In one part of his classic book entitled Holiness, J.C.Ryle writes about the true “Cost” of becoming a Christian. I want to share in the next couple of devotionals part of what He wrote.
“Let there be no mistake about my meaning. I am not examining what it costs to save a Christian’s soul. I know well that it costs nothing less than the blood of the Son of God to provide an atonement, and to redeem man from hell. The price paid for our redemption was nothing less than the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary. We “are bought with a price.” “Christ gave Himself a ransom for all.” (1 Cor. vi. 20; 1 Tim. ii. 6.) But all this is wide of the question. The point I want to consider is another one altogether. It is what a man must be ready to give up if he wishes to be saved. It is the amount of sacrifice a man must submit to if he intends to serve Christ. It is in this sense that I raise the question, “What does it cost?” And I believe firmly that it is a most important one.
I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice on Sunday, and to be tolerably moral during the week, and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work: it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity, and will take us to heaven when we die, we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to heaven!”
But it does cost something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. Conversion is not putting a man in an arm-chair and taking him easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory. Hence arises the unspeakable importance of “counting the cost.”
Let me try to show precisely and particularly what it costs to be a true Christian. Let us suppose that a man is disposed to take service with Christ, and feels drawn and inclined to follow Him. Let us suppose that some affliction, or some sudden death, or an awakening sermon, has stirred his conscience, and made him feel the value of his soul and desire to be a true Christian. No doubt there is everything to encourage him. His sins may be freely forgiven, however many and great. His heart may be completely changed, however cold and hard. Christ and the Holy Spirit, mercy and grace, are all ready for him. But still he should count the cost. Let us see particularly, one by one, the things that his religion will cost him.”Let us see particularly, one by one, the things that his religion will cost him.
(1) For one thing, it will cost him his self-righteousness. He must cast away all pride and high thoughts, and conceit of his own goodness. He must be content to go to heaven as a poor sinner saved only by free grace, and owing all to the merit and righteousness of another. He must really feel as well as says the prayer-book words – that he has “erred and gone astray like a lost sheep,” that he has “left undone the things he ought to have done, and done the things he ought not to have done, and that there is no health in him.” He must be willing to give up all trust in himself, and to trust in nothing but Jesus Christ. Now this sounds hard to some. I do not wonder, it is harder to deny proud self than sinful self. But it is absolutely necessary. Let us set down this item first and foremost in our account. To be a true Christian it will cost a man his self-righteousness.”
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This is one of the hardest things to give up in this life…our pride and self-righteousness. Especially when we live in a world that promotes and loudly screams the cry “You Can Do Anything!” For us to TRULY come to know Him, it is just the opposite – You can do NOTHING! But HE has done EVERYTHING! 1 Peter 5:6 instructs us, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you…” And, Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
When we come to the point in our lives that we realize we are NOTHING and deserve NOTHING and HE ALONE is EVERYTHING, then and only then can He begin to work in our lives in His way. We must step out of the way and allow HIM to work. We can not trust in anything we can do or have done. Nothing we do is of any merit. It’s not “I am worth something!” “I am great!” “I deserve praise!” Instead it is – “HE is worth EVERYTHING” “HE is GREAT!” and “HE ALONE deserves all the praise!” “I am NOTHING!” We must DIE to self. We must come to the place where we trust in Christ ALONE.
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…” (Titus 3:5-6) We deserve NOTHING good – it is ALL because of Jesus Christ and God’s mercy that we can know Him and let HIM have control of our lives.
The song writer put it quite plainy:
Nothing good have i done
To deserve God’s own Son
I’m not worthy of the scars In His hands
Yet he chose the road to Calvary To die in my stead
Why He loved me i can’t understand