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         "In verse 23 we see the Lord’s response: “But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.” Christ perceived that it was not Peter but Satan who was frustrating Him from taking the cross. This reveals that our natural man, which is not willing to take the cross, is one with Satan.
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Following Christ by Denying the Self and Taking Up the Cross 

         Verse24 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Here the Lord speaks about denying the self. To deny our self is to lose our soul-life, the natural life.

         In verse 25 the Lord continues: “For whoever desires to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.” In verses 23 through 25, three things are related to one another: mind, himself, and soul-life. Our mind is the expression of our self, and our self is the embodiment of our soul-life. Our soul-life is embodied in and lived out by ourself, and our self is expressed through our mind, our thought, our concept, our opinion. When we set our mind, not on the things of God, but on the things of men, our mind grasps the opportunity to act and express itself. This was what happened to Peter. Hence, the Lord’s following word indicated that he had to deny himself and not save his soul-life, but rather lose it. To lose the soul-life is the reality of denying the self. This is to take up the cross.

         Actually, in these verses four things are related: Satan, mind, self, and soul-life. This message is concerned mainly with these four things, which begin with the mind and ultimately consummate with Satan. The mind is the expression of the self, and the self is the embodiment of the soul-life. The soul-life is lived out by the self, and the self is expressed through the mind. What the mind thinks or considers is an opinion, idea, or concept. The mind’s opinion, concept, or idea is the expression of the self, the embodiment of the soul-life. The soul-life is embodied in the self, just as the Father is embodied in the Son. The soul-life is like the Father, the self is like the Son, and the mind is like the Spirit. Thus, we have here a trinity of mind, self, and soul-life.

         …Perhaps you have never before considered your mind the expression of the self. If you saw this, you would probably not use your mind so much. Your opinion is the expression of your self. Beware of your opinion, for it is not a positive thing. Natural opinions, concepts, ideas, and thoughts are negative things, for they are the expression of the self…When the self is expressed through the mind as opinion, that is Satan.”  (Life-Study of Matthew, pp. 573 - 575)

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