I can't take full credit for what I am about to post. I read commentary on this and thought it was better than what I could have written.
It is not enough to confess that Jesus is Messiah, if we do not understand that his messiahship involves suffering and death And if Jesus' mission involves the cross, those who would follow him must embrace the same price.
"Taking up one's cross" hardly meant simply putting up with an annoying roommate or having to live with ingrown toenails. It meant marching on the way to one's execution, shamefully carrying the heavy horizontal beam of one's own death-instrument through a mob.
Although genuine Christians may fall short on their commitment at times, those who wish to follow Christ should understand from the start that they are surrendering their lives to Christ. Those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord-as having the right to demand of them anything, including their lives-have yet to be truly converted. Today Christians continue to debate the character of the gospel: to be saved, does one need to accept Christ as Lord or only as Savior? Jesus came to save us from our sin, and accepting him must include recognizing his right to rule our lives. This does not imply that Christians are perfect; it does indicate that they recognize who their Lord is. Yet the only way to ultimately preserve one's life is to relinquish it in faith.
In the end God will reward us for what we have done, and eternal life matters more than our temporary lives in this age.
Krista
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