Following Christ When Obedience Costs You

By Dave Jenkins

Following Christ is not a call to an easier life. Jesus never hid the cost of discipleship from those who came after Him. He spoke plainly: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

These words confront us because we often want the blessings of Christ without the surrender Christ requires. We want forgiveness without repentance, comfort without holiness, and eternal life without the daily death of self. But Jesus calls His people to something far better than a comfortable, self-directed life. He calls us to Himself.

To follow Christ is to belong to Him completely. It means trusting His Word when obedience is costly, confessing Him when silence feels safer, and choosing faithfulness when the world pressures us to compromise. This is not a burden we carry to earn God’s favor. It is the fruit of being united to the crucified and risen Savior by grace alone.

Jesus Calls Us to Deny Ourselves

Self-denial is not the same as merely giving up something for a season. It is not simply religious discipline, moral improvement, or a temporary sacrifice. Jesus speaks of a decisive change in who rules our lives. The Christian no longer belongs to himself. He belongs to Christ.

Our culture tells us to follow our hearts, protect our comfort, and make personal fulfillment our highest goal. Scripture calls us to a different path. The heart is not an infallible guide. Our desires must be tested and shaped by the Word of God. Christ, not self, must sit on the throne of our lives.

This does not mean that Christians are called to hate every good gift God gives. God gives good gifts to be received with gratitude. But good gifts become dangerous when they become ultimate things. Family, work, reputation, comfort, possessions, plans, and even ministry can become idols when we refuse to submit them to Christ.

Self-denial means saying, “Not my will, but Yours, be done.” It means trusting that the commands of Christ are not cruel restrictions, but the wise and loving direction of our King.

Taking Up the Cross Is a Daily Call

In the first century, the cross was not a decorative symbol or a vague picture of inconvenience. It was an instrument of execution. When Jesus told His followers to take up their cross, He was calling them to die to their old way of life.

The Christian life is therefore not built on occasional moments of spiritual intensity. It is lived in daily obedience. We take up our cross when we refuse sinful anger and pursue peace. We take up our cross when we speak truth rather than protect our image. We take up our cross when we turn from sexual sin, forgive those who have wronged us, serve others sacrificially, and remain faithful to Christ when doing so costs us comfort or approval.

Daily discipleship often looks ordinary. It is the husband who loves his wife with patient, Christlike care. It is the wife who honors the Lord in her words and conduct. It is the parent who teaches the Word of God in the home. It is the employee who works honestly when no one is watching. It is the church member who gathers with God’s people, prays, serves, and perseveres through discouragement.

None of these things may seem dramatic to the world. Yet God delights in faithfulness. The Christian life is not measured by platform, visibility, or applause. It is measured by obedience to Christ.

The Cost Is Real

Jesus warned that following Him would bring opposition. “If the world hates you,” He told His disciples, “know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). A world that rejects Christ will not ultimately celebrate those who live under His lordship.

For some believers, the cost is public ridicule, broken relationships, lost opportunities, or pressure to soften biblical convictions. For others, the cost is quieter but no less real. It may be the pain of doing what is right when it is misunderstood, the loneliness of refusing compromise, or the ongoing battle to put sin to death.

We should not be surprised by these trials. The apostle Paul wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). This does not mean every Christian will face the same kind or degree of suffering. It does mean that sincere obedience to Christ will eventually place us at odds with a fallen world.

But the cost of following Christ must always be considered alongside the surpassing worth of Christ Himself. Jesus asks, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). No earthly comfort, popularity, or success can compare with knowing Christ.

Christ Is Worth More Than What We Lose

Jesus does not call us to give up everything in order to receive nothing. He calls us to surrender what cannot save us so that we may know the One who has saved us. The Christian loses the false security of self-rule, but gains a Savior who will never leave or forsake His people.

The apostle Paul understood this. He had status, religious accomplishment, and influence. Yet he counted these things as loss because of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” his Lord (Philippians 3:8). Paul did not see Christ as an addition to an already satisfying life. Christ was his treasure.

This is the heart of discipleship. We do not follow Christ merely because He improves our circumstances. We follow Him because He is Lord, because He died for our sins, because He rose from the dead, and because there is no life apart from Him.

When obedience costs us something, we need to remember that Christ gave Himself for us. He bore our sin on the cross. He took the judgment we deserved. He reconciled us to God. Our obedience does not purchase this salvation. Christ has accomplished it fully. Yet the grace that saves us also teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11–12).

Following Christ Requires Perseverance

There are seasons when obedience feels especially difficult. We may grow weary in doing good. We may wonder whether quiet faithfulness matters. We may feel the pull of fear, discouragement, or compromise.

In those moments, we must fix our eyes on Christ. Hebrews 12:1–2 calls believers to run with endurance “the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” We do not endure by staring endlessly at our weakness. We endure by looking to the Savior who endured the cross for us.

Christ knows the cost of obedience. He was despised and rejected. He was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin. He walked faithfully to the cross in perfect submission to the Father. And because He rose in victory, His people do not follow Him in vain.

The road of discipleship may be narrow, but it ends in glory. Jesus is not asking us to walk where He has not gone. He goes before us, strengthens us by His Spirit, gives us His Word, and places us among His people in the local church.

Faithfulness Begins Today

You do not need to know every future cost of following Christ in order to obey Him today. You need to trust Him with the next act of faithfulness. Repent of known sin. Open the Word of God. Pray for grace. Gather with the church. Speak the truth in love. Serve where God has placed you. Refuse the compromises that promise peace but lead away from Christ.

Following Jesus is costly because sin is costly, the world is fallen, and obedience requires the death of self. But Christ is worth it. He is better than comfort, approval, success, and every temporary treasure this world can offer.

Take up your cross today, not in your own strength, but in the strength Christ supplies. The One who calls you to follow Him is the One who has given Himself for you, and He will bring His people safely home.

Continue Growing in Discipleship

Read more in the Following Christ: The Call, the Cost, and the Character of Discipleship series, and subscribe to Servants of Grace on YouTube for biblical teaching to help you grow in Christ.