The choosing of the path of the cross for Christ's sake means the "losing" of the fleshly soul-life, to have the pure divine life of Christ in its capacity for sacrifice "found" and poured out through the soul-vessel for the blessing of the world.

The Evangelist Mark repeats the words as given in Matthew's Gospel (Mark 8:3436). Luke does the same with the addition of the word "daily," showing that the cross in connection with the outpouring and sacrifice of the soul-life needs to be of daily choice and efficacy and is a distinctly different aspect of the cross to that given in Romans 6 and the other Epistles, where the death of the old creation is to be apprehended as a COMPLETED FACT, made true as the believer "reckons" himself "dead indeed unto sin" and "alive unto God in Christ Jesus."

"Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his soul will lose it, and whoever will lose it will preserve it." (Luke 17:32-33)

Here we find again the same emphatic words repeated by the Lord, in connection with self-interest and the natural instinct of self-preservation and the self-grasping of earthly possessions. "Remember Lot's wife," says the Lord Jesus, as He points out the natural tendency of the soul-life-to turn back in the hour of danger to save one's goods and not to let them go.

The law of gaining the higher spirit-life is to "lose" so as to "gain." The soulish life seeks earthly treasures, but these must be renounced, and the "dividing of soul and spirit" in this connection will come about again by the attitude of the believer when in the vicissitudes [sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life] of life the test comes. "And accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one," is written of some in days of trial (Hebrews 10:34). This attitude to "possessions" is sometimes a greater manifestation of divine grace than the sacrifice of life. The renouncing of the soul-life in its innate clinging to the things of earth is a necessity for the "gaining" of the Spirit-life of Christ, which, pouring into the vessel of the soul from the spirit (as the seat of the God-consciousness) brings with it such an assurance of abundance in God that earth's treasures are held lightly and are easily forsaken in the times of testing which come to all men.

The undue absorption of the children of God in "house" and "goods" to the neglect of the Kingdom of God is manifestly an aspect of the "soul" and not the spirit-life; and this clinging to or over occupation with the necessary affairs of earth needs the knife-work of the great High Priest in the "dividing of soul and spirit," so that the affections of His blood-bought ones may be set on things above, in fulfillment of the word: "for ye died and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3, ASV).

"He who loves his soul loses it; and he who hates his soul in this world shall keep it to life eternal." (John 12:25)

Here we have the contrast between the soul-life and the higher life of the spirit, manifested in and through the soul-personality, very clearly defined. The soul-life is now shown as summed up in SELF-LOVE: he that "loveth his soul"-which simply means himself. We have seen the soul-life penetrating family affections and manifested in self-pity, self-protection, the self-grasping of the goods of earth—in brief, summed up in "my family, myself, my goods" with self-love in and through all.

All this, the Master says, means loss —eternal loss— for it all comes from the life derived from the first Adam, manifested through the personality of the soul, and prevents that "soul" from being dominated by the spirit and giving expression to the pure divine life of the Last Adam—the Lord from heaven.

Is it "sin" to keep it? Yes, WHEN THE LIGHT COMES, AND WE SEE THE TRUTH. In a deeper sense also it is sin —although unknown sin: for all the life of the first Adam—i.e., the "natural man"—has been poisoned by sin; and even in those who apprehend "death to sin" as set forth in Romans 6, and in consequence cease to "walk after the flesh" in manifestation of the "works of the flesh," it penetrates into the realm of the affections, and shows itself in self-love, self-pity, self-grasping, and other phases of self centeredness. This must be called SIN, although in a less discernible form, working through intellect, emotions and affections.

The work of dividing soul and spirit is done by the Lord Himself, through His Spirit wielding the Word of God as a living, active "sword" which penetrates to the inmost recesses of the immaterial being of man.

But THE MAN HIMSELF HAS HIS PART TO DO. The Spirit of God cannot carry out His work without the believer's consent and co-work- Briefly summarized, the conditions of cooperation on the man's side are as follows:

1. The believer needs to see the necessity of the dividing of soul and spirit, and as the sacrifice is laid on the altar, definitely consent to the work being done.

2. The will of the believer must be steadily placed on God's side in the experiential working out of the "dividing" as the circumstances of life require it.

3. The basis of the cross as set forth in Romans 6:1-14 must be steadily maintained. As the believer reckons himself "dead indeed unto sin" (Romans 6:11), and actively carries out the command NOT to "let sin reign" in his mortal body, thus finding the "flesh" crucified with its "affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24), so must he now reckon himself dead indeed unto sin in its more subtle forms through the soul-life, i.e., the evil "self" conditions, such as inordinate self-love, self-pity, etc.

4. The believer fulfilling these conditions must now carry out in practice his light, purpose, and faith, and steadily be faithful to all that he is shown by the Spirit of God, refusing deliberately all intrusion of the soul-life and choosing to open himself to the higher life of Christ in his spirit.

5. The believer must seek in all things to "walk after the spirit"; to discern what is spirit and what is soul, so as to follow the one and refuse the other; to understand the laws of the spirit so as to walk in them and become in reality a "spiritual" man.

As the believer fulfills these conditions he becomes in truth a new man, for the power of the cross as the sword of the Spirit has been wielded by the hands of the heavenly High Priest, piercing to the dividing of soul and spirit; it has tracked the soul-life even to joints and marrow, to the inner recesses of the soul in the source of its activity and the very "marrow" of its affections; yes, it has even discerned the soulish life in mind and feelings and in the very conceptions of the mental powers. Now the believer more and more joyfully and easily walks according to the written Word and takes up the "cross" as brought to bear upon him daily in the providence of God. Apprehending with ever clearer vision the fact of his death with Christ upon the cross, the spirit of the man is more and more divided from the soul and joined in essential union with the Risen Lord who is a Life-giving Spirit—so that he becomes "one spirit" with Him and his human spirit a channel for the outflow of the Spirit of Christ to a needy world.