Mark 8:34, commentary and pictures

Christ calls together all who desire to follow Him and lays down the plain terms of discipleship and salvation for everyone.
Denying self means dying to self-will and surrendering plans, appetites, pride, love of the world and all powers and possessions to God.
Taking up the cross is a daily lifelong work that cuts across natural inclination and accepts sacrifice, reproach and suffering rather than an easy path.
Following means walking closely in His footsteps of humility, meekness and unselfish service, choosing His will and His work of saving souls.
This narrow path of self-denial is the only safe royal highway to the kingdom and crown, and divine grace gives strength so even the weakest can overcome and share its joy and peace.

Invitation and Its Terms

Christ called the people together with His disciples to declare that whoever desires to come after Him must deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him, and that call is addressed to the whole world and to everyone who desires to be a Christian. To follow in this way does not mean running ahead with one's own manner of ministering, but following Him in humble faith, laboring in His lines as part of His body in unity with fellow believers rather than acting as a complete whole in oneself. Practicing such self-renunciation and accepting hardship is done in the Redeemer's power by receiving Christ by faith, and that divine power enables believers to walk safely in perilous places, while refusing renunciation and hardship forfeits the reward promised to the faithful.

Self-denial, cross-bearing, and following Christ are the stated terms of discipleship and the conditions of salvation. Coming after Christ from the heart is evidence of true conversion and a self-sacrificing, believing relationship with Him, calling for choosing Christ's will over one's own and joining His work of saving souls from ruin and restoring God's image in people. Receiving the virtues of Christ's blood, even the forgiveness of sins, requires seeking true pardon from His cross and then seeking direction from His throne, closing the windows of the soul earthward and opening them heavenward, looking to and believing in Jesus as personal Saviour as the only hope of salvation, receiving Him in all His completeness, and as a follower of the Lamb practicing His virtues while cheap common traits of character become disgusting and valueless. To deny self and take up the cross and follow Him means the surrender of all capabilities to be sanctified through His grace and employed in His service, with no wasting or embezzling of the Lord's goods, no inconsiderate use of entrusted powers, and a duty to give pure, unpolluted service in body and mind as His instruments, including intelligent, careful treatment of stomach and brain to do His work well. Christ Himself met the same self-denial by leaving His exalted position in heaven, laying aside glory, royal robe, and kingly crown, clothing divinity with humanity, and becoming poor so that human beings might come into possession of eternal riches, and those who accept this path are wise and associate with Christ even in this life, whereas trying to evade the cross gives the tempter victory as in his first attempt in heaven. Every provision has been made to enable reaching that ideal.

The saying explains the science of religion and what constitutes the practice of true religion, spoken by the Lord Jesus as author and finisher of faith, meaning that sacrifices will have to be made at every step. It is the touchstone that discovers the quality of a person's experience, revealing the spirit that governs him when inclinations and ambitious hopes are crossed by trials the Lord permits. The cross stands directly in the way as the cross of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and meeting trials means taking them to Jesus and taking His yoke, while separating from Christ leads to rebellion, fretting and complaining at being called to lift the cross, showing traits that prove the will needs crucifixion before God can work. Complying with the invitation is the only course for present and eternal good, following the example of the Majesty of heaven who laid aside glory and clothed divinity with humanity to pass through what humanity must pass through, and it remains the test for reviewing whether one's life has truly followed Christ.

Jesus stands as the great Educator holding the entire map of truth and marking out in distinct lines the path to heaven, yet He unrolled only the essential parts and revealed only the plain, straight, simple narrow path leading to eternal life for those willing to follow in the footsteps of their Leader. He could have opened deep, broad, limitless truth, but He reserved much He longed to communicate because the minds of the disciples were not prepared to make right use of it, leaving unsaid many things that might be said in man's wisdom. Denying self, taking up the cross, and following therefore means advancing in the narrow path instead of becoming entangled in a labyrinth of speculation, and the call is for direct, simple appeals that point all to the open path, in contrast to superficial things, human theories, maxims, and tests that confuse minds and lead away from the simplicity of the gospel. As people advance in following Him rather than remaining in uncertainty, speculation, or guesswork, the path of life becomes clearer and brighter.

The call was given as Jesus faced approaching suffering and the bearing of the world's sins, when the cross meant willingness to endure suffering and sacrifice in the path of discipleship, and He Himself chose to endure the cross for the joy of winning the world back to loyalty to God. It requires accepting present poverty, humiliation, and suffering with Him and relinquishing expectations of immediate earthly exaltation, with eyes pointed beyond the present to His coming in glory, not in the splendor of an earthly throne but with the glory of God and the hosts of heaven, when He shall reward every man according to his works. That future glory seemed far away to hearers and disciples, many of whom did not fully understand His instruction and needed further explanation, for their eyes were fixed on the nearer view of a humble, homeless, despised, rejected life ending in death. So the word brought sadness because they loved their Master, and doubt because it seemed incomprehensible that the Son of God should voluntarily submit to cruel humiliation at Jerusalem and leave them in greater darkness, perplexing those who expected earthly exaltation.

The saying about coming after Him stands together with the next verse about losing one's life. It is Christ's call to hear His voice and come after Him by denying self, bearing the cross, and following Him into a share in His divine life, where real spiritual life begins in a new birth in which those called and chosen of God act a part in that divine life as laborers together with God and share in His work. It is the same message seen in vision for the work to be done before Christ's first coming to the world and before His second coming in the clouds of heaven, to be heard by the churches in every place.

Denying Self Explained

To deny self is to truly die to self, surrendering self-will, personal inclinations, plans and judgment to God and submitting to Christ's authority so that self is crucified and Christ can possess and shape the soul. Many baptized into the likeness of Christ's death were buried alive and never died to self, bowing before earthly idols and living in spiritual adultery so far from God that they do not know it. No one can follow Christ while serving personal desires or choosing a way and plan of salvation of one's own, for the call requires wholehearted service and complete consecration with discipline at every step. This surrender expels pride and enables the disciple to receive divine truth and be shaped by it, not serving in fear or cowardice, while the Holy Spirit gives grace to overcome the natural will and sanctify the whole person. Following Him therefore means resisting temptation and choosing obedience rather than gratifying selfish desires, with Christ helping those who do what they can to help themselves. This applies especially to those in responsible positions, who must learn Christ's humility so He can be revealed in them and they can serve acceptably in harmony with His instructions.

Denying self means ruling the spirit when passion seeks control, refusing to let human appetites and passions rule, and resisting self-indulgence, self-pleasing and self-gratification. It is temperance in eating, drinking and all habits of life, with whole-souled heartiness and hearty enthusiasm over eternal interests and the wonderful work of redemption, by which alone come perfection, purity of heart in purpose and action, and increased knowledge with clear, far-seeing moral faculties. In practice this includes refusing to let appetite and taste rule, abstaining from flesh meat, doing useful physical labor, and restraining bodily desires, for Christ's life and teaching give no support to selfishness. It shows itself in resisting the urge to criticize or speak fault-finding words, patiently bearing with a difficult child, remaining faithful in duty when others fail, taking on responsibilities without seeking applause or advantage but serving faithfully for Christ, staying silent rather than praising oneself, and doing good to others when self-interest would lead to serving self, even when unappreciated and unacknowledged. True self-sacrifice grows from love for Jesus, which makes His yoke pleasant and leads His followers to learn His meekness and humility, keeping them from being led astray even if those who taught them the truth choose the broad road.

Denying self means giving up self-love, pride, vanity, self-exaltation, strife, outward show and adorning of self in dress and appearance, and giving God the supreme place with the service of all powers. It is to stop worshiping self and to cease self-gratification and desire for costly array, recognizing that Christ paid the redemption price by suffering to make sinners children of God by adoption. This requires walking before God in meekness and lowliness, looking to Jesus and praying to be changed into His likeness, living with humility, self-denial and self-sacrifice rather than vanity or outward display, which produces His virtues of character essential to salvation. Cherishing and flattering self hides Christ from view and brings fearful loss, leaving professed Christians as Christians in name only, unconverted, keeping self prominent with no desire to learn of Him and not ready for His coming, like the man who came to the king's banquet in common dress, refused the costly garment provided, and stood speechless and self-condemned when questioned about the wedding garment. Selfishness and love of display must give way to Christ living in thoughts and heart, for outward adornment and vanity obstruct the inward life God values and leave a person spiritually feeble and unfit for service, while following Christ means using abilities and resources for God rather than pleasing self. Giving up self also means laying aside tearing one another down and undisciplined, unsanctified, erratic service by human wisdom alone, keeping the work of God elevated in character, superior in God's rule and shining amid moral darkness and hollow formalism, carrying it forward in His way as stewards in trust laboring together with God as His field and building, to be proved and tried as ancient Israel was.

Denying self means renouncing love of the world, worldly ambition, friendship with the world, love of pleasure and amusement, and extravagance. Following Jesus gives eternal life and God's claims priority over worldly gain while keeping temporal concerns subordinate, living purposefully to use and develop God-given abilities for His glory without letting the world occupy mind and affections until eternal realities are forgotten. It rejects self-indulgence and unrestricted pursuit of amusement and includes sharing in His suffering, expecting trials and persecution rather than an easy path to heaven. Coming after Christ is not an easy, comfortable time of serving God with abundant pay, and those who enlist with that expectation will be disappointed, for they have lessons to learn that self is alive and not dead. It means suffering with Him for His sake, bearing with cheerfulness and patience the trying part of the service and the trials He permits to refine and purify, an endurance in aggressive Christian warfare that produces fruit unto righteousness and prepares believers to be glorified together with Him. Those prepared to serve God in any line do not seek the easiest place, but turn from transient pleasures and self-indulgence toward better things under the Holy Spirit's influence, remaining obedient to God's Word rather than religious leaders, rulers, human laws or opposing theories, faithful through persecution, reproach and falsehood with Christ as strength, for those who trade hope of heaven for slight temporal rewards are unworthy of enduring life and only those who endure to the end will be saved.

Denying self means wholehearted consecration of words, voice, work, talents, time, service, affection and property to God, recognizing belonging to Him by creation and redemption and accountability to use every entrusted talent in His service. It means refusing to choose one's own way, will, pleasure and impulses, because no selfishness is of Christ and selfishness lies at the foundation of all sin, and living as sons and daughters of God by loving God supremely and neighbor as self. This includes giving God all time, service, affection and property with no reservation of self or property, meeting Him with the willing offering of a faithful tithe instead of robbing Him, and becoming a spiritual priesthood bringing an offering in righteousness, which is for present and eternal good to know and obey God's will for oneself. It means surrendering all capabilities to Christ to be sanctified through His grace and employed in His service, with no wasting or embezzling of the Lord's goods and no inconsiderate use of entrusted powers, giving God pure, unpolluted service in body and mind as His instruments, including intelligent, careful treatment of stomach and brain to do His work well. God-given talents, gifts and time must not lie useless or be employed in amusements and selfish pleasure and gratification, which is hours lost for time and eternity, but be used to promote God's glory as a blessing to others in earnest, self-sacrificing missionary work, living by His instructions in light of His sacrifice to secure redemption. Giving up love of pleasure and appearance turns money spent on needless amusements, selfish adornment and large needless outlays into the Lord's treasury to meet emergencies, open medical work in new fields and advance mission fields, a practical godliness required of careless youth, those in manhood and even more of those entrusted with much of God's goods, where self-denial money given for God's glory brings blessing to the giver while souls saved are kept in God's account with reward according to works, following Christ who became poor so others through His poverty might be made rich.

Self-denial is not an extreme that sacrifices health by going without sufficient food or clothing, but Christ's call to sacrifice must be followed with care and sound judgment. Putting away selfishness in all its varied ways involves a cross and duty hard to endure to the end, yet Jesus stands by every burden-bearer to lift its heaviest weight, so no temptation or trial cannot be brought to Him. The life of self-denial still has much brightness if the flowers are gathered and the briers and thistles left alone, and though helpless without God's help, the good hope of eternal life is precious with light above, keeping the heart in perfect peace when looking up to the unfailing promises of God and lifted above all that can happen. Following Christ requires abandoning sin, for no sin practiced by humanity can bear the commendation of the pure and holy God, and unbelief and defects of character must not be practiced as virtues. Christ testifies unswervingly by His character against sin, for He came to condemn sin in the flesh, so following Him requires abandoning self-justified faults.

Taking Up the Cross

The cross is not an ornament worn about the neck but something that cuts across the path of life. It cuts across every hereditary and cultivated tendency to do wrong, and across natural appetite and passion. It lies directly in the path at every step of service, in the humble, ordinary, sometimes unpleasant duties of life that must be taken up rather than evaded or turned aside from. To follow is to cease following those tendencies, worldly customs and standards of success, and striving to please the world, and instead to trust in God, look to Jesus, and build on the solid rock.

Taking up the cross happens where two ways meet. The cross is erected at the divergence between the narrow way of obedience to God's commandments leading through the strait gate to heaven and to the Lord's pastures, and the broad road of sin and corruption leading to perdition. Taking it cuts directly across human inclination, selfish worldly considerations, and natural bias of character, requiring denial of self in choosing obedience. Heaven watches to see which path the convicted person seeking eternal life with whole heart and undivided purpose will take, and the one who takes the cross road obtains imperishable riches and a life that measures with the life of God.

Bearing the cross is daily and at every step, a lifelong struggle for self-conquest, holiness, and heaven. It calls for courage and independence to rise above the religious standard of the Christian world, with willingness to suffer, act, and fight the Lord's battles with persevering energy. Divine grace gives the resolve and strength for this, so that even the weakest can become more than conquerors. It is a matter of the heart, not mere formal church membership, which without heart-union is worthless, and to refuse the cross is to lose much in this life and everything in the future life. The pilgrim journey is made by faith in the cross of Calvary as a stranger in the world, not by seeking friendship with the world, which is enmity with God.

Taking up the cross means accepting sacrifice rather than evading it, enduring suffering, shame, reproach, humiliation, trials and persecution for Christ's sake, and overcoming as He overcame with patient endurance and unselfish love. Discipleship is genuine, not pretense, following closely in His footsteps in self-denial and self-sacrifice. No easy path to heaven is promised, and no self-indulgence or unrestricted pursuit of amusement belongs to it. This is the way to obtain the kingdom and crown, and the pattern for carrying forward the work of saving souls.

In lifting and bearing the cross the bearer is lifted. Borne courageously and bravely after Christ, step by step through cloud as well as sunshine, it is a pledge of the immortal crown that will never fade. It is the central immortal pillar on which hangs the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, and on which hang life, love, joy, peace and holiness, where sin will never revive and error will never obtain control. The bearer is borne upward from the lowlands of earth into sweetest communion with God, finds rest by yoking up with Christ, is cut away from self to learn meekness and lowliness and to wear Christ's yoke and bear His burdens, and is fitted for any position in life and for helping those out of Christ to find Him. As experience in doing God's will grows, what Calvary's cross means is more fully understood, and only by following Christ's lead are fallen people converted and transformed.

Taking up the cross means keeping every command of God's law without exception, with none treated indifferently or set aside even when obedience cuts across opportunity for success in worldly business. It means refusing to do as one pleases or to conform to the world's customs and forbidden practices, and refusing to comply with evil even at loss of earthly advantage. For the cause of truth the follower endures poverty, reproach, imprisonment, and even death itself rather than making shipwreck of faith. Obedience brings its own cross of trials, and those who lift it help others bear theirs. This includes leaving comfort and concentration, as in leaving Battle Creek to go to other and dark places of the earth to spread the truth and build up missionary work in trust in God, accepting the duty of public prayer among God's people even when troubling and costly, and coming forward despite the crowd into earnest pleading for pure, soul-purifying, living experience.

Taking up the cross does not bring freedom from all want and difficulty. Even in the narrow way, doing his best, everyone who follows comes to a Rephidim in experience, where life is not all green pastures and cooling streams but disappointment, privation, difficult places and grievous trials arise and tempt him to doubt whether the Lord is with him. Many admit that Christ died on the cross yet deny the cross by refusing the personal crucifixion, self-denial and self-sacrifice it requires, not knowing it nor glorying in it, and are Christians only in name. True following makes the risen Saviour the central point of faith, who brings to all who receive Him the privilege of being sons and daughters of God.

Following Christ Closely

Following means walking closely in the footsteps and example of Christ in a life of sacrifice, humility, and continual doing of good, with no selfishness marring word or act and no sin appearing in the life, for an inefficient, do-nothing life is not accepted service because its influence leads away from Him. It is the spirit in which work for the salvation of others is to be done, and those who live this way are His disciples. Tracing His footsteps is not traveling to the places where He lived and worked, but ministering to the poor, comforting the sick, and bringing hope and courage to the discouraged. Such following requires a wholehearted choice to deny self, take up the cross, and reflect His image by imitating His example.

Following does not mean running ahead in one's own manner of ministering, but being willing to be led and laboring in His lines with humble faith as part of His body in unity with fellow believers instead of acting as though one were a complete whole in oneself. It means considering every step taken, laying plans before brethren and counseling with them and with God, which keeps from mistakes and from following one's own way and will to the injury of His work. The Bible is the safe guidebook for planning work so that no mistakes are made, yet this does not mean following a precise line marked out to be followed unconditionally, because circumstances and emergencies arise for which He must give special instruction. Those who begin to work depending wholly upon Him, watching, praying, and walking in harmony with the light He sends, will not be left to walk in darkness. Those who claim to teach the gospel of truth must prove by their lives that they have accepted His yoke and become meek and lowly in heart like Him.

To deny self and take up the cross and follow is to put on His yoke and learn His meekness and lowliness of heart, and no one is called to care for the spiritual health of the church until this is done, while wearing His yoke fits men for great and noble deeds. This takes place through the influence of the Holy Spirit and by looking to Jesus, who gave His life so that men may be fashioned after God's image until they are changed into His likeness. Taking up the cross cuts self away from the soul and puts a person where he can learn to wear His yoke and bear His burdens, and when men and women feel their own weakness and lack they delight to do God's will and submit to His yoke. Then God can work in them to will and to do His good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to human plans, and with the heavenly anointing they learn meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul. Obeying this call keeps those who accept truth from being led astray even if the people who taught them the truth choose the broad road, for true self-sacrifice grows from love for Him, which makes His yoke pleasant, refuses to let human appetites and passions rule, and practices His humility with simplicity. His followers show appreciation for His humiliation and self-sacrifice by practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice for His sake, and those who refuse this will not overcome.

Following calls for choosing His will over one's own and joining in His work of saving souls from ruin and restoring God's image in people. It involves self-denial and self-sacrificing effort in God's work, and He is with His followers and gives strength and success when they do His work in His appointed way. This is the way to obtain the kingdom and crown and the pattern for carrying forward the work of saving souls through self-sacrifice after His example. That example is the Majesty of heaven laying aside royal robe and kingly crown, clothing divinity with humanity, and for human sake becoming poor and giving Himself to a shameful death to make it possible for guilty human beings to be saved, so that through His poverty humans might be made rich and through eternal ages partake of the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. For His workers this means faithfully following His example as stewards of grace, making determined efforts to live this way, reaching people beyond regularly appointed meetings, and seeking those ready to perish at all times and in all places.

Following means advancing in the narrow path that leads to eternal life instead of becoming entangled in a labyrinth of speculation, for He as the great Educator holding the entire map of truth marked out in distinct lines the plain, straight, simple path to heaven and unrolled only the essential parts, reserving much He longed to communicate because minds were not prepared to make right use of it. It means moving forward with Him rather than remaining in uncertainty, speculation, or guesswork, and as people advance the path of life becomes clearer and brighter. In troublous times His followers must keep their eyes on Him, walk according to His example, and seek to draw people out of error to Him.

Following is genuine discipleship, not a pretense, and means closely following His example, enduring suffering and shame for His sake, overcoming as He overcame, and showing a spirit of self-sacrifice. Those who receive Him as personal Saviour and share in His suffering and self-denial understand the genuine meaning of missionary service. It is Christ's direct command to obey and actively do for the Master so followers will not walk in darkness, calling for giving the heart fully to Him, loving Him with whole heart, soul, mind and strength, giving Him confidence and a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and staying constantly on guard lest love of the world, love of dress, self-love and self-indulgence occupy the thoughts and become master. It is a daily commitment from the heart, not merely formal membership in a church, for church membership without heart-union with Him is worthless, and refusing the cross means losing much in this life and everything in the future life. Those who are Christians in deed and truth develop His mind and spirit, while serving worldly desires alongside a profession of faith denies rather than confesses Him. Following also involves publicly professing the truth, bearing the cross, and serving as a witness for Him.

Christ's Own Example

Christ Himself met the very self-denial He requires, leaving His exalted position in heaven and stepping down from the heavenly courts to help fallen people follow His example. He laid aside His glory and royal honor, His royal robe and kingly crown, and clothed His divinity with humanity, passing through what humanity must pass through. For human sake He became poor and a man of sorrows, so that through His poverty human beings might be made rich and come into possession of eternal riches as sons and daughters of God. Those who accept this path of self-denial, cross-bearing and following are wise, and associate with Christ even in this life, while trying to evade the cross gives the tempter victory as in his first attempt in heaven. He has made every provision to enable reaching that ideal, and complying with His invitation to deny self, take up the cross and follow is the only course for present and eternal good.

Though suffering and bearing the world's sins lay before Him, He chose to endure the cross for the joy of winning the world back to loyalty to God. He practiced the same self-sacrifice He calls His followers to practice, giving Himself to a shameful death to make it possible for guilty human beings to be saved. In the setting of His approaching suffering, the cross therefore means willingness to endure suffering and sacrifice in the path of discipleship.

His life of continual self-denial, sacrifice, cross-bearing, patient endurance and unselfish love is the pattern His servants must follow. He lived the commandments and gave the example of a life wholly surrendered to God, showing humility and unselfishness that all who come after Him must copy. His poverty and self-denial uplift fallen people, and His life and the way He reached people teach His followers how to reach others and how to follow Him. The cross He bore cuts across every hereditary and cultivated tendency to do wrong, and entry into heaven is not joined to making worldly comfort and personal desires the aim of life, but to sharing His self-denial and self-sacrifice unto the crown of life.

Promises to Overcomers

The road of denying self, taking up the cross and following Christ is the royal highway marked out for God's people, the life lived on earth that all must live who enter the city of God, the path He Himself travelled and the only safe path to heaven, to the home and mansions He is preparing, to the kingdom and crown. It means refusing to choose one's own way, will, pleasure and impulses, for no selfishness is of Christ and selfishness lies at the foundation of all sin, and it is the believer's safeguard against sin and selfishness and the only safe course against Satan's efforts to entangle the soul. It means living as sons and daughters of God by loving God supremely and neighbor as self, giving Him all time, service, affection and property with no reservation of self or property, meeting Him with the willing offering of a faithful tithe instead of robbing Him, and becoming a spiritual priesthood bringing an offering in righteousness, which is for present and eternal good and makes a person ready to serve as He served. Obeying this word is necessary for success in God's work, and those who fail to obey it, as young physicians connecting with sanitarium work without thorough conversion and great change, are greatly hindered and exert an influence counter to that which the Lord would have exerted. In family life parents and children walk this path by representing Him and making home a place of peace and grace as they prepare for the immortal life.

Every provision has been made to enable reaching that ideal, for He met the same self-denial Himself by leaving His exalted position, laying aside royal robe and kingly crown, clothing divinity with humanity, and becoming poor so human beings may possess eternal riches. Through divine grace He gives resolve and strength to deny self and take up the cross every day, to endure suffering and fight the Lord's battles with perseverance, so that even the weakest can become more than conquerors. Those who heed the call spoken to everyone who desires to be a Christian receive help from heavenly beings and from infinite power in the patient, step-by-step cultivation of godly character, for obedience to God's will is the human part of a cooperative work with divine help. Practiced in the Redeemer's power by receiving Christ by faith, self-renunciation and acceptance of hardship enable believers to walk safely in perilous places, and the cross displays His humiliation while those who accept it find Him compassionate and lovely and are given grace and strength.

Sharing His humiliation, suffering and self-sacrifice through true godliness teaches builders to build with lasting qualities as gold, silver and precious stones rather than perishable wood, hay and stubble, and this is true sanctification and wholehearted devotion to God. Coming after Him demands a practical life of humility, self-denial and self-sacrifice on which salvation depends, though to many it will be a new experience, and the grace of God working in the heart shown in such a life produces the virtues of Christ's character, with humility as a precious grace peculiarly pleasing to God. This practical surrender forms solid, genuinely sanctified character fit for service with Christ, for lofty ideas or outward beauty without self-denial do not, and all who are saved must travel the same road He journeyed with character formed in Christlikeness.

Willingly practicing self-denial by putting away self-indulgence and self-gratification and no longer spending money for that which is not bread brings blessing, and the money thus saved belongs to the Lord's work, so that if all invested in pleasing self were counted the amount would astonish every church. This path offers no earthly reward but brings righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and at the end of the struggle the crown of life, Christ's spotless robe of righteousness, and an abundant entrance into His kingdom. Obeying His call to self-denial and cross-bearing makes possible the harmonious life God designs, removing what hinders development of the whole being so daily experience brings healthy, harmonious action, because He died to bind human life with His life in the union of divinity and humanity and lived a divine-human life to make that harmony possible. The path must still be followed even when inconvenient or difficult, with His grace and Spirit softening and subduing the life, and independence and self-sufficiency that keep a person from counseling with others are contrary to its spirit. Denying self to have means to give to His work and teaching truth by practicing it grows out of appreciating the Son's sacrifice to save souls from destruction and valuing eternal life as the hoped-for reward, producing more earnest Christian work, and those who so deny self and work in faith are greatly blessed.

Doing this from the heart is evidence of true conversion and a self-sacrificing, believing relationship with Christ, and those clothed in His righteousness willingly and cheerfully obey His commands including bearing the cross and following His steps, counting worldly position and wealth worthless beside God's reward. It is a daily commitment, not merely formal church membership, for membership without heart-union with Him is worthless, and it is a willing response carried through to full consequences, chosen with ready mind and joyful heart rather than from necessity or painful duty. It means giving up pride, vanity, self-love, self-gratification and adorning of self in dress and appearance, and giving the time, attention and service of all powers to Him who paid the redemption price, looking to Jesus, walking before God in meekness and lowliness, and praying to be changed into His likeness. Cherishing and flattering self hides Christ from view and brings fearful loss, leaving professors to be Christians in name only, unconverted, keeping self prominent with no desire to learn of Him and not ready for His coming, for refusing renunciation, hardship and the cross forfeits the promised reward, losing much in this life and everything in the future life.

Practical Daily Applications

In family life following means making the home a place of peace and grace in preparation for immortal life and the mansions prepared, with parents and elder members educating children aright to walk in humility, self-denial and willingness to bear sacrifice after the self-denying Redeemer. Fathers and mothers who love God and keep His commandments train children in self-denial and self-sacrifice to help and bless others instead of living for selfish pleasure and indulged wishes and desires. Making a practice of indulging children's wishes multiplies wishes and desires, trains them for selfishness, unfits them for the service of God, and keeps them from learning the lessons they must learn to be entrusted with eternal riches. That denial is taught through practical choices, as when children save money they might spend on unnecessary things and give it to support mission work for needy people, including the colored people of the Southern States.

In dress following requires taking up the long-neglected cross by turning from fashion's control and outward display, recovering wasted opportunities, and using one's powers for faithful service under the Bible as the rule of life, in doing good to others, watching unto prayer, and heeding warnings. Coming after Christ requires denying self, taking up the cross and following Him rather than pleasing self and enjoying the world, on no other terms than following Him as the meek, crucified One of humiliation and suffering who is the pattern. It means choosing Christ's way over self-pleasing in dress by rejecting both untidiness and worldly fashion for neat, orderly, plain, simple, healthful clothing, being Christlike in habits, words and actions with all done for God's glory. Those attracted to Christ and living for the future immortal life will not be slaves of fashion, but will practice temperance in dress and refuse the intoxicating influence of extravagance and display that degrades the mind, unfits women for everyday domestic duties, and leads to neglect of children, abandonment of closet prayer, neglect of the Word of God, and loss of time and aptitude for religious meditation. Remembering that humans are poor fallen mortals redeemed by the suffering and death of the Son of God should cause self-abasement, not decorating the body with gold to improve appearance and gain influence in the world, for to be with Him in heaven people must be like Him on earth, leaving what belongs to the world, because the world will claim its own and only those who leave its things will overcome. Denying self in this line means resisting love of dress, extravagance and other spending for self-gratification, giving up needless spending on clothing adornments, praying over spending, refusing to dishonor profession of faith, and using money saved to help people in need, since seeking ornament while professing reform shuns the cross.

In appetite and health following requires denying self, taking up the cross and following His example of self-denial by resisting appetite's controlling power rather than yielding to it and giving it free rein, which contradicts Christian life. It calls everyone who follows Him to be wholly in earnest through cooperation of the human agent with the grace Christ gives, in temperance in eating, drinking and all habits of life, cultivating whole-souled heartiness and hearty enthusiasm over eternal interests and the wonderful work of redemption of the human soul, by which alone perfection, purity of heart in purpose and action, and increased knowledge with clear, far-seeing moral faculties are attained. Self-denial is necessary both to enter Christ's service and to continue in it, including refusing to let appetite and taste rule, refusing indulgences that enslave the body and weaken moral and intellectual powers and the powers needed for His work, and refusing habits that harm bodily health. This means abstaining from flesh meat, and from tea, coffee, tobacco and liquor, practicing temperance, doing useful physical labor, restraining bodily desires, choosing simple wholesome food, and keeping the body under the control of reason to preserve health. It means refusing to remain in wrong habits but clinging to the Mighty One who purchased sinners with the price of His blood, discerning the devil's successive seducing temptations in daily life through living connection with God and answering, Get thee behind me, Satan, refusing to listen to his voice. It rejects the masterly sophistry that God is only an essence and that men can become as gods themselves through higher and higher education, choosing instead lowly humility as the highest attainment because self still lives, and the overcomer who sings the song of redemption in the kingdom of glory does so because he has become a partaker with Christ of His self-denial and self-sacrifice and has been willing to humble his soul and walk in meekness and lowliness.

In means following means putting away self-indulgence and self-gratification and no longer spending money for that which is not bread, emptying the heart of every trace of selfishness to please Christ. It requires giving up needless spending on little idols, clothing, houses, furniture, eating and drinking and amusements, and contemplating the needy situation for Christ's sake with weeping compassion and faith as Jesus did when He laid aside majesty and splendor, clothed divinity with humanity, became poor so the poor might be made rich, and lived as a man of sorrow acquainted with grief. Willingly practicing this self-denial brings blessing, and the money thus saved belongs to the Lord's work, and if all that has been invested in pleasing self were counted up, the amount would astonish every church. It means for fathers and mothers and every family to kneel before God and find any way to deny self in order to give means immediately for the needy new field, supplying money to enter new places, to place and support workers, and to build meetinghouses where companies of Sabbathkeepers are raised up, acting just now with faith rather than anxiety when the time to advance has fully come, and entrusting what is sent to a faithful steward to use it. This includes giving offerings and making sacrifices to advance the work of sharing truth in new fields, giving willingly even from limited means to provide suitable accommodation for students at Oakwood Industrial School, and sacrificing for the good of others such as helping establish schools and institutions that spread truth, becoming willing to be poor for His sake and to share in His sufferings and accept crosses that may seem to lower dignity.

In God's work following requires ruling the spirit when passion seeks control, resisting the urge to criticize or speak fault-finding words, patiently bearing with a difficult child, remaining faithful in duty when others fail, and staying silent rather than praising oneself. It means taking on responsibilities without seeking applause, show, high wages, mastery, personal advantage or self-interest, but serving faithfully for Christ and doing good to others when self-interest would lead one to serve oneself, even when others do not appreciate or acknowledge it. It means accepting the work God assigns and the individual work God gives rather than following natural inclination, serving faithfully with the abilities given while remaining on Christ's side, which kept in view leads to a fuller manifestation of the Spirit of God and is part of working out one's own salvation with fear and trembling. Each person must deny self and bear his own cross of self-denial, humility and sacrifice rather than placing that burden on someone else, as the first step in self-examination and in taking one's own conduct critically in hand, in the continual advance of the Christian life where without God's constant help a person does not stand still but goes backward. True followers must practice self-denial and self-sacrifice in medical missionary work rather than strain to imitate worldly customs or seek display to win souls, faithfully doing assigned duties, counseling with others, and reaching the perishing at all times and places.

In education and leadership the cross is to be held up as the foundation of all true education and gloried in above everything else, with minds and attention turned from worldly greatness and every glory other than the cross of Christ. Bearing it means self-denial and humility, to be borne courageously and bravely and manfully after Christ, and it is a pledge of the immortal crown and crown of immortality that will never fade and can never fade away. Teachers from highest to lowest are to understand this and teach it to students by precept and example for the advantage of those who bear it. Denying self means self-renunciation, rejecting display and outward show and pretense, dependence on the opinions of men for success, getting above the simplicity of Christ, worldly policy, worldly guides, and one's own standard, wisdom and judgment, while following means following His footsteps in all ways, following the Bible standard, being transformed in character, and having pure and noble motives, which alone gives right influence and makes a person a safe leader in God's work. Self must die and give way to Christ's control, for when self rules it obstructs Christ from shaping a person, and those in responsible positions must learn Christ's humility so He can possess and shape the soul, be revealed in them, and make them serve Him acceptably in harmony with His instructions and bring Christ's character into daily life through kindness, compassion and faithful service.

In the last days and amid trial the call to deny self, take up the cross and follow Him applies amid the perils of the last days and calls for daily commitment to Christ, which brings safety and equips a person to help others. Following Him means remaining obedient to God's Word rather than relying on religious leaders, rulers, human laws or theories that oppose it, and remaining faithful through persecution, reproach, falsehood and other trials, holding to Him as source of strength, for those who endure to the end will be saved. In troublous times His followers must keep their eyes on Him, walk according to His example, and seek to draw people out of error to Christ. It means putting away ambitious schemes that puff up and exalt self, staying humble, studying the Word of God, and walking and working as Christ walked and worked, and obeying this command brings God's blessing and keeps God's cause and work safe in the last days when deception is widespread, preserving the founding principles of success so that memorials for God can be established in all parts of the world. It calls for living connection with God that discerns the devil's successive seducing temptations and answers, Get thee behind me, Satan, refusing to listen to his voice, rejecting sophistry that exalts self, keeping the body under reason, and walking in meekness and lowliness as a partaker with Christ of His self-denial and self-sacrifice unto the song of redemption in the kingdom of glory.

True religion is humble consecrated devotion rather than cold profession, neglect of salvation, or clinging to worldly pride and self-worship in view of the immense price Christ paid to redeem humanity, for the memory of Calvary humbles and transforms and calls for wholehearted devotion. All who claim to have received Jesus Christ as personal Saviour must obey by denying self, taking up the cross and following Him, educating themselves by precept and example, willingly denying self, giving up what is unnecessary, and making words of commitment true through faithful action, with study of Christ's life and continual prayer in every setting beside the divine Companion who leads followers in paths of safety. Denying self means not letting God-given talents, gifts and time lie useless or be employed in amusements and selfish pleasure and gratification, which is hours lost for time and eternity, but using them to promote God's glory as a blessing to others in earnest, self-sacrificing missionary work. Everyone who receives Christ as Saviour must accept sacrifice and give no place to continued sin, for forgiveness is meant to bring sin to an end so that the divine nature may take possession of the person, and no sacrifice is too costly when it helps make heaven's resources available and shares the treasures of truth with the world, while refusing this duty betrays a sacred trust. Self-denial is necessary to love God with all might, mind and strength and to love neighbor as self, and giving or doing something for Christ rather than pursuing worldly pleasure is an expression of denying self and accepting sacrifice for His sake.