Whosoever will save his life shall lose it

[Lou Newton]

THE TYRANNY of THINGS

by A.W. Tozer


Our Lord referred to this tyranny of things when He said to His

disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save

his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my

sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:24-25).


Breaking this truth into fragments for our better understanding,

it would seem that there is within each of us an enemy which

we tolerate at our peril. Jesus called it "life" and "self," or as we

would say, the self-life. Its chief characteristic is its possessive-

ness: the words gain and profit suggest this. To allow this

enemy to live is, in the end, to lose everything. To repudiate it

and give up all for Christ´s sake is to lose nothing at last, but

to preserve everything unto life eternal. And possibly also a hint

is given here as to the only effective way to destroy this foe: it

is by the cross. "Let him take up his cross and follow me." ...


The Way of Renunciation


If we would indeed know God in growing intimacy, we must go

this way of renunciation. And if we are set upon the pursuit of

God, He will sooner or later bring us to this test... So we will

be brought one by one to the testing place, and we may never

know when we are there. At that testing place there will be no

dozen possible choices for us-just one and an alternative-

but our whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make.


Father, I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to

give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding,

and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I

come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all

those things which I have cherished so long and which have

become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter

and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place

of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the

sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there

shall be no night there. In Jesus´ name, Amen.

[redsoxmaloney]

THE TYRANNY of THINGS

by A.W. Tozer


Our Lord referred to this tyranny of things when He said to His

disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save

his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my

sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:24-25).


Breaking this truth into fragments for our better understanding,

it would seem that there is within each of us an enemy which

we tolerate at our peril. Jesus called it "life" and "self," or as we

would say, the self-life. Its chief characteristic is its possessive-

ness: the words gain and profit suggest this. To allow this

enemy to live is, in the end, to lose everything. To repudiate it

and give up all for Christ´s sake is to lose nothing at last, but

to preserve everything unto life eternal. And possibly also a hint

is given here as to the only effective way to destroy this foe: it

is by the cross. "Let him take up his cross and follow me." ...


The Way of Renunciation


If we would indeed know God in growing intimacy, we must go

this way of renunciation. And if we are set upon the pursuit of

God, He will sooner or later bring us to this test... So we will

be brought one by one to the testing place, and we may never

know when we are there. At that testing place there will be no

dozen possible choices for us-just one and an alternative-

but our whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make.


Father, I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to

give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding,

and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I

come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all

those things which I have cherished so long and which have

become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter

and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place

of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the

sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there

shall be no night there. In Jesus´ name, Amen.

That's a great post and a great prayer. When did Tozer live?

[Lou Newton]

I would think he is still alive Tom. By his writings I would think he probably has eternal life. Of course I am not his judge, but The Lord Jesus is the One and Only Judge of all the earth.


Aiden Wilson Tozer was an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. For his work, he received two honorary doctoral degrees. Wikipedia

Born: April 21, 1897, Newburg, PA

Died: May 12, 1963, Toronto, Canada

Spouse: Ada Cecelia Pfautz (m. 1918–1963)

Children: Wendell Tozer, Lowell Tozer, Stanley Tozer, Forrest Tozer, Raleigh Tozer, Rebecca Michaels, Aiden Tozer

Quotes
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.

Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will.

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Books
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The Knowledge of the Holy
1961

Attributes of God

How to Be Filled with the Holy...
1952

The Best of A. W. Tozer: 52...
2017

Tozer said: To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.

Jesus was certainly right with God. His Manhood never sinned, and of course His Godhood was God. What men was Jesus is trouble with ? Not the the Greeks. or even the Romans. It was the Jews who hated Jesus. What Jews hated Him the most ? Those were the religious leaders of the Jews who insisted that Pilot crucify Jesus.

The same is true today. If you trust in Jesus and NOTHING ELSE to save you, you will be in trouble with the religious leaders of today.

[Lou Newton]

Matthew 10
³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

NOTE: Whoever gives their life to Jesus ( or loses their life) will find their life ( or have eternal life, or find real life). Whoever finds their life ( or hangs onto it) will lose their eternal life.

Matthew 16
²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Note: whoever wants to save their life will lose it - Whoever wants to save their life, with their own efforts, will lose their eternal life.
whoever loses their life for me will find it - But whoever gives their life to Jesus ( loses control of their life and gives Jesus control of their life) will gain eternal life.

Note from Lou: Preachers often quote this verse: he will reward each person according to what they have done, and claim that we are saved by what we do in life, or our works. BUT that is taking the verse out of context. In the context of the passage, Jesus means we are rewarded IF we give our life to Him and trust Him to save us. That is the only work God requires of us, that is to trust Jesus to save us.

Mark 8:
³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Note: Again many preachers quote this verse and claim we are saved IF we preach the gospel. Again that is taking it out of context. We are saved if we give our life to Jesus and trust Him to save us. THAT IS THE GOSPEL. The Bible clearly states there is one condition to being saved and that is to trust in Jesus, alone, to save us.

LUKE 9
²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

John 12
²³ Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.²⁵Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Note: Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If you love your life ,as you are sitting on the throne on your life, you will not have eternal life. BUT if you come to hate your life of selfishness ( which is sin) and confess your sin to Jesus, then you will have eternal life.

Note: Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Again many preachers claim this verse tells us that we are saved by serving God. BUT that is taking it out of context. We also always have to take the whole body of the words of God. Jesus told us how we are to serve Him in John 6:

John 6
²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

NOTE: So there is but one work God requires of us. That is to trust ( believe) Jesus to save us.

The next post will examine this last verse more closely.

[Lou Newton]

Of course the Devil believes Jesus exists. But if we truly believe Jesus and all that He said, we will trust in Him alone to save us.

KJ21
Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God: that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent.”
ASV
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
AMP
Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”
AMPC
Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].
BRG
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
CSB
Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”
CEB
Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.”
CJB
Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
CEV
Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”
DARBY
Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom *he* has sent.
DLNT
Jesus responded and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you be believing in the One Whom that One sent-forth”.
DRA
Jesus answered, and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he hath sent.
ERV
Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the one he sent.”
EHV
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”
ESV
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
ESVUK
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
EXB
Jesus answered, “·The work God wants you to do is this [^LThis is the work of God]: Believe the One he sent.”
GNV
Jesus answered, and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe in him, whom he hath sent.
GW
Jesus replied to them, “God wants to do something for you so that you believe in the one whom he has sent.”
GNT
Jesus answered, “What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent.”
HCSB
Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”
ICB
Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the One that God sent.”
ISV
Jesus answered them, “This is God’s work: to believe in the one whom he has sent.”
PHILLIPS
“The work of God for you,” replied Jesus, “is to believe in the one whom he has sent to you.”
JUB
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom he has sent.
KJV
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
AKJV
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
LEB
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one whom that one sent.”
TLB
Jesus told them, “This is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent.”
MSG
Jesus said, “Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works.”
MEV
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
MOUNCE
Jesus answered, · · saying to them, “This is the work that God requires, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
NOG
Yeshua replied to them, “God wants to do something for you so that you believe in the one whom he has sent.”
NABRE
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
NASB
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
NCV
Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: Believe the One he sent.”
NET
Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.”
NIRV
Jesus answered, “God’s work is to believe in the one he has sent.”
NIV
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
NIVUK
Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’
NKJV
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
NLV
Jesus said to them, “This is the work of God, that you put your trust in the One He has sent.”
NLT
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
NMB
Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God: to believe on him whom he has sent.
NRSV
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
NRSVA
Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’
NRSVACE
Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’
NRSVCE
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
NTE
‘This is the work God wants of you,’ replied Jesus, ‘that you believe in the one he sent.’
OJB
In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, This is the mitzvah of Hashem, that you may believe in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach whom Hashem has sent.
TPT
Jesus answered, “The work you can do for God starts with believing in the One he has sent.”
RSV
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
RSVCE
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
TLV
Yeshua answered them, “This is the work of God, to trust in the One He sent.”
VOICE
Jesus: If you want to do God’s work, then believe in the One He sent.
WEB
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
WE
Jesus answered them, `The work that God asks you to do is to believe in the one whom he has sent.'
WYC
Jesus answered, and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe to him, whom he sent.
YLT
Jesus answered and said to them, `This is the work of God, that ye may believe in him whom He did send.'