103. Keep his Life
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
The conditional promise in this paradoxical statement of losing and keeping turns on the meaning of “life” and on the meaning of “love and hate.” If you hate your life, then you will keep it unto life eternal. Eternal life is the promise.
“Life” in this promise refers to the soul, or the self.The self that lives in “this world” is the soul (the mind, will and emotions) that thinks, feels, and decides. In some contexts soul can mean the same thing as “flesh.” The self must be regarded as the seat and ruling position of Sin. The self or the flesh is regarded as the place where Sin rules and the Devil plays. In some contexts it is the “heart,”as in Jesus’ commentary, “Out of the heart proceed (all the sins listed).”
It is assumed that all men love the self: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus is not commanding us to love the self; he says that we should turn that inbred love for self outward into loving others in the same way we already love the self. The guide is the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you). Everyone understands self-centeredness, self-respect, and self-esteem. Jesus says we should turn that into other-centeredness and respecting and esteeming others. In Ephesians 5:29, Paul says: “No one ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.” So a man should regard his wife, as his own flesh, for the two are one flesh.
However, the truth is that if one loves his life, or soul, or flesh he will lose it. Guarding, keeping, nourishing and cherishing one’s self is the same as loving sin and being selfish without giving a thought or care for God and others. If we see the Self as the seat, heart and source of Sin we will hate it. When this revelation of the Law reveals our sin and guilt we will despise it and repent and turn to Christ and the Gospel. “Hating his life” means hating sin; this leads to repentance and faith in the Gospel. Believing the Gospel keeps the soul unto life eternal.
When a person says, “I hate myself,” we are aghast and we chide him; instead, we should encourage him to finish, that is, go on to receive forgiveness. We can lose the soul or keep the soul: we lose the soul by loving it and paying attention to sin’s dictates; we keep the soul by hating it and disregarding its desires for sin and evil, for disobedience and rebellion. Instead we focus on Jesus and pay attention to the Christ who lives within; we do so by hearing the Gospel as often as possible. Hate sin and love Jesus = believe Gospel. This is how we keep the soul (the self) unto eternal life.