Mark 8:34-37 "And when he had called the
people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
(36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? (37) Or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?"
"What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" I remember television programs when I was young, such as "Twilight Zone" that would depict some poor individual wanting something so bad that he would sell his soul to the devil. The implication was the person lost their home in heaven because they wanted something on earth even more than that. This intention of this first paragraph is to say these verses do not teach that we can lose our home in heaven. Eternal life is exactly what it says. It is eternal. There is no end to the spiritual life given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. The Scriptures teach us in more than one place that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. See Romans 8:38-39.
If this is not teaching that we can lose our home in heaven, then of what was Jesus speaking? What does it mean to lose our soul? The English language is often deficient as we seek to understand what the Word of God means. That's why it's very important to have a good English dictionary and also the Strong's concordance when studying the Scripture. There are three meanings for the English word soul. It can mean the natural life of an individual. It can mean the portion of our mind that allows logical thinking. And in some places, it can mean that which has been redeemed and reborn of God. As I look at today's passage, we have already determined it cannot mean the last of these three definitions. We cannot lose that which has been given to us of the Lord in the rebirth.
There are things which can affect our mental outlook on life. There are things which affect our physical life. There are things which can take away our peace of mind. These are the things of which Jesus is speaking in these verses. When Peter made the bold statement that he would not allow anyone to harm Jesus, nor take His life, Jesus then replied, "thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Quite honestly, none of us have the ability to always make the best decisions for ourselves. Here is the key to which Jesus then spoke concerning denying ourselves which ultimately led to Him speaking of gaining the world but losing our soul.
The key to winning the battle of life is to come to the understanding that the mind will take us to places where the Lord would not have us be, both in our mental state and in our physical well being. The wise man Solomon said it in this manner, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12) Our minds can present something to us as though it is absolutely correct and right; yet, the Lord has said that will lead to destruction. How can we avoid those things? Jesus said it this way, "If an man will come after me, let him FIRST deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." It is not always easy to deny ourselves; yet the truth of the matter is Jesus is THE WAY that leads to righteousness, peace, and joy. There is no other way. No matter how pretty Satan presents a matter to us, he will always be a liar, thief, and murderer. He seeks to destroy.
It seems the answer is found in following Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish that, we must first seek to put our own wishes, our own desires, our own plans to the side. That seems like a lot to ask, doesn't it? That's Satan's greatest argument to get us to follow ourselves instead of Jesus. But the truth of the matter is that Jesus came to give us life and to give us abundant life. His way and His will is always perfect. We must practice the art of denying ourselves in order to see exactly what Jesus has for us. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."
I want the life that honors Christ. That is my goal and purpose given to me by the Lord God. His grace and mercy is such that as we do that which honors Christ, we experience the very best.
"What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" I remember television programs when I was young, such as "Twilight Zone" that would depict some poor individual wanting something so bad that he would sell his soul to the devil. The implication was the person lost their home in heaven because they wanted something on earth even more than that. This intention of this first paragraph is to say these verses do not teach that we can lose our home in heaven. Eternal life is exactly what it says. It is eternal. There is no end to the spiritual life given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. The Scriptures teach us in more than one place that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. See Romans 8:38-39.
If this is not teaching that we can lose our home in heaven, then of what was Jesus speaking? What does it mean to lose our soul? The English language is often deficient as we seek to understand what the Word of God means. That's why it's very important to have a good English dictionary and also the Strong's concordance when studying the Scripture. There are three meanings for the English word soul. It can mean the natural life of an individual. It can mean the portion of our mind that allows logical thinking. And in some places, it can mean that which has been redeemed and reborn of God. As I look at today's passage, we have already determined it cannot mean the last of these three definitions. We cannot lose that which has been given to us of the Lord in the rebirth.
There are things which can affect our mental outlook on life. There are things which affect our physical life. There are things which can take away our peace of mind. These are the things of which Jesus is speaking in these verses. When Peter made the bold statement that he would not allow anyone to harm Jesus, nor take His life, Jesus then replied, "thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Quite honestly, none of us have the ability to always make the best decisions for ourselves. Here is the key to which Jesus then spoke concerning denying ourselves which ultimately led to Him speaking of gaining the world but losing our soul.
The key to winning the battle of life is to come to the understanding that the mind will take us to places where the Lord would not have us be, both in our mental state and in our physical well being. The wise man Solomon said it in this manner, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12) Our minds can present something to us as though it is absolutely correct and right; yet, the Lord has said that will lead to destruction. How can we avoid those things? Jesus said it this way, "If an man will come after me, let him FIRST deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." It is not always easy to deny ourselves; yet the truth of the matter is Jesus is THE WAY that leads to righteousness, peace, and joy. There is no other way. No matter how pretty Satan presents a matter to us, he will always be a liar, thief, and murderer. He seeks to destroy.
It seems the answer is found in following Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish that, we must first seek to put our own wishes, our own desires, our own plans to the side. That seems like a lot to ask, doesn't it? That's Satan's greatest argument to get us to follow ourselves instead of Jesus. But the truth of the matter is that Jesus came to give us life and to give us abundant life. His way and His will is always perfect. We must practice the art of denying ourselves in order to see exactly what Jesus has for us. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."
I want the life that honors Christ. That is my goal and purpose given to me by the Lord God. His grace and mercy is such that as we do that which honors Christ, we experience the very best.