Pastor’s Thoughts – 05/03/2026

The context of our Lord’s words to follow Him required a willingness to endure great hardship. They are given in a context where He had explained how He would suffer and be killed, but would be raised on the third day. Peter did not accept Christ’s words, but had foolishly rebuked and contradicted the Lord for saying such, and Christ had accused Peter of being influenced by Satan. It is in this context of denying what we now know was necessary for Christ to do as our substitute for sins that we find Matthew 16:24. In a similar manner, our Lord says by faith we must be willing to do whatever is required of us.

There have always been discussions in Christianity of the requirements necessary to have a right relationship with Christ. Even books have been written by the most famous of evangelists on how one becomes saved or born again. We are told that, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6), and that salvation is, “By grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Yet, here in the words of Christ a declaration is made of certain necessities required to be His true follower. Is there a difference between being saved by faith and becoming a follower of Jesus Christ? Or, put another way, can we be saved without becoming a follower of Christ?

The word for “follow” is akoloutheo means to accompany or be in the same way. Another manner of phrasing this issue is to ask, “Can we be under God’s grace but unconcerned with the words of the Savior providing that grace?” This appears as implausible since Christ proclaims, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). The fact of the exclusive necessity of coming to God through Christ is preeminent in Scripture. In the great commission Christ says, “Go therefore into all the world and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). The word “disciples” is a word meaning pupil, learner, or follower. The disciples are followers of Christ exhibiting their faith. Since Christ is the Redeemer, what He says as the One redeeming is of unavoidable significance. When Paul declares that we are, “Saved by grace through faith,” is he describing a different form of faith than Christ? This of course is not possible.

Some define salvation’s faith as only believing the facts concerning Christ. This kind of faith is often accompanied by an act of acknowledgment, a prayer, or participating in an altar call. This is a popular approach to evangelism. Effort is made by those evangelizing to move the listeners to acquiescence to the facts. This is concluded to be salvation. If the person demonstrates over time that there is no change in their heart or life, they continue to be considered as saved but merely uncommitted. What is missing is the issue of following Christ, or a changed heart demonstrating repentance and the new birth. John will say when defining saving faith, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith” (1 John 5:4). The idea of overcoming the world speaks of the ability one has to live contrary to their old nature which Paul describes as, “Formerly walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:3). He is saying that saving faith does not continue to follow Satan, but instead is characterized by following Christ.

In the context of Matthew 16:24,our Lord expresses that something more than acceptance of the facts about Himself must be present. Just as Christ was willing to take up His cross and do the Father’s will, we must also be willing by faith to do His revealed will. It is a life changing kind of faith that is concerned with being faithful to Christ. It is an overcoming faith. The righteous will not just confess Jesus as their Savior, but will confess Him as Lord (Rom. 10:9), meaning He is the One to honor by a life of obedience. Faith is exercised, shown by, and inseparable from obedience. Our Lord speaks of the depth of commitment required when He states, “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37-38). We see that the nature of the faith required in relation to Christ is beyond human ability. We must love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:37) and possess a God given love that will be shown by our commitment to Him and His will as that which is foremost in our life.

All of these verses lead to the same conclusion – a casual approach to conversion is not what the Bible states. Salvation is of the Lord requiring the new birth whereby God Himself grants us a new nature and gives us the Holy Spirit. Although not perfect in the immediate, it is life changing and moving toward the goal of all eternity. It is a transforming saving faith, which is the kind of faith the Bible explains. It requires the person not to be trusting in what they have done, but in Christ alone. How privileged are all who possess God’s saving faith.