路九23~25 耶稣又对众人说，若有人要跟从我，就当否认己，天天背起他的十字架，并跟从我。因为凡要救自己魂生命的，必丧失魂生命；凡为我丧失自己魂生命的，必救了魂生命。人若赚得全世界，却丧失自己，赔上自己，有什么益处？

　　救魂生命，就是让魂得着享受，不让魂受苦。丧失魂生命，就是使魂失去享受而受痛苦。跟从人救主的人，若让他们的魂在今世得着享受，就会叫他们的魂在要来的国度时代里失去享受。他们若为人救主的缘故，在今世让他们的魂失去享受，就会叫他们的魂在要来的国度时代里得着享受，就是与主同享治理全地的喜乐（太二五21、23）。（路加福音生命读经，二一三页）。

　　Luke 9:23-25 And He said to them all, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake, this one shall save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

　　To save the soul life is to allow the soul to have its enjoyment and not to suffer. To lose the soul life is to cause the soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment. If the followers of the Man-Savior allow their soul to have its enjoyment in this age, they will cause their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age. If they allow their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in this age for the sake of the Man-Savior, they will cause their soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age. They will share the Lord’s joy in ruling over the earth (Matt. 25:21, 23). (Life-study of Luke, pp. 181-182)

　　在说到否认己、背起十字架与丧失魂之后，主就提到世界，说，“人若赚得全世界，却赔上自己的魂生命，有什么益处？人还能拿什么换自己的魂生命？”（太十六26）只因世界能给人魂的娱乐，人就爱世界。他们爱美衣、名车以及属世的娱乐，因为这些能带给魂享受。但是为着主的缘故，为着福音的缘故，为着祂见证的缘故，我们需要在这世代中甘愿丧失我们魂的享受。……人爱世界的原因，乃是因他们想保有魂的享受。全世界都有魂的享受。人攻读学位的原因，乃是想要有更好的生活，更好的生活意思就是更多的享受。另有些人在工作上要升迁，就是为了有更多的钱，好得着更多魂的享受。主耶稣来时，祂丧失祂的魂，也就是说，祂放弃祂所有魂的享受。祂在今世丧失祂魂的享受，使祂在来世可以得着祂的魂。……在来世，主耶稣将享受全地。那时，祂将会邀请我们，祂的同伙们，来分享这享受。我们需要耐心地等待这要来的享受。假如今天你保有你魂的享受，你将会失去要来的享受。……这由你选择。假如你宁愿今日有享受，你有自由这么作。只是如果你在今世拯救魂，你在主耶稣回来时必定会丧失魂。祂会告诉你，因着你已经享受你的魂如此多，现在是你丧失魂的时候。你要选择哪一个—今天丧失你的魂而明天得着它，或者今天得着魂而明天丧失它？假如我们得着全世界，却丧失了魂，是不值得的。

　　假定住在弟兄之家的弟兄们已经看见关于基督和召会建造的异象，他们认识主为了祂的经纶渴望恢复召会生活。然而，……由于〔某种〕令人失望的光景，有些弟兄们就考虑要搬出弟兄之家。但是他们若搬出，就是拯救他们的魂，使自己安逸。一个弟兄可能真的从那家搬到另一家，几周以后，他就知道光景还是一样。后来他就隐匿搬家的原因，以要寻找较好的召会生活作借口，迁到另一个地方的召会。……当他到了新地方并搬进那里的弟兄之家，他发现光景竟然比他离开的那地还要糟。这时，由于对召会生活失望，他可能决定完全离开召会。倘若他这样作，他就是拯救他的魂到极点了。借此我们看见取悦己就是拯救魂（李文集一九七八年第一册，一二九至一三○、一一二至一一三页）。

　　参读：国度的操练为着教会的建造，第五至六篇；倪柝声文集第二辑第二十四册，第一百一十一篇。

　　After speaking of denying the self, taking up the cross, and losing the soul, the Lord referred to the world, saying, “What shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?” (Matt. 16:26). People love the world simply because it gives amusement to their soul. They love good clothing, fine cars, and worldly amusements because they bring enjoyment to the soul. But for the Lord’s sake, for the gospel’s sake, and for His testimony’s sake, we need to be willing to lose the enjoyment of the soul in this age….The reason people love the world is that they want to maintain the enjoyment of the soul. Throughout the world there is the enjoyment of the soul. The reason people study to earn a degree is to have a better life, and a better life means more enjoyment. Others work to earn a promotion in their job so that they may have more money for more enjoyment of the soul. When the Lord Jesus came, He lost His soul; that is, He gave up all His soulish enjoyment. He lost the enjoyment of His soul in this age so that He might gain His soul in the coming age…. In the coming age the Lord Jesus will enjoy the whole earth. At that time He will invite us, His partners, to share in this enjoyment. We need to wait patiently for the coming enjoyment. If you keep the enjoyment in your soul today, you will lose the enjoyment to come….The choice is yours. If you prefer to have your enjoyment today, you are free to do so. But if you save your soul in this age, be assured that you will lose it when the Lord comes back. He will tell you that because you have enjoyed your soul so much, now is the time for you to lose it. Which do you choose—to lose your soul today and gain it tomorrow, or to gain it today and lose it tomorrow? If we could gain the whole world, it would still not be worthwhile to gain it at the cost of losing our soul.

　　Suppose the brothers living in a brothers’ house have seen the vision concerning Christ and the building of the church. They realize that the Lord desires to recover the church life for His economy. However, ...because of [a] discouraging situation, some of the brothers may consider moving out of the house. But if they move out, they will be saving their souls to have an easy way for themselves. One brother may actually move from that house to another house, where, after a few weeks, he learns that the situation is the same. Then he moves to a church in another part of the country….When he arrives in the new locality and moves into a brothers’ house there, he finds the situation even worse than the one he left. At this point, disappointed with the church life, he may decide to leave the church entirely. If he does this, he will be saving his soul to the uttermost. By this we see that to please the self is to save the soul. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” pp. 105-106, 92)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” chs. 5-6; CWWN, vol. 44, ch. 111