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"COUNT THE COST"

by linzy bruno
2/17/2023 / Bible Studies

To put it plainly, the cost of admission is submission....

Considering the context in which Jesus has iterated the phrase "count the cost," this transparent, straightforward principle could in our modern day language be likened to God’s screening process, to make for as low a number as possible, those who come to the Throne light-heartedly.

For after all, those who refuse to take the Gospel Message seriously refuse to accept it, which is equivalent to rejecting God’s free gift of salvation.

Jesus taught His disciples that they were to 'pick up their crosses and follow Him,' and told to 'deny themselves.' Hence, we are wise to realize that when we choose Him we are choosing to give up our lives to Him and for Him. But when we ask ourselves what we are giving up, it really just comes down to self-centeredness, and the misery of self-importance. So, the truth is we only GAIN when we give our lives to HIM!

Moreover, God has commanded that we love Him above all else, declared that He will not be mocked, and furthermore has proclaimed that those who love Him WILL obey Him; both as a command and as a simple declaration of the truth.

Furthermore, God does most definitely expect that all those who declare His Name, will do so with genuine, unfeigned hearts:

^“So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Luke 10:27)

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” (John 14:21a)

^“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

Jesus uses this phrase to illustrate the cost or requirement of salvation, as He describes what it truly means to be a Christian. True believers love God above all else, even unto death. Therefore, although the Gospel Message is simple and uncomplicated, believers need to remain under His Sovereign Care and Command.

True believers use their will to choose God’s Will; desiring obedience, blamelessness and service over all personal whims and preferences, which He enables through His Amazing Grace. This is the cost. However, for the pure of heart, the cost becomes more like joy than burden!

It's no wonder we need God to give us His Strength, as we could clearly not make it without His Divine Aid, as Jesus said: “My yolk is easy and my burden is light” in Matthew 11:28-30…..”

It only becomes problematic for whoever desires to 'save his life,' by going his own way, as Jesus has phrased it in Matthew 16:25 of this eye-opening passage, which depicts the requirement to forfeit our lives for His Name’s Sake. What a superior explanation of salvation compared to just telling people to say a prayer and that all they have to do is say they believe.

It’s far more helpful to explain that becoming a new creature in Christ should be clear and evident through the gentle demeanor of a brand new soul; one that has counted the cost and chosen to pick up his/her cross and follow Him, as His Holy Spirit indwelling enables:

^“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17)

As mentioned, Matthew 16:25 illuminates the seriousness of heart in which our faith is founded, as a key part of this poignant passage; depicting Jesus’ Explanation of His upcoming Crucifixion. He explains to Peter that to take it upon Himself to save Himself would be disobedience to His Father in Heaven, which believers are wise to see as a perfect example of what it truly means to be a Christian.

Understanding this passage can greatly help believers to better comprehend and evaluate salvation:

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

^“21From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

²²Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

²³But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

^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. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:21-25)

Upon reading these verses, it becomes clear that God has to save us from our self-preserving ways, in order that we may be transformed into new creatures in Christ. See 2Corinthians 5:17……

Hence, salvation only becomes problematic for whoever “desires to save his life” as Jesus has phrased it in Matthew 16:25…..

Also See: Mark 8:34

This is so profound. Jesus was willing to die; knowing that obedience to God IS LIFE and disobedience IS death, and taught His disciples likewise; to listen to GOD over self/others, even unto death, and they/we will be resurrected unto LIFE!

WHAT A GREAT EXPLANATION OF SALVATION!

So although salvation is a free gift, Jesus is saying through these verses that we have to receive that incredible GIFT with the right heart; one that is serious and committed to living a brand new life with Him leading the way, as KING. For if God is not KING and Lord over our lives, we have not given our lives to Him, and how He can be our Lord if we insist on going onward living life anyway we choose and merely claiming to be saved?

^“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10)

^“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:28-30)

NKJV

Linzy has been writing for many years; seriously since her 3 kids were still young and inspirational. She has taken 2 courses in Bible studies and completed "Four Soils" Bible study course in a 26-month period; earning her certification in Bible Counselling.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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