FINDING AND LOSING LIFE IN MATTHEW 10:39?May 23, 2019
READ TIME: 1-2 MINUTES
David, what does Jesus mean in Matthew 10:39 about finding and losing life?
Also see Matthew 16:25-26 and compare Mark 8:35-38; Luke 9:24-26; and John 12:25.
I like how Charlie Bing explains this.
SUMMARY: If a believer lives for himself, he will miss the abundant life that God has for him. But if he forsakes his selfish desires, he will find the abundant life.
It is important to understand how the word “save” is used. It does not always refer to eternal salvation. It simply means to deliver, to preserve from some danger or loss. Usually, we determine its meaning from the context. Here, Jesus has just talked about losing our desires and subsuming them to His desires for us. If someone wants to hang on to his desires and agenda in this world (“save his life”) he will lose what life is all about— experiencing the will of God and the fullness of God’s life. He may gain everything this world has to offer, but miss the greater experience of God’s life now and as a reward in the future (v. 27).
Taken in this way, we see that the word “lose” (apollumi) is the opposite of save. It does not mean to be eternally lost in hell but has the idea of ruin or forfeit. To lose your life is to ruin it or forfeit what God would have it be. Someone can have eternal life yet waste the opportunity to enjoy life’s fullness by living for God now.
If we seek the things this world has to offer while avoiding the hardships that can be involved with knowing Jesus Christ, we lose the very quality of life we desire.
Source Used
Bing, Charles C. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages. Grace Theology Press, pp. 77-78.
