“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)
In the passage of scripture quoted above, Jesus stated that one single soul is worth than the whole world. Our body is the house in which our soul lives (II Cor. 5:1-2). The Greek word for Tabernacle is skenea-tent, temporary dwelling, camping place. Man is not only flesh and bones. He has soul and spirit in the body. When Jesus talked of the seriousness of losing one’s soul, He joined soul and spirit together under the single word, soul. How much do we care for body? And how much do we care for soul? The body lives for a while and then is buried in the earth. It is the soul that lives forever (Eccl. 12:7; Gen. 2:7). The body is the least important part of us, but we are ignorant of this truth.
(A) VALUE OF A SOUL
1. Workmanship Determines Value: Gen. 2:7; Eph. 2:10.
The soul is of great value because it was created by God. It is of high value because it comes from God and will go back to Him (Eccl. 12:7). The soul is of great value than the wealth of the whole world. Collect all the money in all the banks in the world together and put it on the scale in the balance. Put a single soul on the other scale of the balance. A soul is worth more than money. It is of great value than all the birds, animals and other creatures of the world.
2. Durability Determines Value -Mark 8:36-37.
When all the wealth of the world and its glory would have burnt up in aches, and completely forgotten, the soul would still be alive. The soul will surely live forever. It is more durable than all the pomp and pageantry of the whole word.
3. Demand determines value-1 Pet. 1:18- 19.
In order to redeemed the soul of man, the very Son of God has to shed His precious blood. The soul of man is of great value that it demands the very precious blood of Christ to redeem it. When some of the angels fell into rebellion with Lucifer, nothing was done to redeem them. God only preserved them for their punishment in torments everlasting flames of fire. But when man, made in the image of God fell into sin, immediately God revealed His redemptive plan to save man from sin and hell. Does that show the importance of the souls?
4. Rarity Determines Values
Rarity and scarcity reveals the value of a thing. The soul of man is rare, nothing can be compared to it. You are rare, there is no other you, you are not a copy, but original.
5. Potentiality Determines Value. Rom. 8:29
The prices of things depend to a large extent the potential for greatness that I possess. The potential of the soul is that one day we are going to be changed to be like Jesus.
(B) VANITY OF THE WORLD – 1 John 2:15- 17; Eccl. 2:9-11 1.
1. No one has ever Gained the World
Napoleon, Nebuchadnezzar, Charlemagne the great of France, Alexander the great tried it and failed.
2. No one keeps what he gains (Eccl. 2:18)
Everyone who purports to gain the ephemeral things of this world soon realizes at the point of death that no one can keep what he gains.
3. The world does not satisfy – John 4:13
Wealth, riches, fame, popularity, position and class cannot satisfy and bring joy, happiness and contentment to human heart. Only Jesus can satisfy. There is the vacuum in human heart that cannot be filled with anything but Jesus.
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(C) THE VASTNESS OF BEING LOST
1. It is an irreplaceable loss – Mark 8:37
2. It is an irreversible loss – Heb. 9:27. The only way out of hell is to stay out.
3. It is an immeasurable loss.
4. It is an inexcusable loss.
You will have no one to blame. God has given you His best and all.
In the light of all these, we conclude that no trouble is too great, no humiliation too deep, no suffering too severe, no love too strong, no labour too hard, no expense too large – in the effort to save one soul. When a million eternities have each lived out their endless ages and have rolled by into the unthinkable past and time is no more, the soul will still be living. A soul will never die.
Satan hates the soul and will do anything to ruin and destroy the soul. God loves the soul and has done everything to save the soul. What you are willing to give, to do, to suffer, to sacrifice, to spend in order to save a soul shows which side you belong – for God in soul – winning or for Satan in soul-wrecking.