DO YOU EVER REALLY THINK ABOUT YOUR SOUL?

Victor M. Eskew

 

            It is a gift from God.  It is the most precious thing in our possession.  It is invisible.  It will live long after the body has been put into the ground.  It is not something over which any man has power.  The only one who has access to it is God.  It is neglected by some.  It is often forfeited for things that are insignificant.  It can be distinguished from the spirit.  It is something that some deny.  It is the topic of numerous Bible verses.  It will be judged in the last day. It can be lost due to the practice of sin.  It can be saved by the precious blood of Christ.  What is it?  It is the soul of man.

            Do you ever really think about your soul?  It is something you seriously contemplate every day?  Most do not think about their soul very often.  It might be somewhat of a priority on Sunday, the day of worship.  Those who are on their deathbeds think about it.  Those who are seriously ill will give it some attention.  If a blatant sin is exposed, it might gain some attention.  However, most of the time we give little thought to our soul. 

            The following verse is probably one of the most familiar in reference to the soul.  It contains words spoken by Jesus.  In the verse, our Lord reveals the worth of our soul.  “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).  In this verse we learn so much about our soul.  First, we have a soul.  Second, there is nothing more valuable than our soul.  Third, we can lose our soul.  Fourth, we can exchange our soul for something else?

            Let’s think about these things.  I have a soul.  Think about that deeply.  I have a soul.  The soul is the spiritual man, the inner man.  Paul refers to it in II Corinthians 4:16.  “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”  Right now the inner man and outer man are joined together.  When we die, this will no longer be the case.  The body will lie cold and lifeless on the earth.  The soul, however, will continue to exist.  In the Revelation, John said:  “…and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God…” (Rev. 20:4).  They were no longer in the body.  Yet, they did not cease to exist. 

            A second thing we need to think about is the value of our soul.  Jesus referred to the value of the soul in a question.  “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  There are many things of value in our world.  Gold, silver, gems, mountains, coastlines, woods, and fertile fields are a few things of value in our world.  There are many valuable animals, birds, and insects that can be found on the earth.  Coal, oil, natural gas, and precious drinking water are also very precious.  Jesus teaches us that even if a man owns all of these things, “the whole world,” if he loses his soul, those things will not matter.  These things are not lasting.  One day, all of them will be destroyed.  “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (II Pet. 3:10). Man’s soul will not be destroyed.  When all of the creation is gone, the soul of man will continue to exist.  Its eternal nature is part of its great value.

            A third thing that should be contemplated regularly regarding the soul is the fact that it can be lost.  Jesus said a man can “lose his own soul.”  Think of that, the one priceless possession we own, and it is lost.  To be lost is to be separated from God.  To be lost is to be condemned.  To be lost is to be punished in the flames of hell.  To be lost is to be cast into outer darkness wherein there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Dear reader, there are only two alternatives for the soul’s destination, heaven or hell.  Jesus put it in these words:  “Enter ye in at the strait gate:  for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).  How horrible it would be to lose your own soul.  How much more horrible would it be to have had the opportunity to save your soul, yet still lose it.

            A final thing Jesus teaches us about the soul is that we can exchange it for something else.  Some exchange it for a sin.  Some exchange it for a relationship.  Some exchange it for a job.  Some exchange it for money.  Some exchange it for power.  Some exchange it for acceptance.  Some exchange it for their life here on earth.  Some exchange it for pride.  Some exchange it for the religious traditions of parents and grandparents.  Some exchange it for a lie (i.e., evolution/atheism).  Some exchange their soul for a life of selfishness and ease on this earth.  My friend, what will you give in exchange for your soul?  Whatever it is, you will find that it was not worth it in the world to come. 

            The soul is an intangible possession.  The soul is an invisible possession.  The soul is a possession that is easy to forget.  The soul is a possession that is easy to neglect.  In order to keep our souls safe, we must really think about them.  We must make certain that they are saved.  We must make certain they are kept safe.  We must make certain that we are not trading our soul for other things.  Let’s close with two more verses that exhort us in the care of our souls.  “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (Heb. 10:39).  And again:  “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (I Pet. 2:11).  My friend, do you ever really think about your soul?