Luke 14:25-33 says, "Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.'"

What does it mean to carry your own cross and to give up all of your possessions?

I don't think Christ meant that every believer should give up all of their material possessions, but I think Matthew Henry puts it in the context for which Christ meant it; namely:

"They(Followers of Christ) must be willing to quit that which was very dear, and therefore must come to him thoroughly weaned from all their creature-comforts, and dead to them, so as cheerfully to part with them rather than quit their interest in Christ."

Meaning by possession all those things which formerly were very dear to us, but when Christ is revealed to us we must embrace Him with no reservations and if the continuity of that relationship means becoming a pauper, then so be it, for we have gained treasure in heaven by doing so.

Originally Posted by cih1355

Luke 14:25-33 says, "Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.'"

What does it mean to carry your own cross and to give up all of your possessions?

What does it mean to carry your own cross and to give up all of your possessions?

I interpret this section as it calls us to take up our cross and follow His( Jesus’) example which is to have the attitude of self-denial that is willing to give up all. Christ's disciples live to serve God, not self. We as Protestants who adhere to the 5 solas know that the 5th sola of the Protestant Reformation is to do everything for the greater glory of God!

This world becomes crucified to us when we are converted i.e. it becomes like a crucified man, not sonmething we are enamoured with but rather appalled by. As we progress in sanctification we realise more and more just how crucified it is to us, until we'd be quite happy to be shot of the whole thing and go away to be with our blessed Lord.

We may be very wealthy Christians, and many of us on this board will have much more of this world's goods than many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in this world, but if we are truly converted our hearts will not be wedded and wrapped around these things, exhibiting avarice and the covetousness which is idolatry, but God in Christ will be our God. We will be willing to use our resources for Christ's cause and kingdom.

Read Calvin - in his Golden Booklet on the True Christian Life - on extremes of luxury and asceticism.

Carrying one's cross involves being willing to do God's will every day, even if it involves denying ourselves things which we would otherwise like. It does not mean denying ourselves things which God allows us which we would like e.g. Jesus drank wine and ate good food in the process of His doing of God's will.

You have to read texts in the context of the whole Bible. Some of those Jesus was talking to had to give up almost all their possessions to become itinerant missionaries, as some do today. But did Job, Abraham, Jacob, David, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Lydia, etc - those who are indicated to be rich in the Bible - and those who were less rich, actually sell everything and give the money to Christ's cause and Kingdom and the poor? Did those in the various churches that were established by the Apostles? Or did most of them continue in the employment in which they found themselves and continue to own capital in order to carry out that employment e.g. fishing nets?