Thats Just Not Possible!

The great tragedy of modern religion is not that people cannot follow Christ fully, it is that they no longer want to. They have convinced themselves that complete surrender is unrealistic, impossible, extreme, or impractical in the modern world. They hear the commands of Scripture and immediately respond with excuses. “That is not possible today.” “You cannot live like that anymore.” “That worked in the first century, but not now.” “People have jobs, families, bills, and responsibilities.”

But none of those excuses come from Scripture. They come from hearts divided between Christ and the world.

Jesus never lowered the standard because society became busy. He never changed discipleship because economies became modernized. He never told men to pursue comfort, security, careers, possessions, retirement plans, entertainment, and worldly ambitions first, and then fit the kingdom into the cracks of their schedule. In fact, He said the exact opposite.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,” Matthew 6:33.

The issue has never been whether the Bible can still be practiced. The issue is whether people truly believe Jesus is worth abandoning everything for.

Modern believers often look at the commands of Christ through the lens of American culture instead of through the lens of Scripture. When Jesus says, “deny yourself,” modern religion says, “balance your life.” When Jesus says, “take up your cross daily,” modern religion says, “do not be too radical.” When Jesus says, “sell what you have and give to the poor,” modern religion says, “that is not realistic in today’s economy.” When Jesus says, “whoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple,” Luke 14:33, modern religion says, “He did not really mean that literally.”

But He did mean it.

The rich young ruler is one of the clearest examples of this problem. He came to Jesus appearing sincere, moral, religious, and obedient. Yet when Jesus exposed the idol in his heart, his wealth, the man walked away sorrowful because he had great possessions. Scripture does not portray him as a victim of impossible expectations. Scripture portrays him as a man unwilling to surrender what he loved most.

That spirit is alive everywhere today.

People claim the life of total devotion is impossible, but what they truly mean is they do not want to lose the life they built. They do not want to surrender their dreams, comforts, ambitions, luxuries, entertainment, schedules, possessions, and financial security. They want Christ added to their life, not Christ replacing their life.

Jesus never called anyone to partially follow Him. He called fishermen to leave nets immediately. He called tax collectors to walk away from careers instantly. He called disciples to leave houses, lands, and families for His sake. The early believers sold possessions to care for one another. They gathered constantly. They devoted themselves entirely to prayer, teaching, fellowship, and the kingdom. Their lives revolved around Christ, not around worldly success.

And contrary to modern thinking, that life was not harder. It was freer.

Jesus said:

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Matthew 11:30.

The world has convinced people that surrendering to Christ is burdensome, while chasing wealth, maintaining endless schedules, pursuing worldly status, accumulating debt, stressing over careers, and living in constant anxiety is somehow normal and reasonable. But look honestly at the modern world. People are exhausted. They are anxious, depressed, medicated, distracted, overworked, lonely, and spiritually empty. They spend their lives chasing things that never satisfy. They are crushed beneath the weight of maintaining a worldly lifestyle they were never designed to carry.

Christ offers freedom from that slavery.

The problem is that many do not want freedom if it means surrender.

They want heaven without dying to self. They want salvation without sacrifice. They want Christ without the cross.

But the New Testament knows nothing of such a faith.

Paul counted all things loss for Christ. The apostles rejoiced when persecuted. Believers throughout history abandoned comfort because they found something greater. The issue was never practicality. The issue was value. When someone truly sees Christ for who He is, everything else becomes secondary.

The modern excuse of “that is not realistic” is often nothing more than unbelief dressed in sophisticated language. It is the justification of a heart still attached to the world.

The truth is, it is entirely possible to live as the Bible commands today. People simply do not want the cost attached to it.

Yes, society is busy, but much of that busyness is self-created. People fill their lives with endless entertainment, unnecessary commitments, consumerism, sports, hobbies, social media, overtime work, and constant distractions. Then they claim they have no time for prayer, fellowship, evangelism, Scripture, simplicity, or service to others.

The early disciples also lived in demanding times. They faced persecution, poverty, imprisonment, and death. Yet they still lived fully devoted lives because Christ was not an addition to their schedule, He was their life.

The modern world trains people to build kingdoms for themselves. Christ calls men to abandon their own kingdom entirely.

This is why the gospel feels offensive. It attacks the throne of self.

At the heart of many objections is not inability, but unwillingness. People fear losing control. They fear losing possessions. They fear losing status. They fear becoming different from the world around them. They fear simplicity because they are addicted to comfort.

Yet Jesus warned clearly:

“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.

A person can spend decades building wealth, careers, houses, reputations, and earthly dreams, only to stand before God empty handed. None of those things can save. None of them last.

The irony is that the life Christ offers is actually the easier life. It is simpler. It is lighter. It is free from the endless striving of worldly ambition. The world promises fulfillment but produces bondage. Christ demands surrender but produces peace.

People say, “You cannot live like the first century believers today.”

Why not?

Is Christ weaker today?

Is the Holy Spirit less powerful?

Is truth less true?

Or have people simply become more attached to the world?

The call of Christ has never changed. The narrow way is still narrow. The cross is still heavy to the flesh. Total surrender is still required. But the joy, freedom, peace, and eternal treasure found in Christ still outweigh everything left behind.

The problem is not that biblical discipleship is impossible.

The problem is that many still love this world too much to embrace it.