Jesus wants us to know that true faith involves denying yourself. That’s very clearly commanded in Mark 8:34. Put simply, we do not have the right to believe in Jesus on our own terms. He has not promised salvation for those who refuse to recognize him as king. If you’re unwilling to deny yourself, that is because you have not recognized that Jesus Christ is the King. If you’re unwilling to bow before Jesus, then you have not put your trust in him. We cannot confess Jesus to be Lord unless at the same time we recognize that we are not. To deny yourself is to acknowledge that Jesus is King, his will must come before my own.

In a sense, self-denial is very similar to what biblical repentance is: a recognition that God is God and he gets to decide what is right and wrong. He made me, therefore he gets to tell me how I must live my life. As Christian believers, we have even more reason why we call Jesus Lord. He has paid for our sins with his precious blood. We don’t belong to ourselves, we’ve been bought at a price.

Self-denial and repentance is a hard truth for us to learn and live by, because it is the complete opposite of what our sinful natures desire. We want to be the ones that decide what is right and wrong. Just like Adam and Eve, we want to decide for ourselves how we ought to live. It’s in our very nature to rebel against God.

This sinful rebellion is spurred on by the news and advertisements that we constantly see around us. You can live your best life now, follow your dreams and desires, do what you think is best. You deserve happiness, you’re worth it.

But if we have faith in Jesus Christ, we must live according to a different reality. We must deny our own selfish and sinful desires, we must seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness. God’s will must come before our own. Self-denial is the sum of the Christian life.