The Christian's Duty to Forsake All for Jesus Christ

Book excerpt: What does it mean to be a Christian who has forsaken the world for Jesus Christ? This idea is a basic tenant of Christian truth. From various texts in Matthew 13 concerning the Kingdom of God and the incomparable excellency of Jesus Christ, Mockett teaches that every Christian should, and the wise Christian will, willingly part with all for Christ and the grace of the Gospel. He shows what it means to “part with all for Jesus Christ”, and what Christians “are to part with” for Jesus Christ. Christians must see Christ as more excellent to anything that exists in the world. Mockett says, “In this way, you see how excellent Jesus Christ is; He is co-essential, co-eternal, and co-equal with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, almighty and all-sufficient, omniscient, and most wise, true and faithful, most holy, exceeding good, abundant in mercy and compassion, and altogether lovely and desirable, the most amiable object that ever the eye of man’s understanding did or possibly can behold or enjoy.” This work teaches us how to reject everything else in the world as beneath Jesus Christ, and shows the Christian what steps to take in having high thoughts of Christ, and lower thoughts of the things in the world. Anyone who does not forsake the world cannot be a disciple of Christ. This teaching is of utmost importance to the contemporary church, especially in today’s intolerant culture where status, goods and relations are often more important than the Gospel of grace, or the God of all grace, Jesus Christ. The question then remains, how much of the world have you forsaken? Some of it, part of it, a little bit of it? Most of it? Or all of it? To be a child of the Kingdom, and a disciple of Jesus, you must forsake everything for him. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.