Luke 9:23-26
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Luke 9:23-26
9:23 The path of discipleship would now include identification with Him in the context of His coming suffering, rejection, and death. Jesus gives three specific instructions on discipleship. Anyone desiring to follow Him must "deny himself (not "die to self" as popularly taught); take up his cross daily (indicating a willingness to follow Jesus to death if necessary) and follow" Jesus. These conditions both surpass and build on the simple condition of belief in Him for salvation (e.g., Luke 7:50, 8:12). Now His disciples would follow His example in principle (and in some cases literally).
9:24 Paradoxically although doing these things would presumably lead to death, they actually bring life. Conversely "whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will save it." All who turn their back on the devil's life plan for them in this present age (which he rules in) will enjoy the privileges of a full-orbed life in the future kingdom.
9:25 Discipleship in part entails profit in the context of the purpose for which God designed mankind. A person can gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit himself, and thus ultimately not profit. He may not produce anything of lasting value (or of sufficient quality) to save his life in the sense of profit or loss. He may "lose" his life in the sense of not reaching the highest purpose for which God created him, a crowning participation in the future kingdom. The NKJV's "destroyed" or "lost" unnecessarily renders the original language to intimate eternal destruction or loss of salvation. Eternal salvation depends solely on Jesus' death on behalf of mankind rather than on one's personal sacrifice. His payment on the cross makes it possible for God to give salvation as a gift to anyone who believes His promise of eternal life (see John 3:16-18; 5:24-25; 11:25-27). Nevertheless, some believers because of sin, negligence, or ignorance do not live up to God's highest purposes for them in their personal, family, work, spiritual, or civic life. Life choices now impact future experience in the coming kingdom. God's love for believers will not change. They will keep their eternal salvation. But, they will not qualify for the highest privileges God will graciously grant to obedient believers unless they deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus (v 23).
9:26 Jesus' description of "whoever is ashamed of Me and My words" applies to those who do not meet the discipleship conditions delineated in Luke 9:23. Jesus describes the assured fate of those who aim to gain this present world rather than casting their lot with Jesus in the certain hope of true life in the coming age: "of him the Son of Man will be ashamed." Instead of participating in the glorious recognition granted to those who have lived as faithful followers of the Messiah - a glory reflective of Jesus Himself, the Father, and the angels who did not rebel with Satan - the unfaithful believer will feel shame before His Savior. Jesus here also reveals a future advent separated from His first by an indeterminate amount of time. Of utmost importance for this unit (9:7-13:22) the text here reveals the first inkling of an interadvent age (later made explicit in Luke 19:11-12).
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Finding Your Life, Matthew 10:39; 16:25-26 (cf. Mark 8:35-38; Luke 9:24-26; John 12:25)
(Salvation) Interpretation: If a person lives for himself, he will not gain salvation or he will lose salvation. But if a person forsakes his selfish desires, he will gain eternal life.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: If a believer lives for himself, he will miss the abundant life that God has for him. But if he forsakes his selfish desires, he will find the abundant life.
These statements explain why the invitation to discipleship that we discussed above should be accepted. Whoever does so saves his life, or his soul. Immediately, when some hear the language about saving (or losing) one's soul, they assume a (Salvation) interpretation, taking it as a reference to salvation of one's spirit from hell. This is a problem created by the English translations of the Bible.
The word soul (psychē) is the same word translated life in these passages (which is how some Bible versions translate it). It refers to life in its essence, the immaterial part of a person comprised of mind, will, and emotions that forms one's identity. Your life is who you really are. This statement is helpful because it uses the word "himself" for "life:" "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:25).
It is also important to understand how the word save (sōzō) is used. As discussed earlier, it does not always refer to eternal salvation. It simply means to deliver, to preserve from some danger or loss. Usually, we determine its meaning from the context. Here, Jesus has just talked about losing our own desires and subsuming them to His desires for us. If someone wants to hang on to his own desires and agenda in this world ("save his life") he will lose what life is really all about - experiencing the will of God and the fullness of God's life. He may gain everything this world has to offer, but miss the greater experience of God's life now and as a reward in the future (v. 27).
Taken in this way, we see that the word lose (apollumi) is the opposite of save. It does not mean to be eternally lost in hell but has the idea of ruin or forfeit. To lose your life is to ruin it or forfeit what God would have it be. Someone can have eternal life yet waste the opportunity to enjoy life's fullness by living for God now.
If we interpret this statement by Jesus (Salvifically), we miss a profound principle for the Christian life. If we seek the things this world has to offer while avoiding the hardships that can be involved with knowing Jesus Christ, we lose the very quality of life we really desire. It is only by losing our life to God that we get it back fuller and richer than ever. When life ceases to be the issue, life becomes the reality.
We may think it is too painful to give up a consuming habit, a toxic relationship, or our own ambitions and plans. What we will discover is that in losing our life, we find true life - the fullness of God's abundant life now and forever.