It is the ones who jeopardize their lives and everything else, who withhold nothing, that will gain eternal life in the new world.
What will a man give in exchange for his life? ( Matt. 16:24-26) Everything, you say. But how many give everything? How many give anything? How many have any time for God, to study his Word, to practice its principles when it inconveniences them? How many give up their will to do God’s will? How many disown themselves, really? Very very few, comparatively speaking. Right now instead of giving everything for their life they give nothing.
Jesus did not come to earth to give us health, wealth, and a long life in this world. He came to open up the opportunity of living forever in the new world, and the prospect of that life is what I value highly. (John 3:16) A true Christian would understand Jesus’ first question to mean, “Of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his hope of everlasting life?” The answer is, of no benefit at all. (1 John 2:15-17) To help us answer Jesus’ second question, we might well ask ourselves, ‘How much am I willing to sacrifice now to make my hope of life in the new world sure?’ Our answer to that question, as seen in our life course, reveals the hope in our hearts.