The Cost of Christianity
Introduction
Living is not cheap. Nor is it getting any cheaper. It is remarkable how much the cost of living has increased in just less than twenty years. In 1990, the median price for a new home was $123,000. Today, it is $206,500. In 1990, the average price for a new car was $16,000. Today, the average sticker price is $28,000. In 1990, the gasoline for that new car cost around $1.34 a gallon. Today, that same gallon of fuel will cost you around $3.68.
In 1990, when you went to the grocery store, you would pay about $1.09 for a pound of ground beef that would cost you $2.59 today. In the dairy aisle, 18 years ago, milk was $.99 a gallon. Today, the cows are charging much more for their work, and milk is somewhere around $3.59 a gallon.
I have some good news for those who feel the pinch of higher prices. There is one area that has not been touched by inflation. The cost of Christianity has not changed in almost 2,000 years.
Some would be surprised to hear that there is a cost attached to Christianity. They should not be. The Lord Jesus never claimed that following Him was easy, or that it required nothing from those who would be His disciples.
In Luke chapter 14, Jesus turned to the massive crowd that sought Him, and proceeded to lay out for them exactly what it costs to be one of His followers.
In verse 28, He asks this question: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
Those who want to follow Jesus; those who want to live the Christian life, and look forward to the promise of heaven should listen very carefully to what the Jesus says about the cost of Christianity.
There are three truths we draw from this passage that teach us about what it costs to be a Christian. By understanding these truths, we can find out if we are truly ready and willing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Notice first of all, we learn something here about:
I. The Definition Of Christianity
Christianity is a term that has suffered in the house of its friends. Many today who claim to be adherents to the faith began by Jesus of Nazareth would define it very differently than those who were first called Christians in Antioch during the first century.
Some would say that being a Christian is nothing more than obeying (or trying to obey) the Sermon on the Mount. Others would define Christianity as affiliation or membership in a “Christian” church.
Still others would say that Christianity is nothing more than praying a sinner’s prayer, asking Jesus into your heart, and taking a dip in a baptismal pool.
When we read the text before us in Luke 14, we are able to get a clearer definition of Christianity, by noting what Christianity is obviously not. Notice with me a couple of things that are not Christianity, and through them let’s find out what true Christianity is. Notice first of all that Christianity is:
A. More Than An Association With Jesus
Look again in our text, and notice verse 25. It says, “And there went great multitudes with him…” There were a lot of people around Jesus at this time. There was a large crowd associated with Him, and yet, it was to this large crowd that Jesus turned and laid out the requirements of authentic discipleship. Here we learn that not everyone around the Lord Jesus actually belongs to the Lord Jesus. Not everyone associated with Christianity actually adheres to Christianity.
In Matthew 7:21, Jesus stated it this way: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…”
Don’t be deceived. Being a Christian is more than warming a pew on Sunday, having your name on a church membership roll, and being around the body of Christ. It is more than an association with Jesus.
If you visit the MLB shop on the official web site of Major League Baseball, there you can order for yourself an authentic jersey, exactly like your favorite players wear on the field. You can even have it customized with your name on the back. For instance, I did a little research, and for $179.99, I can get an authentic Chicago Cubs home jersey, complete with “Trivette” on the back.
Of course, you do realize that just because I might wear an official Chicago Cubs home jersey, complete with my name on the back; that does not mean that I am actually a member of the Chicago Cubs.
In much the same way, you may carry an authentic team Bible, and attend all of our services, but that does not mean that you are really a member of the Christian family.
Christianity is more than an association with Jesus. Notice something else we learn from this text about the definition of Christianity. It is not only more than an association with Jesus, but it is also:
B. More Than An Approach To Jesus
I want you to pay close attention to the words of our Lord in this text. Notice the opening words of verse 26. Jesus says, “If any man come to me…” Now jump to the end of this verse, and notice the closing words. Jesus says, “…he cannot be my disciple.”
Consider the implications of those two statements. According to Jesus, it is possible for someone to approach him and still not be His disciple.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who believe that they are Christians because somewhere in their life, they went to an altar and quoted a prayer. In other words, they think that because they approached Jesus at some point that somehow makes them His disciple.
While it is true that the Christian life begins with an approach to Christ and a prayer of faith, that is by no means all that is involved in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.
If a person is depending upon a single approach they made to Jesus somewhere in their past; that is not sufficient grounds upon which to believe they have been born again.
Imagine you had met someone once in your life. At that meeting they swore their love and devotion to you. They accepted you as their friend, and promised to begin a relationship with you. However, since that meeting, you rarely if ever see them. When you do see them, they seem to have no time to speak with you. They act as if they never knew you. Would you believe them when they called you their friend?
In much the same way, it is foolish to assume that just because someone has approached Jesus they have also accepted Him as Lord and Savior, and begun a relationship as His disciple.
You don’t know everyone you meet, and not everyone that meets Jesus actually knows Him either. The definition of Christianity involves more than an association with Jesus, and more than an approach to Jesus.
Notice a second truth we draw from this powerful passage. Notice not only that we learn something here about the definition of Christianity, but notice also secondly that we find:
II. The Demands Of Christianity
The large crowd was interested in Jesus of Nazareth. They had heard of His miracles, and were excited about the prospects of having Him meet their needs.
In our text, we learn that Jesus wasn’t as concerned with drawing crowds as He was with building converts. For that reason, Jesus turned to the people and laid out what was expected from His disciples.
Notice verses 26 and 27. Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
These are not exactly “seeker friendly” verses. This is not the kind of information you will find in most church brochures.
Nevertheless, Jesus knew it was important for people to realize that becoming a Christian costs nothing, but being a Christian costs everything. Yes, “whosoever” calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but all those whosever’s must know what that Lord demands of them once He has saved them.
Notice what Jesus says are the demands from Christianity. Notice first of all that being a Christian demands:
A. Devotion To Your Savior
Look again at the strong words of Jesus in verse 26. He said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
This verse has caused some confusion because of the presence of the word “hate”. Obviously, Jesus is not advocating a literal hatred for our families. To understand the implication of this statement, listen to a similar one that Matthew records. In Matthew 10:37, Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
What Jesus is teaching in Luke 14 is that in order to be His disciple, a man must love Him more than anyone else.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to love nothing and no one more than we love Jesus. To Him we are to give our supreme devotion.
One of my heroes of the faith is John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress. The authorities in 17th century England told Bunyan that he had to quit preaching the gospel, or they would throw him in prison. Bunyan said to himself, “If go to prison, who cares for my family? Yet how can I close my mouth when God has called me to preach?”i
Bunyan continued to preach, and he did end up in prison, for a total of 12 years, as his family begged for their survival. Bunyan realized his devotion was to Christ first and to all else second.
Notice something else our Lord gave as a demand for His disciples. Not only does Christianity demand devotion to your Savior, but it also demands:
B. Death To Yourself
Look again at Christ’s address to the crowd in our text. In verse 27, He said, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
In Jesus’ day, the cross was not an ornament to be worn around the neck, as it is in our day. The cross was not a piece of jewelry; it was an instrument of execution.
To put in our terms, Jesus said that his disciples must “bear their electric chair”. The point He was making is that His death is not the only one involved in Christianity.
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to recognize that His death on the cross is not only the payment for our sins; it is the pattern for our lives.
The Christian is supposed to deny themselves, and put die to the pursuit of their pleasure, and their wants, and their ease, and their comfort for the sake of the cause of Christ.
In other words, Jesus teaches us here that He does save us so that we can do what we want. He saves us so that we will do what He wants. Jesus endured His cross in obedience to the will of His Father. In much the same way, for the Christian to bear their cross is for them to do whatever Christ calls them to do, in spite of its difficulty.
Some people look at their Christianity the same way they would a life insurance policy. That is, they feel it only matters once they have died.
Jesus teaches us that Christianity is more of a death insurance than it is a life insurance. Being a disciple of Jesus requires a death to your self.
As we look further at our Lord’s teaching in this text, we see not only the definition of Christianity, and the demands of Christianity, but notice also thirdly that we see here something about:
III. The Decision Of Christianity
Contrary to what some might think, Jesus was not trying to scare people away. In fact, He came to seek and save that which was lost.
The gospel is good news, and it is something that all people need to hear. Yet, at the same time, everyone should consider all the facts before they make the decision to follow Christ.
This is point Jesus is trying to make in our text. Notice a couple of things we draw from our Lord’s words that remind us of what should go into the decision of becoming a follower of Christ. Notice first of all that the decision to be a Christian should only be made when a person is:
A. Informed Of The Requirements
Notice the question Jesus asks in order to illustrate His point. He says in verse 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?”
The picture is clear. Who would start a building project without knowing how much it would cost, and what was needed in order to complete it? That would be foolish.
Likewise, before a person truly accepts the Lord Jesus, they should understand that He wants more than a profession from their lips. He wants possession of their lives!
Notice that word “counteth” in verse 28. It comes from a Greek word that was used to describe an ancient method of calculation involving small stones. Jesus said that before someone decides to follow Him, they should sit down and calculate whether or not they are willing to do what He asks of them.
A publication called The Best of Times, a Louisiana based magazine for seniors, did something interesting in its recent September issue. In the “staff” section, they included this line: “The first person to call [us] and say, ‘I read the fine print’, will win a nice little prize. No kidding.” Mr. Richard Dunbar, of Shreveport was the first one to call and claim the prize.
Jesus is not hiding anything in the fine print. He is very clear about the costs of following Him. He says that everyone who considers trusting in Him should count the costs and decide whether or not they are willing to follow Him.
The decision in Christianity is one that should always be made by those who are informed of the requirements.
Notice also further, those who would decide to follow Christ, should make that decision, not only after they have been informed of the requirements, but also after they have been:
B. Inspired By The Result
Yes, being a Christian is not easy. Yes, following Christ requires nothing short of total devotion to Him and death to self.
With that being said, there are millions of people throughout the years that have made the decision to follow Christ in spite of the cost.
Why? Why would someone abandon all the pleasures of this world, and submit their lives completely to a Jew who bled to death on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago, and is claimed to have risen from the dead and ascended to heaven?
The answer to that question is that those millions of people were inspired by the truth that having Jesus is more precious than anything else. They made the decision to follow Christ because they were inspired to believe that having your sins forgiven and being able to look forward to something beyond this life is worth all the costs of following Jesus. Those that choose to follow Christ see that what He offers in eternity far outweighs what He requires now. They are inspired to say:
Oft times the day seems long, Our trials hard to bear,
Were tempted to complain, To murmur and despair, But Christ will soon appear, To catch His bride away,
All tears forever over, In God’s eternal day,
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials they’ll seem so small, when we see Christ, Once glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase, So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!
The cost of Christianity is high, but it is nothing compared to the alternative. Following Christ into eternity is worth far more than facing hell, regardless of what it costs us now.
Conclusion
Pastor John MacArthur wrote a book several years ago entitled Hard to Believe. The book is an effort to combat the watered-down gospel and easy-believism that is so rampant in our day.
In the book, MacArthur writes, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: [Christianity] isn’t just holding up your hand or walking down an aisle and saying, ‘I love Jesus.’ It is not easy, it is not user-friendly or seeker-sensitive; it isn’t a rosy, perfect world where Jesus gives you whatever you want. It is hard, it is sacrificial, and it supersedes everything.”iii
I want people to come to Jesus. I want people to accept Christ and be saved, because without Him there is no hope. But, I never want anyone who hears me preach to be deceived into thinking that the Christian life is easy and costs nothing.
Jesus Christ will save anybody who asks Him. But those who ask Him must know what it is He is saving them from, and what He demands from them once He has saved them.
My prayer is that God will remind us all of the costs of Christianity! Christianity is free, but it is not cheap.
________________________________________________________
- MacArthur, John, Hard to Believe, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 2003), p. 133
- Congratulations to the Winner of the Best of Times Contest, The Best of Times website, 9/6/08, http://www.thebestoftimesnews.com/news.php?news=517
- MacArthur, John, p. 133