Grasping the Value of Your Soul

In Mark 8:36-37, Jesus asks the most important question—one that every individual must answer in life: “What good is it for a man or woman to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?” Only Jesus could ask this question and truly understand the comparison. He alone knows the complete value of all creation—every diamond mine, every nugget of gold, every gemstone, every drop of oil, and every treasure waiting to be discovered. He was there when He called the heavens and earth into being, and He declares that only a fool would give up his soul for all the riches of the world. That’s how highly He values each soul, your soul.

To Jesus, the human soul is so significant that He left the splendor of heaven to be born in poverty, to suffer in this broken world, and to live perfectly on behalf of sinners. He endured scorn and derision, a mock trial and beatings. Though sinless, He died a criminal’s death on a Roman cross and then rose again on the third day—all because the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, so loves your soul.

ONLY ONE WAY TO SALVATION

Why did God have to come down—why did He have to pay such an incomprehensible price? God is perfect, and when confronted with the divine perfection of God, if we are not likewise perfect, we are toast. That’s a big problem! But God provided the solution. The perfect God carried the sin of everyone who would come to Him in humble confession and repentance to receive His salvation secured by His atoning blood. If you trust in Jesus, God the Father looks at you through the prism of His Son and sees you as perfect.

This is the Christian faith in a nutshell—”there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Christian faith says you can exchange your sin for His perfection, your guilt for His peace, your fear for His faith, your doubt for His assurance. Through Jesus, your eternal destination can change from hell to heaven. This is the testimony of millions around the world—among them people who, when they came to Christ, signed their death warrant issued not just by the authorities but by their own family. Yet they are filled with joy, for they know that their Redeemer lives and so will they—eternally.

ETERNITY ON THE LINE

God created us to live forever. Our bodies will die, but our souls are immortal—and every soul will go to one of two places: either heaven with Jesus or hell with Satan. In this life, God gives us the opportunity to choose our eternal destiny. He urges you to consider: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). When you come to Jesus, He not only frees you from the chains of sin but also provides blessings beyond anything you could hope or imagine.

What might you be clinging to in this world that could ultimately result in the forfeit of your soul? What gain is there really if you choose an eternity without God? God made and maintains the wonders and beauties of this planet; He calls the stars by name and sustains all things with His powerful word. Imagine living in a place where none of these blessings exists. That is a Christless eternity. But when you accept God’s plan of salvation, you can be assured that you will spend time without end not in utter darkness and unfathomable loneliness but in the presence of the God who is Himself love. He values your soul as worthy of the sacrifice of His own life. He invites you, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Will you accept His invitation?