“Not Loving the
Soul-Life vs Loving the Soul-Life”
Matthew 16:23 But he turned to
Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are my stumbling block, for you set
your mind on human things, not on the things of God.”
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said
to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me.”
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to
me and does not hate his own father and mother
and wife and children and brothers and sisters—even his own soul and
life—he cannot be my
disciple.”
Luke 9:23 Jesus also said to
the crowd, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
|
Category |
Not Loving the Soul-Life |
Loving the Soul-Life |
|
Meaning |
Denying the self and rejecting the natural life so that Christ may live |
Preserving the self and natural life, living by
oneself |
|
Reason |
Realizing that Satan is joined to man's soul-life after the fall |
Not seeing the connection between the self and
Satan |
|
Figure / Metaphor |
A drink
offering poured out to God |
Dust becoming food for the serpent |
|
Explanation |
The cross deals
with
the natural life so that God's life may be
manifested |
Serving God by natural strength and ability |
|
Result |
Overcoming Satan and expressing Christ |
Giving Satan ground and becoming his instrument |
|
Purpose |
For God's
satisfaction and the building up of the church |
For self-preservation and self-expression |
|
Relationship |
When the soul-life is dealt with, Satan
loses his ground |
When the soul-life is preserved, Satan gains ground |
|
Biblical Examples |
Paul as a drink offering; Moses after being broken by God |
Peter speaking from the natural life to stop the Lord |
|
Application |
Not trusting natural ability but depending on the Lord |
Acting by talent, wisdom, and eloquence |
|
Burden |
To pass through
the cross and have natural ability dealt with |
To rely on natural ability in service |
|
Prophetic Direction |
“Deny the self, take up the cross, and
live Christ.” |
“Preserve the self, boast in ability, live by the
self.” |
|
Conclusion |
Not loving the soul-life produces overcomers and
God's building |
Loving the soul-life results in spiritual defeat |
|
Related Scriptures |
Rev. 12:11; Matt. 16:24;
Luke 9:23; Luke 14:26; Phil. 2:17 |
Matt. 16:23; 1 Cor. 2:2-4;
Phil. 3:3 |
Development
of Spiritual Principles
|
Spiritual
Principle |
Explanation |
|
Satan’s Strategy |
To cause
believers to serve God by their natural strength |
|
The Work of the
Cross |
To deal with
the natural life and ability |
|
God’s Goal |
To leave only
what comes from God |
|
The Way of
Overcoming |
Not loving
one’s soul-life |
|
Spiritual
Result |
Christ is
expressed and
Satan is defeated |
Biblical
Figures Comparison
|
Person |
Loving
the Soul-Life Stage |
Not
Loving the Soul-Life Stage |
|
Moses |
Acting in natural zeal to kill the Egyptian (Acts 7:23-25) |
Serving God
after being broken (Acts 7:30) |
|
Peter |
Natural love yet denying the
Lord (Luke 22:32-34) |
Humble shepherd
after being dealt with (1 Pet. 5:5-6) |
|
Paul |
Zealous persecutor of the church |
Poured out as a
drink offering (Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6) |
*Integrated
Spiritual Insight (Key Point)
The Bible reveals a spiritual equation:
Soul-life + Satan = The self (natural man)
Cross + Denying the self = The
expression of Christ
Therefore:
- Preserving
the soul-life → Satan has ground
- Losing
the soul-life → Satan is defeated
This is the life principle of the overcomers.
* Prophetic
One-Sentence Summary
Victory is not a matter of ability but a matter of whether
the soul-life has been dealt with by the cross.
Final
Conclusion
Not loving the soul-life is the mark
of the overcomers:
- Satan is overcome
- Christ is
manifested
- The church is
built up
- God is satisfied
Practical
Application
|
Practice |
Description |
|
Deny the Self Daily |
Reject self-confidence and
natural strength |
|
Accept the
Cross |
Allow the cross
to deal with natural ability |
|
Depend on
Christ |
Live and serve by Christ’s life rather than by self |
|
Become a Drink
Offering |
Be willing to
be poured out for God’s purpose |
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