How to consider all this a loss

What does it mean to «count all things as loss for Christ»? What does it mean to give up everything we have for Him?

The apostle Paul says that this is what he does: «I count all things to be loss in comparison with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord» (Phil. 3:8). And a few verses later he adds: «Be followers of me, brothers» (Phil. 3:17).

So, this is a commandment for all believers.

Fundamentals of Christianity

This is what it means to be a Christian. It is not a level of spiritual maturity or an advanced stage of discipleship; it is the basic foundation of the Christian faith. This is confirmed by the words of Jesus: «So likewise, whosoever of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple» (Luke 14:33). Forsaking all that we have is the same as «counting all as loss.» This happens at the time of conversion. It is impossible to be a disciple without it. This is exactly what Jesus said.

«"Considering all things as losses is what happens during conversion. Without it, you cannot be a disciple.".

Jesus describes this conversion in a parable: «The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy at it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field» (Matt. 13:44). To sell all that you have with joy to gain the treasure of the Kingdom is an allegorical way of saying: count everything as loss in order to gain Christ.

So, becoming a Christian means awakening from spiritual blindness, from death, and finding in Jesus the all-encompassing and all-satisfying value. It is such a great discovery that:

1. We begin to consider everything else in life a loss;
2. We renounce all our possessions;
3. In the language of parables, we «sell everything we have» to gain this treasure, which is Christ.

Conversion is the realization of the true value of Christ, which exceeds all that this world has to offer. It is the choice to give up all earthly things for the sake of the eternal. The joy of possessing the treasure of the Kingdom of God surpasses any loss. Renouncing material or earthly things for the sake of Christ is not a sacrifice, but a testimony of our faith in His infinite value and grace.

How to count everything as a loss

In everyday and practical terms, what does it mean to «count all as loss»? It involves at least four things:

1. Renouncing all (counting all as loss) means that when we have to choose between Christ and something else, we will choose Christ.

That is, even if God does not present us with a crisis choice of «either-or» in every situation, we must still be prepared and have a firm decision in our hearts: if such a choice arises, we will choose Christ.

2. To renounce all things (to count all things as loss) means that we treat everything in a way that brings us closer to Christ, to gain more of Christ and to rejoice more in Him through how we interact with everything else.

That is, we will accept the pleasant with gratitude to Christ, and the unpleasant with patience through Christ.

3. Renouncing all things (counting all things as loss) means that we will try to deal with the things of this world in such a way as to show that they are not our treasure, but Christ is our true treasure.

This means that we will take things lightly, share them generously, and value them in relation to Christ. We will try to live by the paradox of 1 Corinthians 7:30-31: «But he who weeps, let them be like those who do not cry, and those who rejoice, like those who do not rejoice, and those who buy, like those who own nothing, and those who enjoy the world, like those who him "They do not use it, because the form of this world is passing away.".

4. Renouncing all (counting all as loss) means that if we lose everything, even if we lose something or everything this world has to offer, we will not lose our joy, our treasure, and our life – because Christ is our joy, our treasure, and our life. 

This means that in smaller losses we will not complain (Phil. 2:14), and in greater losses we will grieve, but not as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13).

A firm, joyful and decisive decision 

«"To become a Christian is to find in Jesus all-encompassing sufficiency and all-satisfying joy.".

I believe it means finding such complete sufficiency and satisfaction in Jesus that (1) we count all else as loss (Phil. 3:8), (2) we renounce all our possessions (Luke 14:33), and (3) we «sell» everything we have to gain the treasure of Christ (Matt. 13:44).

None of us love Christ so perfectly or live so consistently. But to be a follower of Jesus, to be a true Christian, means that these four approaches to «everything» will become the final, joyful, and defining decision of our lives.

This is what we will have in mind when we speak with the apostle Paul: «I count all things as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.».