Luke 9:23

And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

This is the plan of salvation; and appropriately, it was addressed "to all." "Let him deny himself ..." means that one must renounce himself, pleading nothing that a mortal may either believe or do, as a proper ground of salvation, that ground being in Christ and "in him" only. No mortal may be saved as John Doe, or Joe Bloke, or in any other human identity. If men are ever saved, they must be saved "in Christ" (Romans 6:3), and "as Christ" (Galatians 2:20). This self-renunciation is the same thing for all Christians that the cross was for Jesus, namely, the submission to God's will, not one's own will. For extensive discussion of this, see my Commentary on Romans, Romans 3:22-24, and also under my Commentary on John, John 12:25.

In this verse, Jesus made the cross central to his holy religion. Our Lord's death was an absolute requirement and precondition of human redemption. That an unfathomable mystery lies at the bottom of such a conception is freely admitted; but the fact of it cannot be denied in the light of the sacred Scriptures. But, if it was central for Jesus, it is central for his followers also, as the verse states. As long as the will of man opposes the will of the Lord, salvation for such a man remains impossible.