Faithful Christians


to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the king- dom of God.” — Luke 9:57-62 (ESV)


Struggle and Warfare in the Pursuit of Christ.


The first of the three prospec- By Clint Davis T


he Moderator’s theme for this year comes from Luke 9:62. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the king- dom of God.” This statement comes from a collection of passages in


Luke’s Gospel where he defines the cost of discipleship. In verses 23-27 of chapter 9, Luke records Jesus’s famous teaching on self-denying discipleship where he said that his disciples are duty-bound to “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.” We must willingly lose our own lives for Christ’s sake in order to save them. There is no salva- tion for the man or woman who will not forfeit the whole world in order to gain Christ. Luke 9:57-62 further explains this call to committed discipleship and


what it means for faithful Christians in three ways. First, Christian disciple- ship means life-long struggle and warfare in the pursuit of Christ. Second, it means faith-filled devotion to Christ and his cause. And third, it means a definite break with our old life for the sake of Christ. Before I expound upon each of these statements, let me quote the passage


from which they were taken. It’s imperative that we always root our under- standing of discipleship in the Bible. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wher-


ever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another, he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the king- dom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell


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tive disciples approached Jesus and boldly stated that he would fol- low Jesus wherever he went. Now, that’s an admirable statement from anyone, but especially from a scribe (Matt. 8:19). Scribes were the law- yers of the day. They understood the Law of Moses and made opin- ions on it. As a result, they were well respected in the community. They also frequently aligned with the Pharisees as they shared a com- mon commitment to following the continually growing legal demands of the Law as it was interpreted by the tradition of the elders. Righteousness, for them, was found in how well they kept the law and the traditions of the Jewish faith externally. This scribe, for some reason, was intrigued by Jesus. In fact, he was so intrigued that he was willing to commit his life to following Jesus. Not surprisingly, Jesus stood ready to welcome him into his band of dis- ciples. But first, Jesus wanted him to know what following him would mean in his life. It would mean struggle, conflict, and rejection. Foxes have holes, birds have


nests, but Jesus and his disciples have nowhere to permanently lay their heads in this world. The Chris- tian’s life is described in the Bible as a pilgrimage – from the Old Testa- ment to the New Testament. Think about the people of God in the exo- dus. They were delivered by the grace and power of God from the


The Associate Reformed Presbyterian


Synod Emphasis


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