The Value Of A Man’s Soul Is Priceless

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Scientists tell us that the value of the human body in today’s market is less than $4.50. In other words, the chemicals and minerals found in our bodies have very little over-the-counter value.

Obviously, our lives are priceless to our families, even though our bodies are not worth very much at all. The soul, however, is a whole different story. Notice in the above verse what Jesus said. Clearly, Christ could not place a value on the worth of a man’s soul. Even the accrual of great wealth or fame -“gains the whole world” – could not equal the cost of losing a soul.

Why is the soul so valuable to God? That’s an easy question to answer if you think about John 3:16. God gave His Son, Jesus, so that we could have eternal life. Just as the lives of our children are priceless to us, the life of Jesus was priceless to His Father.

In spite of how simple it is to understand, for some of us, it is equally difficult to believe. Otherwise, we would not make the decisions in life that we make. Every day, people trade their souls for earthly riches, fame, and sinful pleasures. Sadly, many of us believe in God, but we don’t believe Him. At least, we don’t act as if we do.

There are other explanations why God places such a high value on our souls. For example, the Bible says that we were made in God’s image. But God is not visible. He is a spirit. (John 4:24) If we are made in his image, then it is in our souls, which we cannot see, where we most resemble what God is like!

The soul is also the one part of us over which we have some control. Think about it. Many of our bodily functions are not under our control. Most of the genetic traits we have are handed down to us from our parents. These predispositions are not negotiable. But the soul is different. If we allow God to work with us – and through us – the change that goes on inside of us, down to our souls, can change the way we appear and act towards others. After all, when we ask Jesus to come into our hearts and choose to live for him, the Bible says that we become a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Those genetic dispositions don’t change, but our hearts and our souls do.

Finally, it’s important to remember that unlike our bodies, the soul does not cease to exist at death. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Moreover, in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in Luke 16, Jesus said, “The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went into hell.” (Luke 16:22-23)

Rabbi Harold Kushner, who wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People, said, “The soul is not a physical entity, but instead refers to everything about us that is not physical – our values, memories, identity, sense of humor. Since the soul represents the parts of the human being that are not physical, it cannot get sick, it cannot die, it cannot disappear. In short, the soul is immortal”.

We shouldn’t worry as much about people as we should worry about the destiny of their souls. Every person has the promise of eternity. The problem is the choices we make decide whether it’s eternal life or eternal death. Jesus was right. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? “