The Biblical Truth About Discipleship.
24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny <aparneomai> (totally reject) himself, and take up <airo> (rise up on) his cross, and follow <akoloutheo> (in the same way with) me.Mark tells us in Mark 8:34ff … 34. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny <aparneomai> (totally reject) himself, and take up <airo> (rise up on) his cross, and follow me.And Luke records almost the exact same words of the Lord Jesus Christ telling us in Chapter 9, verses 23ff… 23. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny <arneomai> (reject) himself, and take up <airo> (rise up on) his cross daily, and follow <akoloutheo> (in the same way with) me.Then there is one other passage also in Luke’s gospel where the Lord Jesus Christ stated some further requirements for one desiring to become one of His disciples. Luke tells us in Luke 14:25ff… 25. And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,Continuing on in verse 28, the Lord Jesus Christ went on to say… 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?And then in verse 33, He completed this discourse on discipleship by stating… 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.The words "forsake not all that he hath" are translated from the Greek words <apo-tassomai ou pas heautou huparchonta>. The word forsake <apotassomai> is made up of the Greek preposition <apo> meaning off, and the Greek word <tasso> meaning orderly arrangement.<ou> is the Greek absolute negative. And <pas> is the Greek word that refers to all, any, the whole. The Greek word <heautou> is a personal pronoun. And the Greek word <huparchonta> refers to one’s property or possessions. So what the Lord Jesus Christ said here in verse 33 was, that you could not become a disciple if you did not put off completely the orderly arrangement of all that you possess. And the Lord Jesus Christ actually stated this to a ruler who came to Him seeking eternal life as recorded in Luke 18:18ff where we are told… 18. And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?Now notice the Lord Jesus Christ’s response to this ruler… 22. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.These then are not only the basic biblical teachings, but also the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, on the absolute requirements necessary, for anyone to become a disciple…a Christian…and there are no exceptions…and the Lord Jesus Christ made no apologies about it. So what exactly does it mean to deny one’s self, to reject one’s self, and to hate, or love less even family…and to forsake all one possesses…and to take up, or rise up, on the cross, and then follow the Lord Jesus Christ? The Lord Jesus Christ defined exactly what it means in Matt 16:25 when He said… 25. For whosoever will save his <psuche> (soul) life shall lose it <apollumi> (perish): and whosoever will lose <apollumi> (perish) his <psuche> (soul) life for my sake shall find it.This exact same verse is repeated both in Mark 8:35, and Luke 9:24. Denying self, forsaking all, rising up on the cross, and then following the Lord Jesus Christ demands one to literally perish their soul life. How does one perish their soul life? Well, what does all this really mean? How does one deny themselves, rise up on the cross, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, perishing their own soul life? We do this by humbling ourselves in passive submission to God’s orderly arrangement for our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ is our example. Philippians 2:5ff begins with a present imperative actually commanding us to continuously… 5. Let this mind (set) be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:And beginning in verse 6 we are told that the Lord Jesus Christ… 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:Strong’s Dictionary defines the Greek word translated obedient here in verse 8 as number 5255 <hupekoos> from 5219; attentively listening, i.e. (by implication) submissive: Then continuing on in verse 9ff we are told… 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:And because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s total submission…God highly exalted Him…and gave Him a name above, over, every name…and that at the name of Jesus…every knee should bow…in total submission to Him! Appropriately then in verse 12…we are commanded… 12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.The words "work out" in the phrase "work out your own salvation in fear and trembling" is a present imperative. It is a command of continuous action. We are actually commanded here to continuously work out, to continuously accomplish, to continuously achieve, our own personal salvation in fear and trembling. Why is this so important? Because, verse 13 goes on to tell us… 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.The word worketh is translated from the Greek word <energeo>. It’s where we get our word energize. Exactly how does God energize us in order that we can workout…we can achieve our own personal salvation with fear and trembling? By His Grace, by the grace of God. That’s why Eph 2:8-9 tells us… 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:And the Bible gives us specific directions for the whole process. First of all Titus 2:11-13 tells us… 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,God’s initial grace appears to all mankind…chastening all mankind to deny ungodli-ness and worldly lusts, and to begin to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…looking to receive for ourselves our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we respond to this chastening grace of God we are given more grace. And James 4:6ff tells us exactly what is required of us which enables us to receive more of God’s grace… 6. But he (God) giveth more grace. Wherefore he (the Scripture) saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.Verse 6 is a partial quote from Proverbs 3:34 (Septuigent version). Now first we are told here that God will not give grace to the proud. That God actually resisteth the proud. And the word resisteth used here is the translation of the Greek word <antitassomai>. This word is made up of the word <anti> meaning against, and <tasso> meaning to arrange in an orderly manner. In other words, God will not orderly arrange the life of any proud person. But, verse 6 goes on, God will give grace to the humble. And so verse 7 tells exactly how we are to humble ourselves… 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.The word submit is the translation of the Greek word <hupotasso> and this word is made up of the Greek preposition <hupo> meaning under…and <tasso> meaning to arrange in an orderly manner. And this particular word is always used only in the passive tense. The word resist in the phrase "resist the devil and he will flee from you" is the translation of the Greek word <anthistemi> made up of the word <anti> meaning against, and <histemi> meaning to stand. In other words, the first step to humble ourselves before God is to passively submit the orderly arrangement of our lives over to God, and therefore stand against the devil. Next, verse 8 tells us to… 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.Verse 8 tells us first to draw near to God and He will draw near to you. How ? James tells us by cleansing our hands ye sinners, and purifying your hearts ye double minded. The Greek word translated double minded is <dipsuchos> made up of <di> two, and <psuche> the soul. What is a sinner? The Greek word for sin is <`amartia> . The word is made up of the negative <a> and from the base of the word <meros> meaning allotment. A sinner is one who has rejected God’s allotment for their life. The ensuing result is to commit sins. And we are given a biblical definition of what that means in 1 John 3:4… 4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.How do we cleanse our hands of sin? 1 John 1:9 tells us… 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.The word confess is the translation of the Greek word <homologeo>. Thayer’s Greek Dictionary defines #3670 homologeo-1) to say the same thing as another, that is, to agree with, to assent. To confess our sins means we agree with God and with His word as to our sins. And secondly, we are to purify our hearts of being double souled. Why is this so important? James 1:8 tells us… 8. A double minded <dipsuchos> (a two souled) man is unstable in all his ways.This is a painful process…verse 9 tells us… 9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.The word afflicted is translated from the Greek word <talaiporeo> and Strong’s dictionary defines it…5003 talaiporeo (tal-ahee-po-reh'-o); from 5005; to be wretched, i.e. realize one's own misery: In other words we are being told to recognize our wretchedness, our awful sinfulness, and mourn over it, weep over it. This then is true repentance. And then verse 10 concludes… 10. Humble yourselves (in this manner) in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.And this is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He repeatedly stated that to become one of His disciples one must deny themselves, forsake the orderly arrange-ment of their lives and all they possess, and rise up on the cross perishing their own soul life, to be given life, because this is the sole purpose for our existence. And the Lord Jesus Christ concluded by asking this question. What shall it profit to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of your own soul? After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto His disciples, and Matthew records for us what He told them in Matt 28:18ff… 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power <exousia> (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.The word power is actually the translation of the Greek word <exousia> which means authority. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines the word; 1. exousia ^1849^ denotes "authority" (from the impersonal verb exesti, "it is lawful"). From the meaning of "leave or permission," or liberty of doing as one pleases, it passed to that of "the ability or strength with which one is endued," then to that of the "power of authority," the right to exercise power, e. g., <Matt. 9:6; 21:23; 2 Cor. 10:8>; or "the power of rule or government," the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others, e. g., <Matt. 28:18-20>. The Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him, and because of that fact He went on to tell them in verses 19 and 20… 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:The Lord Jesus Christ actually told His disciples to go teach all nations the fact that all authority had been given unto Him in heaven and on earth, and to teach them to observe everything He had commanded them. Now, one last question to affirm this. Why was the Lord Jesus Christ given all authority in heaven and earth by God the Father? The answer, Philippians 2:6ff speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ tells us… 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:The process is continuous. We need to learn to daily passively submit the orderly arrangement of our entire lives including all that we possess to God, and to the authority of the word of God. We are living in the last days and as Christians 1 John 3:2-3 tells us… 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
|