At the second coming of the Lord, our body will be redeemed, transformed, and conformed to His glorious body (Phil. 3:21). This too is called salvation in the Bible. It is the salvation of the body. “But we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). Verse 24 says, “For we were saved in hope.” “Saved” refers to “the redemption of our body” in verse 23. The redemption of our body will be achieved only at the time the Lord comes again. We must hope for this. At the time we believed in the Lord, we received eternal salvation; our spirit was made alive, but our body is still in the old creation groaning, laboring, restrained by corruption, and suffering illness and oldness. When the Lord comes, He will redeem and transform our body, the body that is restrained by the old creation, and He will bring it into the glorious freedom of the new creation.
“For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11). This also refers to the salvation of the body. We received the salvation of our spirit at the moment we believed. Our body will be saved in the future. Therefore, after we believe, the salvation of our body draws nearer and nearer.
Since our whole being is composed of three parts-spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23), our salvation involves the salvation of these three parts. The salvation of our spirit occurred at the time we believed in the Lord, when we were regenerated by the Holy Spirit. When God forgave all our sins, the Holy Spirit entered into us and enlivened our deadened spirit. The salvation of our body will occur at the coming of the Lord. By His power the Lord will change our vile body into a glorious body. In addition to these two parts, our soul also needs to be saved. The salvation of our soul relates to entering into the millennial kingdom and reigning with the Lord. The Lord will reward us, and our soul will enjoy with Him the joy of the kingdom.
“For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25). “Save” in this verse does not refer to eternal salvation, which is received freely by believing. The salvation referred to here requires a price; one has to lose the soul and sacrifice the soul in order to gain the soul. This speaks of a person who, having been saved by the Lord, is willing to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow the Lord. He sacrifices his own soul for the Lord’s sake, and by doing so, will enter into the millennial kingdom and participate in the joy of the Lord (25:21, 23). The soul is the part of our being where we perceive joy and sorrow. If we can endure the suffering and sacrifice temporary joy for the Lord’s sake, when He comes we shall enter into the joy of the Lord. Man’s soul is also his self. If we deny the self today for the Lord’s sake, the Lord will give us something that is truly our own in the future (Luke 16:11-12).
“But whoever will lose his soul-life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it” (Mark 8:35). The Lord’s sake and the gospel’s sake always go together and are inseparable. Whether it is for the Lord or for the gospel, if we sacrifice the soul and its pleasure in this age, our soul will gain special joy in the coming kingdom age; that is, we will reign with the Lord and enjoy the joy of the Lord in glory.
“Whoever seeks to preserve his soul-life will lose it, and whoever loses it will preserve it alive” (Luke 17:33). Believers who preserve their soul and the pleasure of their soul in this age will lose the joy during the kingdom age. Whosoever will lose his soul and its pleasure in this age, will save his soul and have the enjoyment in the coming kingdom.
“But he who has endured to the end, this one shall be saved” (Matt. 10:22). “In your endurance you will possess your souls” (Luke 21:19). If believers can endure to the end in persecution, they will gain the reward from the Lord. By then, their souls will not suffer but will participate in joy.
“But we are not of those who shrink back to ruin but of them who have faith to the gaining of the soul” (Heb. 10:39). The faith spoken of in this verse is the faith we receive after we are saved. It is not the initial faith but the faith by which we walk. It is not faith for life, but faith for our living. If we can walk the Lord’s way by faith and live a victorious life after being saved, our soul will be saved in the future, and we will have a portion in the glory and joy of the kingdom.
“Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:9). This “faith” is also the faith which we receive and live by after we are saved. This faith enables us to be kept by God and overcomes difficulties and trials. It will bring about the salvation that God has prepared and will be manifested when the Lord comes back. This is to be delivered from all sufferings and enjoy the joy of glory.
“Therefore putting away all filthiness and the abundance of malice, receive in meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). The salvation of the soul is not the same as the salvation of the spirit. For the salvation of the spirit, we do not need to do anything; just by believing and receiving, we obtain it. However, the salvation of the soul requires that we put away all filthiness and malice in our conduct and receive the implanted word in meekness.
“The Lord...will save me into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18). “For doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble. For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to you” (2 Pet. 1:10-11). The salvation of the soul is the salvation into the kingdom of the heavens- the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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