What It Means to Follow Jesus: Faith Beyond Politics

I’ve held on to these thoughts about what it means to follow Jesus for a long time, wondering how to put them into words—or whether to share them at all. After much thought, I’ve decided this is a conversation we Christians need to have. If you recognize yourself in what follows and can’t say “Amen,” just say “ouch.”

To be a Christian is to be a disciple—a follower of Jesus. Following Him is not defined by church membership, denomination, or political party.

It means dying to ourselves: surrendering our desire for control and putting His will ahead of our own interests. That is where we often resist. We want to follow Jesus, but we struggle to obey Him when doing so means setting aside our own plans and desires.

Following Christ: Recognizing the Risen Lord

Perhaps we should speak more about Christ Jesus than Jesus Christ. By that, I mean we should give greater emphasis to His victory over Satan and death as the risen Lord.

For me, the two expressions highlight different aspects of His life and mission. When I say “Jesus Christ,” I think of His humility and His coming into the world to redeem humanity. When I say “Christ Jesus,” I think of the risen Lord who has overcome Satan—the instigator of division—and the last enemy, death.

My point is not simply to change the order of His name, but to emphasize His victory.

Christian Discipleship: Denying Yourself and Following Jesus

But celebrating His victory is not the same as following Him. If we recognize Him as the risen Lord, we must also ask whether we are willing to surrender our own will to His. That is the challenge of discipleship: are we willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross?

Many Christians talk about being a Christian as though Christianity is some kind of club. I don’t think a lot of people have looked deeply into Christianity and what it means to be a Christian. Christianity is not so much about what God can do for us, it’s about dying—that’s right—dying.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 (NIV):

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

The Amplified Version says it this way:

If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and if need be, in dying also].

Christians are disciples of Jesus, and disciples are Christians because they follow Jesus. Jesus wasn’t talking about your church affiliation, or whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. He was talking about dying. The problem is no one likes dying.

Loving Our Neighbors Without Exceptions

Putting aside our own interests is not an end in itself; it makes room for loving others. Understanding what it means to follow Jesus begins with learning to live like Him: loving God, loving one another, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Yet many Christians focus only on abortion and gay marriage. Are those the only sins we should address? How can we oppose abortion but accept neglecting veterans, separating families, or imprisoning innocent people? What does it say about our faith when we ignore the elderly, who spent their lives working toward an American dream that has become a nightmare for them? Can we justify taking from the poor to make the rich richer? I challenge you to look deeper at what it means to be a Christian. I challenge you to look deeper at what it means to be a Christian.

That same call to love should also shape how we respond to people who do not share our beliefs. Are we seeking to show them Christ’s love, or to force them to live as we think they should?

God gave us a free will when He created us. God could have forced Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit, but He didn’t. So why in God’s name do we think we have to force others to obey God. God will take care of that in the judgment.

Putting Christ Before Political Loyalty

Rather than focusing on how to make others obey God, we need to examine our own priorities—including our political loyalties. It seems that many Christians care more about political affiliation than about becoming like Christ. When loyalty to a party matters more than following Jesus, those priorities need to change.

Are we allowing our faith to shape our political choices, or are we shaping our faith to defend those choices? This is not a challenge to one party alone; it is a challenge to all of us who call ourselves Christians, me included.

The question is not simply which party we belong to, but whether our words and actions reflect the One we say we follow. Our desire to be like Christ should be greater than our desire to prove our side right. If we claim to follow Him, our commitment should show in how we love others, care for those in need, and put aside our own interests.

What could you do differently this week to show Jesus’ love to others, even when doing so challenges your political views?