In the bible, in Mark 8:36, Jesus asks “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
The obvious answer is that it isn't good at all!
Your soul is worth much more than $1000 000 - more than all the things that can be gained in this world. As good as they can be; money, possessions, status, career and leisure won't last beyond the grave.
But unlike these things, you will not cease to exist when death comes. The bible tells us that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10) Our eternity will either be spent in joyful rest with God in Heaven, or in eternal punishment in Hell. Surely the difference between these two is worth much more than a million dollars!
When we face judgment after death, we cannot be confident of being found ‘innocent’ and of getting to Heaven. In fact, we are all ‘guilty’, because the standard we will be judged by is perfection. It won't be enough to be a nice person, to have done more good than bad, to have been charitable or to have been a good friend. The bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", and that the “wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
This means none of us (even those who have lived a life like Mother Theresa!) deserve Heaven - every single one of us has earned death and Hell because we have turned our backs on God and lived in a way that pleases us, not him.
This can be seen in the way we fail to put God first in our lives. We value possessions, leisure, career, popularity and our families over the God who gifted us with all these things. In doing so, we have put ourselves in the tragic position of "forfeiting our souls."
While God is angry at us for failing to treat him as he deserves (and rightly so), he also shows us that he loves us immensely. He does not want us to forfeit our souls - he does not want us to go to Hell. Because of his great love for you and for me, he has done the unimaginable to bring us forgiveness and open the way for us to be in Heaven - to stand innocent on Judgment Day.
That famous bible verse in John 3:16 explains this love to us: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Jesus Christ, the only person to ever live a perfect sinless life - because he is both man and God - came to earth and died on the cross in our place. He didn't deserve any punishment, yet he was punished for our sins, dying on the cross in our place. And he showed his final victory over sin and death by rising from the grave and ascending to Heaven to sit on the throne as Lord and King.
This death was a ‘once for all’ deal – it was sufficient to cover all the sins of all people for all time. Although this forgiveness is offered freely to all, it is a gift that must be accepted.
How do we accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life offered by Jesus?
To accept Jesus’ salvation, we must believe in Him. This means more than a vague acknowledgment that he existed. It means believing Jesus is who he said he is – the Son of God, and that he did what he said he did – died on the cross in your place. To believe in Jesus is to entrust your life to him.
Entrusting your life to Jesus means no longer living for yourself in a way that pleases you. It means making all of life’s decisions – both big and small – in a way that pleases God and is obedient to him. It means putting Jesus first in your life – putting him before money, possessions, status, career, leisure, your family and even yourself.
Jesus describes this as “losing your life for him” (Mark 8:35). This is a big price to pay, but it is worth it, because Jesus asks “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”, and the answer is that it’s not good at all.
If you have decided you want to put Jesus first in your life and accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life he offers, it would be good to pray to God about it.
Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I have been putting things before you in my life, living in a way that pleases me.
Please forgive me.
From now onwards, I want to put you first in all that I do.
Please help me to do that.
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying and rising for me, taking my punishment.
Please help me to keep trusting in you.
Amen.
It would be helpful to find a local, bible-believing Church where you can be encouraged and cared for as you learn what it means to live as a follower of Jesus. If you have trouble finding one, or have any other questions or comments, please email me with your contact details: GospelResource@gmail.com
Please make use of the online bible tools listed on this website to read about God’s salvation plan. A helpful place to start is the book of John.
