What Does It Mean to Gain Our Soul in Hebrews 10:39?

  Some phrases in the Bible are hard to get and "gaining of the soul" in Hebrews 10:39 has been one of them for me.  Instead of glossing over it, I read chapter 46 in the Life-Study of Hebrews very carefully.  Here's the verse in Hebrews 10 that mentions it:

But we are not of this who shrink back to ruin but of them who have faith to the gaining of the soul.  Hebrews 10:39

     In this chapter Witness Lee shares that actually in order to gain our soul in the next age (which is the kingdom age of 1000 years), our soul needs to lose the enjoyment of worldly pleasures in this age. 

   To give a clear view of this, he did what he often does in his presentation of the word, he gives a a thorough study of where that word/phrase is used throughout Scripture.  And the first one, of course, is what the Lord said in Matthew 16:25:  But whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it. 

     One of the things I have appreciated in Witness Lee's sharing is his faithfulness to present the whole truth whenever he spoke. And some subjects in the Bible are not easy to talk about, and this is probably one of them.  I chose this excerpt on page 521 because it presents the point about how we live after our salvation relates to the the coming kingdom:

"The gaining of the soul is for our whole being to enjoy the coming Sabbath rest, that is to share in Christ's joy and glory in the coming kingdom (4:9)....As to the saving or gaining of our soul, it depends upon how we deal with it in following the Lord after we are saved and regenerated. If we lose it now for the Lord's sake, we shall save it (Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25, Gk.; 1 Peter 1:9), and it shall be saved, or gained, at the Lord's coming back (Heb.10:37). This will be the reward (10:35) of the kingdom to the overcoming followers of the Lord (Matthew 16:22-28)" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Hebrews. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1975, Print).

    So from this I saw again that my salvation is not a ticket to an instant reward.  It was so clear--it matters how we live after our salvation!   At the end of the chapter he brought it all down to our allowing the Lord to transform us day by day is how we gain our soul for the coming kingdom age.  

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on Hebrews on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  You will enjoy listening to both  the excerpts  from these spoken messages and the helpful and enlightening commentary of the radio hosts.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Hebrews:

Why is the Background of the Book of Hebrews Important to Understanding This Book?
What Does God's Speaking Show us In Hebrews 1:1-2?
What Does Hebrews 2:10 Say About Christ?
How Does the Lord Sanctify Us In Hebrews 2:11?
The High Priest in Hebrews 2:17 Makes Me Think of the Poem Footprints
Why is the Sabbath Rest Mentioned in Hebrews 4:9?
Why is Unbelief in Hebrews 3:12 the Biggest Offense to God?
How Do We Come Forward in Hebrews 4:16?
What Does Hebrews 6:1 Say About Christian Maturity?
What Does Hebrews 8 Tell Us About the Differences Between the Old & New Testaments?
What Does It Mean to Gain our Soul in Hebrews 10:39?
Have You Seen God's Silence in Hebrews 11?
How Do You Run the Christian Race in Hebrews 12?
What is the Birthright About in Hebrews 12:16?
From the Life-Study of Hebrews - What is the Central Concept of the Bible?
What's the Focus of the Book of Hebrews?