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one's soul, and of finding it when the Lord comes with His angels (Matt. 16: 21-28). To
the young man the Lord said:
"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me . . . . . he went away sorrowful: for he
had great possessions . . . . . Peter . . . . . said unto Him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and
followed Thee; what shall we have THEREFORE? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man
shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19: 21-28).
The parable which comes later in the Gospel, that of the marriage of the King's Son, is
a warning to those who "neglect so great salvation", the very word translated "neglect" in
Hebrews being here rendered "to make light of". The unwise and the unready virgins of
Matt. 25: speak again of the folly of neglect; they neglect the word spoken by the Lord,
"Watch therefore". The Hebrews on the contrary were commended in that they had taken
joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and were urged not to cast away their confidence
which had great recompense of reward. Parallel with the "so great salvation" of Hebrews
is the "saving of the soul" of Peter, a term misapplied in some Evangelical circles. The
link is found in Heb. 10: 39, where the true rendering is, "believe unto the acquiring of
the soul". Acquiring is the rendering of peripoiesis which, occurring but five times in the
New Testament, will not take long to consult:
Eph. 1: 14.
"Until the redemption of the PURCHASED POSSESSION."
I Thess. 5: 9.
"To OBTAIN salvation."
II Thess. 2: 14.
"To the OBTAINING of the glory."
Heb. 10: 39.
"Unto the OBTAINING OR THE PURCHASING of the soul."
I Pet. 2: 9.
"A PURCHASED people" (margin).
The passage in Heb. 10: is parallel with Matt. 16: 24-27. Peter's expression, "the
saving of the soul", contains a very different idea from that which is intended in present
day gospel teaching. Paul never taught the saving of the soul when writing to the
churches. He uses the expression only when addressing the Hebrews. Peter uses it
when writing to the dispersion. Those to whom Peter addresses his epistle were
redeemed (I Pet. 1: 18), yet the salvation of their souls was something they could receive
as "the end of their faith" (9). This salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Concerning this salvation the prophets spoke and searched what the Spirit testified
beforehand, "the sufferings FOR Christ (see R.V.) and the glories that should follow . . .
the grace to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (I Pet. 1: 11-13).
"Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (4: 13). "The God of all grace,
Who hath called us unto His aionian glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (5: 10).
This aionian glory, this share of the glory of the regeneration, this entry into the
Marriage Feast, is all related to suffering, vigilance, not neglecting, or as it is in the
Revelation, overcoming. The aionian glory is similar to the aionian salvation of
Heb. 5: 8, 9, which is closely connected with obedience and suffering. Those who attain
this salvation are the church of the firstborn (Heb. 12: 23). To this salvation the apostle