner. The Bible is the guide in this world and for the world to come. Always go back to the Bible to fulfill the life in this world; use the Bible as a guide, and you will save yourself in the end. On this earth, take only what is necessary, for nothing in this earthly life lasts.
“Will lose it,” in the first part of the verse, refers to denying the faith even when your life is not threatened. Some deny the One who created us for convenience and to be accepted among people.
26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, but loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
When a person serves the beloved Son of God, they also become the servant of Him, and if they keep the faith, the Father Himself will receive them as His servant as well. Especially when someone has accepted the beloved Son of God, that person has been accepted by the Father as well.
27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will give to each according to his deeds.
Notice in this verse that the Lord Jesus will come in His Father’s glory, not His own glory. The Lord Jesus never puts Himself above His Father. Our God is Three in One, but the Father is first. Even the Lord Jesus Himself first glorifies the Father. So, we should do the same, glorify the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but put the Father first.
“For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels” refers to the second coming of our Lord Jesus on earth. The whole world will see Him, at the same time, with His personal army of angels, when He takes over the whole world.
“And then He will give to each according to his deeds.” This saying also refers to the second coming of the Lord. Give (render) here is not a judgment; it is the time when the Lord looks to each individual at what they have been doing during their life on earth, and what can be counted for eternal life. If there is something to be counted forward, the Lord will use that portion to comfort that person while they wait for the judgment day.
28 Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here, who will not taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
John 12:25 Whoever loves his life loses it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
“Loves his life” in this place refers not to the life that we are breathing and living right now, but the life in the mind and living soul of the person. The way humans can feel love for their souls’ life is by faith in God, and that is the reason for humans to try to seek the way to extend that life for themselves. So, therefore, “whoever loves his life” refers to the life of the soul, and “loses it” refers to the earthly life.
“Whoever hates his life in this world.” Whoever has experienced the comfort of life right now and wants to hold on to that comfortable life and riches on this earth, that person will perish without hope. Still, whoever ignores the comfort of this life and seeks God by reading the Holy Word, meditating, and worshiping the God of the living will have eternal life in heaven. Reading and meditating on the Holy Word is a challenging task for every human on earth. Still, whoever finds joy in doing it, that person’s heart will seek to find a way to be closer to love and enjoy service for the Lord on this earth, and the reward at the end is eternal life.
“Will keep it.” Keeping faith in this life relates to the beloved Son of God. When a person has kept faith, they will also meditate on the teachings of the Holy Bible, and the Trinity of God will awaken their soul to enjoy that faith within the life of the person on this earth.
26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will also My servant be; if anyone serves Me, him will the Father honor.
When a person serves the beloved Son of God, that person also has become the servant of Him, and if that person keeps the faith, the Father Himself will receive that person as His servant as well, especially when someone has accepted the beloved Son of God, that person has been accepted by the Father as well.
“If anyone serves Me, him will the Father honor.” When the Father has honored someone, that also tells everyone that the Father’s honor has been known by the Father Himself, and the Father Himself will be pleased with that person, which is the highest honor a human can receive. The Father’s honor, the person will receive when the person comes to eternal life, not the life of this earth anymore.
Conclusions
Losing or gaining our eternal life should be each one’s fundamental concern while living on this earth. And that we can gain eternal life only by believing in the Lord Jesus to be the Son of God and God within the Trinity of God, believing in His salvation work He fulfilled on the cross, in His death and resurrection, in His glorious return to earth, and following His teachings. We need to pray, read, and meditate on the Word of God every day. We must honor the Trinity of God in all that we do, express our gratitude to God in the name of the Lord Jesus for our lives, and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit daily so that we can endure until the end.
Meditation Tasks
- We encourage all who read this blog to meditate on eternal life. If you have not yet made a commitment of faith in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, we invite you to do so. Please take a moment to read our article titled “Make Peace with God the Father through His Holy Son Jesus Christ.”