There are two things that are essential to every Christian walk. One – you must meet Christ. You must encounter Him personally. On the road to Damascus. On the way to Emmaus. In the olive grove. On the beach. At the Cross. You must meet Him personally or you will never go deeper. It will be a shallow faith based on rules and reputation, reasonable but without substance. It will never be enough.
You must meet Christ in order to have a relationship with Him.
This is the way to blessed assurance. To confidence. It isn’t by reading about it or reasoning it out. It is by our own experience of our encounter with Christ, so we know firsthand. This is how we become witnesses and can give a testimony to what we have seen, to what we have experienced.
Two – you must die. You must be raised to a new life in Christ. It’s not just one way. It’s the only way.
A relationship with Christ doesn’t save you from death. If anything, it hastens your death. Because when you come to know Christ, your old self is crucified with Him on the Cross. We put our old, sinful selves to death on the Cross with Him, and we are raised to new life with Christ. Our tomb is empty because we are born again into new lives. That new life is a mystery. It’s inexplicable. It doesn’t make sense. But it is life. Real life. Abundant, eternal, genuine.
For some people, dying and being raised to new life might mean a powerful transformation. For others, it might be small decisions over a lifetime of choosing God, His plans and His ways. Saul was on his way to kill believers in Damascus when he encountered Christ. When he went on his way again, he was a new man. Why? Because he met Christ (see Acts 9). He became Paul. Simon enthusiastically left his nets and followed Jesus. In his story, we see Jesus continually correcting his misunderstanding and teaching him the truth. In the end, he became Peter.
Only for someone that we know, that we love, will we be willing to lay down our lives. When the rubber hits the road, we will never do it if our allegiance is only of the mind. We can rationally agree that the Christian life looks like a good one, like it will yield good dividends for the one who practices it. But to go to the lion’s den, the cross, the fiery furnace, the chopping block – these require hearts that have been overtaken by the most high God. Anything less and we will walk away.
But when our hearts have been captivated by Him, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for Him! Because love goes all the way, to the very end, for the one who fills our heart. For our beloved, we are willing to lay down our lives.
It’s what Christ did for us on the Cross. And it’s what He invites us to do.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
Matthew 16:24-25
Jesus invites us to the kind of following that comes from love, from desiring to be with the loved one. It’s love that isn’t holding anything back. Not reserving something, waiting to see how it goes. It’s love that throws all the chips in, puts all the eggs in the basket. That stakes its life on the loved one. And that gives up its life for the beloved.
