Matthew 7:14 NASB
There is a wonderful old Anabaptist hymn, that as I read it, the scriptures seemed to be opened up to me in a fresh way.
He who would follow Christ
Who now will follow Christ in life must scorn the world's insult and strife, and bear the cross each day. For this alone leads to the throne; Christ is the only way.
Christ's servants follow Him to death, and give their body, life, and breath on cross and rack and pyre. As gold is tried and purified they stand the test of fire.
Renouncing all they choose the cross, and claiming it, count all as loss, e'en home and child and wife. Forsaking gain, forgetting pain, they enter into life
We have this idea that all we need to do is to believe in Christ at some point in our lives, and we are good. Just ask Jesus into your heart, and you are saved. Sadly, I fear, there are countless thousands of modern evangelical "Christians" who have no concept of what it means to believe in Christ; to take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). That however, is the call of Christ; "Follow Me." Repeating a prayer, going forward at an altar, saying we believe in Jesus, are all actions that in and of themselves can give us no assurance of heaven. It starts at the cross, where we confess and repent, and by faith "enter the small gate." However we must follow Christ. Read what these persecuted Christians did. They scorned the world and all of its insults, as they followed Christ. They braved torture and death as they followed Him. They renounced all, and like the Apostle Paul, they counted all as loss for the sake of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8).
You see, many of us stop at the new birth, believing that is the end of the matter as far as our salvation is concerned. We do not go on to follow Christ as He leads us through the narrow way to life. We are far behind Him as He calls us to renounce this world, as He leads us away from materialism, and as He calls us to humility. We are far behind Him as He call us to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek. We know little of laying up treasure in heaven, and seeking first His kingdom. He calls us to follow Him and become fishers of men, but somehow we do not follow. We do not follow Him as He leads us through suffering and tribulation; but all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim 3:12), and it is through much tribulation that we enter into life (Acts 14:22).
It is not enough to merely believe in Him. That is nothing more than a mere head knowledge; a mental assent to some historical, biblical facts about Jesus. To really believe in Him is to follow Him, as this hymn says, Christ is the only way.
He who would follow Christ
Jorg Wagner, 1527, in the Ausbund, 1564 Bartholomeus Monoetius 1565
Wer Christo jetzt will folgen nach
Tr. David Augsburger, 1962
The Mennonite Hymnal
Copyright 1969 Herald Press, Scottdale, Pa
p344
...in a day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of elohim who shall render to each according to his works; to those, indeed, who in continuance of a good work,...
ReplyDeleteand to those contentious, and disobedient, indeed, to the truth, and obeying the unrighteousness -- indignation and wrath, tribulation and distress, upon every soul of man that is working the bad, both of Jew first, and of Greek
[from letter to Romans 2:5-9]
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