Hi Greg,
What an interesting posting. You are so right about the pure gospel was only in the beginning of the gentile age and even at the time Peter had questions about it, because the gentile message came from Paul's learning's and even he taught Peter. So with the leaven running rampant through the "gospels" being presented now, only the dividing of soul and spirit can come through personal study with the Lord in His word and listening to His promptings when wondering about things. I personally don't expect anyone to get it 100 percent right, I believe there will be much to learn in Heaven and some will be with regret that we hadn't taken the time to find more and to practice And if the righteous be scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear” (1Pet. 4: 18)? Therefore, if you are a sinner, then you is not saved, and if not saved, then you will inherit damnation and not eternal life, for His Gospel has expectation to set us free from sin, for He proclaimed it, and His doctrine must substantiate that claim, which is His expected end! what that learning taught, before we left this world. BUT, I can sure glean from your writings. I was okay and then realized that at a certain point, maybe you would like to consider some more verses and a more complex thought about what you are seeing.
Let's start with
And if the righteous be scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear” (1Pet. 4: 18)? Therefore, if you are a sinner, then you is not saved, and if not saved, then you will inherit damnation and not eternal life, for His Gospel has expectation to set us free from sin, for He proclaimed it, and His doctrine must substantiate that claim, which is His expected end!
I believe you are right in that you are defining this verse to include the reward of inheriting. But, what is at loss here? 1 Peter 4:19 explains what is in the position of scarcely being saved....
Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their SOULS to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
When God created Adam in his image, Adam was created a triune being: body, soul and spirit. I know you know this, but this is often something glanced over when it must remain one of the center stones in good theology. This reference is not referring to the spirit, but to the soul- the old nature. Unfortunately for man that at the point of spiritual salvation, we still have an unredeemed soul to deal with. That will not change until we go to heaven and those that receive the redeemed soul would, by reference to 1 Peter 4:8, be those who choose to walk righteously with God. And how does man do that, by living and communing with God in the Spirit. "Those that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth" Hebrews speaks of the second salvation which I believe is given at the judgment seat of Christ (Rev. 2,3- the overcomers being those that receive this gift). Heb. 9:27,28
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that LOOK FOR HIM shall he appear the SECOND TIME without sin unto salvation.
These are not unsaved for they have the ability to look for him. There is a salvation reserved for the second time, it is not something currently given.. This is the salvation of the soul.
Peter writes about this salvation earlier in the book of 1 Peter.
1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 10: 36 For ye have need of patience that, after ye have done the will of God, ye MIGHT receive the promise.
38,39 Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no please in him But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe (are faithful in the greek text) to the saving of the soul.
Perdition is a source of judgment for the saved- the threshing floor and the chaff being burnt up. Ghenna - spoken of as Hell quite frequently- was actually the garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where the fire never quit for this was where all the trash was burnt. IT is these fires that the christian is going to subject to and many will suffer a loss not only in the amount of "works" they thought they have, but in the loss of reward.
This also goes along with something else you wrote:
Jesus says, “Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7: 13-14).
What Jesus was presenting to the Jews was a literal entrance into kingdom life, one that would be brought to earth if they would accept him as their king and they accept the job of being his queen- his helper. This is the life which is spoken of in Matt. 7 and while that may seem simple, it isn't, because to have this intimate part with Christ in his coming Kingdom, you must have learned how to divide soul and spirit, and have learned how to walk in the spirit.
That is why I believe you study is so valuable. God is talking to us about being in the intimate personal relationship with him. Not a relationship that is a church going relationship- mostly just a Sunday and Wednesday night bible study type of relationship- but a personal daily and then moment by moment type of relationship. That comes from learning how to live holy, feeling the desire to do so, and as you magnify the Lord, all fear and concern leaves in the strength and majesty of the King whom we serve. That is the narrow way that leads to this next age life, the life of the Kingdom reign of Christ.