For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Parallel translations
- WEB For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it.
- BSB For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
- NKJV For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
- NASB For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.
- NLT If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses it for Christ's sake will save it. True life is found by surrendering it to Jesus.
Overview
Jesus states a great paradox of the kingdom: self-preservation leads to ruin, while self-giving for His sake leads to real life. Clinging to this present life forfeits eternal life, but losing it for Christ secures it. The gospel calls us to trade temporary self-interest for everlasting life in Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 17:33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
- John 12:25He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
- Acts 20:23–24Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
- Rev 2:10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
- Rev 12:11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
- Heb 11:35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.