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    In Mark 8:31-38, Jesus gives us an especially powerful warning about the cost of being a Christian. As Jesus points out, being a Christian is about denying oneself for the sake of the Gospel and Jesus Christ. What does it mean to deny oneself? It means to deny the flesh, to deny sin, to deny the world, and to deny the devil himself. It means to set aside the things of the world to focus on the things of the Word.
    Such denial is the nature of the Christian reborn into the Word and the Spirit. Because we are Christians, we no longer seek after the things of the world, instead focusing ourselves firmly on Christ and heaven. This is the nature of an active and living faith, and such is the faith that grants us entry into Christ’s eternal kingdom.
DLH
