Am I Following Jesus… or Just Agreeing With Him?
- Grayson "The Real GM" Marshall
- Jun 16
- 4 min read
There is a question that every believer should wrestle with honestly:
Am I actually following Jesus, or have I simply learned to agree with Him?
At first glance, those sound like the same thing.
They are not.
In fact, one of the greatest deceptions in modern Christianity may be confusing agreement with surrender.
Many people agree with Jesus.
They agree that He is good.
They agree that He died on the cross.
They agree that the Bible is true.
They agree that love, forgiveness, generosity, and faith are important.
But agreement is not discipleship.
Agreement costs very little.
Following costs everything.
The Difference Between a Fan and a Follower
Jesus never said, "Agree with Me."
He said:
"Follow Me." (Matthew 4:19)
Following requires movement.
Following requires leaving something behind.
Following requires submission to someone else's direction.
The disciples did not merely nod their heads in agreement when Jesus called them.
They left boats.
They left nets.
They left businesses.
They left comfort.
They left control.
Agreement says:
"I think Jesus is right."
Following says:
"Because Jesus is right, I will change."
One is intellectual.
The other is transformational.
The Rich Young Ruler Problem
The rich young ruler is one of the clearest examples in Scripture.
He approached Jesus respectfully.
He was moral.
He was religious.
He knew the commandments.
He likely agreed with everything Jesus taught.
Yet when Jesus exposed the throne of self in his heart and said:
"Go and sell all you possess and give to the poor... and come, follow Me." (Matthew 19:21)
The man walked away.
Why?
Because agreement had reached its limit.
Following would require surrender.
The issue was never information.
The issue was authority.
The rich young ruler wanted Jesus as Savior.
He did not want Jesus as Lord.
Agreement Loves Inspiration
Following Embraces Transformation
Agreement loves sermons.
Following loves obedience.
Agreement enjoys conviction.
Following responds to conviction.
Agreement highlights Bible verses.
Following applies them.
Agreement says:
"That message was powerful."
Following asks:
"What must change in me because of it?"
Many believers spend years collecting information about Jesus while avoiding the invitations of Jesus.
We admire what He said without submitting to what He commanded.
The Kingdom Question
This is why Jesus' primary message was not simply salvation.
It was the Kingdom.
The Kingdom answers one fundamental question:
Who is King?
In every kingdom there is a ruler.
There is authority.
There is governance.
There is submission.
You cannot embrace the Kingdom while maintaining personal sovereignty.
You cannot call Jesus King while reserving the right to overrule Him.
Yet this is where many people live.
We want Jesus to bless our plans.
Jesus invites us to abandon ours and join His.
Agreement says:
"Jesus can advise me."
Following says:
"Jesus leads me."
Agreement keeps self on the throne.
Following removes self from the throne.
The Self-Made Christian
The modern world celebrates self.
Build yourself.
Promote yourself.
Trust yourself.
Follow your heart.
Live your truth.
Create your identity.
Many Christians have simply baptized these ideas with spiritual language.
We ask God to endorse our ambitions.
We ask Him to accelerate our goals.
We ask Him to bless our version of success.
But Jesus never called anyone to self-improvement.
He called them to self-denial.
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)
Notice the order.
Not admire Me.
Not agree with Me.
Not quote Me.
Not post about Me.
Follow Me.
And the path begins with denying self.
The Kingdom is not built by improving self.
It is entered by surrendering self.
The Test of Following
If you want to know whether you are following Jesus or merely agreeing with Him, ask yourself a few honest questions:
When Jesus' words conflict with my preferences, who wins?
When obedience costs me something, do I still obey?
Am I seeking God's will or asking God to bless mine?
Has my life actually changed because of what I believe?
Do I love being challenged by Jesus, or only comforted by Him?
Am I becoming more surrendered or simply more informed?
Those questions reveal more than any church attendance record ever could.
The HIL Question: Whose Image Am I Reflecting?
At the heart of HIL—His Image & Likeness—is a simple reality:
You were not created to become a better version of yourself.
You were created to reflect the King.
The goal of discipleship is not self-expression.
It is Christ-likeness.
The goal is not discovering who you want to be.
It is becoming who He created you to be.
Agreement allows us to keep our identity rooted in self while admiring Jesus from a distance.
Following reshapes our identity around Him.
One preserves self.
The other transforms it.
The Final Question
Perhaps the most sobering words Jesus ever spoke were:
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46)
That question still echoes today.
Not:
"Do you believe in Me?"
Not:
"Do you attend church?"
Not:
"Do you agree with My teachings?"
But:
"Do you do what I say?"
Because the evidence of following is not agreement.
It is obedience.
And obedience is not legalism.
It is the natural response of a heart that has surrendered to the King.
The question is not whether Jesus has your attention.
The question is whether He has your allegiance.
Because at the end of the day, the distance between agreement and discipleship is only one thing:
Surrender.
Reflection
Am I following Jesus because He is Lord, or am I simply agreeing with Him because I like what He says?
That answer may reveal who is really sitting on the throne.
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