The Early Church struggled with how to treat people who had renounced the faith under torture or threat of death and then recanted their decision and wanted to rejoin the church. When called before a Roman tribunal, you could save your life by basically denying Christ and offering a little incense to the Emperor, and some people DID give in. He told people to realistically count the cost: your earthly existence vs. It is possible that all the Apostles other than John were executed for their faith. During the church's first few hundred years there were times of intense persecution. Historically: Jesus may have been trying to prepare his Disciples and other First Century believers for what was coming. We can interpret the 'cross' in an associated verse with the putting to death of our natural man which the Holy Spirit accomplishes and in which we're called to participate. If we're bound-and-determined to continue on our OWN life of rebelliousness and sin, then we probably won't really come to Jesus at all.

Without debating Lordship salvation, most of us realize that as a Christian we're called to be different. we don't see too much real physical persecution, so we generally think of 'taking up the cross' and 'losing our life,' in a more metaphorical sense.

(Also read the similar verses in both Mark and Luke.) Shanna Duck 'Let a search be made in the royal archives.' Ezra 5:17 NIV This is one of those difficult verses that has been interpreted in different ways, and may have meaning on multiple levels.

Other words for save our existence