Jesus said in Luke 14:33, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” This all-consuming message of the gospel is offensive to the world because the world by nature hates Christ (John 15:18). The gospel demands surrender, repentance, and loyalty to the Lord. But in efforts to make the gospel more palatable to the masses who hate Christ, multitudes who would consider themselves evangelical are now suffering from severe spiritual starvation. The compromises once thought to make Christianity more winsome—such as making faith solely about a positive relationship with God—have created entire generations of so-called evangelicals who have no understanding that following Christ is costly. The gospel has become a means to self-esteem instead of being crucified with Christ. In this series from John 15 and 16, Steve takes a detailed look at the true price of being a follower of Christ. The grace of God is free, but the decision to follow Christ means renouncing all you have.
