How Valuable Is Your Soul?
What if you owned a diamond worth millions of dollars, but you thought it was just a worthless piece of glass? Would you do anything to protect it from being lost or stolen if you were unaware of its true value?
And what if you assumed that a painting you owned was an original worth $250,000; but it was actually just a copy worth less than $100?
Obviously, our perception of an item's value is not the same thing as the actual value. Sometimes human beings get it wrong, and are shocked to eventually learn the true value of a particular item. These surprising revelations often come as a result of an appraisal by an expert.
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Now who do you suppose is the world's greatest expert when it comes to man's immortal soul? Does anyone understand the value of the human soul more than the One who created it in the first place?
God certainly has impressive credentials, to say the least. "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him." (Colossians 1:16)
And yes, God did indeed make visible and invisible things. Angels are invisible to the human eye, as is man's soul; and yet both were created by God.
And it was Jesus who placed tremendous emphasis on man's soul when He said, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
In other words, what good is a million dollars if your soul is lost and you experience eternal separation from God? Will all of that money benefit your soul in the long run?
The bottom line is that a person can definitely be wrong about the value of a diamond in his possession, and a person can also be wrong about the value of his soul.
While losing millions of dollars is a huge financial loss in this life, losing your soul is an eternal loss that brings agonizing pain to a person forever. In other words, believers will never leave heaven and unbelievers will never leave hell. And you will spend eternity in one of those two places. This is why Jesus stressed the value of your soul. He wants you to understand its value while there is still time to do something about it.
When Jesus died on the cross for sinners, He demonstrated once and for all the eternal value of man's soul.
Without Christ's death, you and I would have no access to God and no entrance into heaven. If we only had Moses and God's commandments but not Jesus, we would be lost forever. The apostle Paul wrote, "If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Galatians 2:21)
So do you think Christ died for nothing?
The truth is that Jesus died to redeem your soul. God wants to live with you forever in heaven. But if you refuse God's gracious invitation, He won't force you to appreciate the priceless value of your soul. Instead, He will allow you to perish if you are determined to do so, even though He wants you to "repent and believe the good news." (Mark 1:15)
One of the worst things sin does is blind man from seeing the true value of his soul. And when this happens, men live like animals who are destined to perish, rather than like the special creation God made us to be.
"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)
God is three in One: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And you also are three in one: body, soul, and spirit.
These three components are spelled out in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
You might think everyone would jump for joy when hearing this wonderful news, right? Wrong. Many people choose to live for the temporary pursuit of sin rather than the eternal welfare of their soul. And those who make this deadly decision "exchange the truth of God for a lie." (Romans 1:25)
It's not as though God's majestic power and glory are hidden from our sight. In fact, "the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." (Psalm 19:1-3)
"Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." (Romans 1:20-22)
How devastated would you be if you threw away a diamond that you later came to learn was actually worth millions of dollars? And how distraught will you be if you lose your soul in the pursuit of materialism? What do you think will be of greater value to you once you leave this world: expensive diamonds, or the health and comfort of your immortal soul?
Jesus Christ will always be the King of Kings, regardless of whether or not you receive Him by faith and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. (John 1:12)
The "real you" will exist forever in one of two places; whether you go to heaven and joyfully worship the King, or go to hell and hate the way things turned out for you.
So make your choice in this world, and then be prepared to reap the outcome in eternity. Don't believe the lie in our culture today as men and women proudly proclaim that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." The truth is that our actions have consequences. You see, what happens on earth definitely has repercussions in the world to come.
So just how valuable is your soul? And what, if anything, are you doing to help keep it protected in a safe place so that you don't lose it?
