This article is based on Pastor Adrian Rogers' message, The Value of A Human Soul.
You do not merely have a soul. You are a soul.
Your soul is worth more than all of the possessions and pleasures of this world put together. Your living soul, made in the image of God, could no more cease to exist than God Himself could cease to exist. Your soul will go on through eternity.
What makes something valuable?
If a thing is formed with incredible creativity, that makes it valuable. A painting by Michelangelo has incredible valuable because of the creativity behind it.
Who created the souls of men?
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
God says something about your immortal soul—about you—that He does not say about anything else that He made. God made you in His image.
For we are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10a).
A thing is valuable not only for what it is but for what it may become.
Theoretically, there are three in the seat that you occupy. There is the person you are. There is the person you could be for evil. And there is the person you could be for good. The depth of depravity you may sink into is beyond your imagination. But oh, the person you could be—that you will be—if you yield your life to Jesus Christ because one day you will be conformed to the image of God’s Son.
A third thing that makes something valuable is how long it will last.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:2-3).
We should have an eternal perspective on the destiny of souls. You will exist forever, somewhere—either in Heaven or in Hell.
A man is not cruel because he preaches about Hell, any more than a doctor is cruel who warns about cancer. It is not cruelty to teach people God’s Word.
If a thing is rare, it tends to be more valuable.
There is only one you. God never makes duplicates. You are the handiwork, the crafting, of almighty God. You are His masterpiece.
But what really makes something valuable? How much someone will pay for it.
Climb up to Heaven and put your ear upon the beating heart of God. With every beat, it will say, “I love you. I want you.” Climb down to Calvary’s cross and see Jesus as He dies in agony and blood. Why? He was paying for your soul. Go down deeper, into the very pit of Hell, and see that Jesus Christ endured the fiery consequences of sin so that He might save your soul.
Then you will know the worth of a soul. It is worth more than all the world.
Jesus asks a pressing question.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37)
Why is it so foolish to live for worldly desires?
What you gain, you cannot keep. No one has ever gained the whole world. Alexander the Great tried it. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. Hitler. Stalin. But even if you could gain the world, you could not keep it. You are still going to die.
What you can gain will not satisfy. Idolatry of materialism, pleasure, and the things of this world will not ultimately satisfy you. Fun and games, cars, clothes, and vacations will not satisfy your soul. (See Ecclesiastes 5:10.) You were made for God. Until your soul finds rest in God, it will never find satisfaction.
To gain the world and lose your soul is such lasting loss. You lose your soul. No loss compares to the loss of a soul. Have you counted the cost?
It is an irreplaceable loss and irreversible. Do not get the idea that one day when you face God you will be able to say, “I see it all now. I realize that I should have repented. God of mercy, forgive me!” No. If you die without Jesus Christ, you will not reverse that decision. Now if you want mercy, grace, and forgiveness, you may have them. If you want Jesus, you may have Him. But there is no second chance after death.
You do not have to be lost.
When Jesus was going to the cross, Peter tried to stop Him.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Mark 8:31-33).
The devil did not want Jesus to atone for your sin. Nor do men think it is necessary. But Jesus died and paid the consequences of sin. He was buried. He rose again.
For you to go to Hell is inexcusable.
How can you be saved?
In this passage, Jesus speaks of conviction.
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34).
To repent is to say, “I am sick and tired of this old way.” You say, “I am wrong. Not only have I done wrong; I am wrong. I am a sinner by birth, by nature, by practice, by choice. Now I choose against me.”
Everybody wants to save his life. Jesus said,
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35).
Then there is conversion. “Taking up your cross” means that you die to the old way. When Jesus died for you, you died with Him. You embrace the cross. You believe that He died for your sins.
Last is confession.
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).
Wouldn’t you like for Jesus to call your name in Heaven today, for Him to say, “They are Mine”?
When you are saved, you will not be ashamed of Christ. You cannot slip into Heaven as a secret disciple. Jesus Christ hung naked on a cross for you, and He is saying to you,
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
Mark 8:31-38; Genesis 2:7; Ephesians 2:10; Daniel 12:2-3
…You will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
