For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
To gain the whole world brings no true profit or advantage if a person loses himself and his eternal life and is finally cast away, for no earthly greatness, pleasure, or wealth can make up for that loss. That loss is terrible and irrecoverable, and nothing given in exchange can remedy it. One soul that God created and Christ redeemed is worth more to heaven than the whole world with all its wealth and property, so to lose a soul is a greater loss than to lose a world. Christ gave His own life and endured the cross and its shame to win the world back to loyalty to God, because of the immortality and eternity of bliss the soul may obtain through obedience. Following Him therefore requires wholly surrendering life in self-denying service rather than preserving worldly gain, and taxing every resource to save even one perishing person.
Gain, Loss and Meaning
To gain the whole world is no true advantage or profit if a man loses himself, loses his soul and his life and eternal life, or is cast away and finally lost. No worldly greatness, pleasure, property or gain can make up for that loss or outweigh it, and to gain the world at such a cost is a poor bargain. Life is preserved by surrendering it in service to God and others, by giving oneself wholly to service and following in self-denial and self-sacrifice rather than preserving life or worldly gain at the cost of following and delaying to serve God. This warning stands beside self-sacrifice that knowingly accepts suffering and death to save the lost, giving life to win the world back to loyalty to God and enduring the cross and its shame for the joy of that result.
The loss is terrible, irreversible and irrecoverable, and nothing given in exchange can remedy it, for no price can make up for the soul and eternal life once lost. The glitter of earthly things can eclipse heaven and make eternal life seem of little value, so that earthly profit amounts to losing oneself. Giving oneself up to the sorcery of Satan for apparent benefit is neither wise nor safe, even if life is prolonged and temporal gain is secured, for disregarding the will of God will not pay in the end. No barrier erected to guard against Satan's power can be broken down with impunity, and all such apparent gain will prove at last an irrecoverable loss.
Worth of a Soul
One soul that God created and Christ redeemed is worth more to heaven and to God than the whole world and all its wealth, property, houses, lands and money. Set beside a soul, the world is insignificant, losing a soul is a greater loss than losing a world, and being saved from sin and brought to spiritual life has no equal in worldly gain. To gain the world while losing the soul is therefore utter loss.
The soul is of great value because of the possibilities before it, the spiritual advantages granted to it, the capabilities it may possess when vitalized by the word of God, and the immortality and eternity of bliss it may obtain through the Life-giver if obedient. Christ gave His life for the world's redemption to win it back to loyalty to God, enduring the cross and its shame for the joy of that result, and He is the treasure to value above earthly riches. Because He gave His life for souls, their loss grieves Him.
Therefore earnest, determined efforts to save even one perishing person are worthwhile, and resources should be taxed to the utmost for the conversion of one soul, lest it be left to lose eternal bliss. One soul won will flash heaven's light around him, penetrate moral darkness and save other souls. Work should give priority to leading people to salvation rather than being consumed by a large workload. Apparent success in gaining wealth for an institution or in establishing a large one the Lord has not planned is not worth pursuing when it costs a Christlike quality or principle, discourages souls, and diverts needed resources from existing work and genuine needs.
Call to Self-Denying Service
To gain the whole world is no advantage if a person loses himself or is cast away, for worldly gain cannot compare with the loss of life itself. Life is preserved by surrendering it in service to God and others, following Christ in self-denial and self-sacrifice. Following Jesus requires bearing reproach and surrendering worldly hopes, accepting suffering and humiliation before sharing His glory, since worldly greatness and pleasure cannot compensate for losing oneself. A person must therefore give himself wholly to Christ's service rather than preserve his life or worldly gain at the cost of following Christ, and must not delay in serving God.
The choice to serve Christ or Satan carries consequences for both this life and eternity, and to gain the whole world and lose one's own soul is a poor bargain. Choosing money, selfish pleasure, or one's own way at the cost of faith in God, truth, and duty is a terrible loss, and no temporal gain or worldly advantage is worth imperiling the soul's highest interest. Denying self and making sacrifices to recover faith is better than living without God's presence and favor. Without spiritual discernment and the converting power of God changing the heart, working away from Christ makes shipwreck of faith and lets go of truth, and no amount of worldly gain can make up for that loss. The tongue is not to be used to tell how to bury money in the earth but to tell how to invest safely in the bank of heaven. Giving oneself up to the sorcery of Satan for apparent benefit is neither wise nor safe, even if life is prolonged and temporal gain is secured, for disregarding the will of God will not pay in the end and all such apparent gain will prove at last an irrecoverable loss, because no barrier God has erected to guard His people from Satan's power can be broken down with impunity. Accepting the truth means taking a stand with God's commandment-keeping people and not being ashamed of Christ's cross, choosing a life with lasting happiness rather than being held back from it.
One soul is worth more than the whole world, so losing a soul is a greater loss than losing the world, and gaining the world is no true advantage if a person loses the soul. The soul is of such value that it must be guarded as something to save or lose, and worldly, selfish aims cannot compensate for its loss. People must recognize its value, seek salvation, and purify their lives through obedience to the truth. This warning applies even when a person has encountered Christ's salvation and the truth, making its loss immeasurably serious. Speech and conduct should therefore be restrained and serious, especially before those who do not acknowledge God, and used to glorify God rather than for careless or trifling behavior.
To gain the whole world brings no true profit or advantage if a person loses himself and his eternal life and is finally cast away, for no earthly greatness, pleasure, or wealth can make up for that loss. That loss is terrible and irrecoverable, and nothing given in exchange can remedy it. One soul that God created and Christ redeemed is worth more to heaven than the whole world with all its wealth and property, so to lose a soul is a greater loss than to lose a world. Christ gave His own life and endured the cross and its shame to win the world back to loyalty to God, because of the immortality and eternity of bliss the soul may obtain through obedience. Following Him therefore requires wholly surrendering life in self-denying service rather than preserving worldly gain, and taxing every resource to save even one perishing person.
Gain, Loss and Meaning
To gain the whole world is no true advantage or profit if a man loses himself, loses his soul and his life and eternal life, or is cast away and finally lost. No worldly greatness, pleasure, property or gain can make up for that loss or outweigh it, and to gain the world at such a cost is a poor bargain. Life is preserved by surrendering it in service to God and others, by giving oneself wholly to service and following in self-denial and self-sacrifice rather than preserving life or worldly gain at the cost of following and delaying to serve God. This warning stands beside self-sacrifice that knowingly accepts suffering and death to save the lost, giving life to win the world back to loyalty to God and enduring the cross and its shame for the joy of that result.
The loss is terrible, irreversible and irrecoverable, and nothing given in exchange can remedy it, for no price can make up for the soul and eternal life once lost. The glitter of earthly things can eclipse heaven and make eternal life seem of little value, so that earthly profit amounts to losing oneself. Giving oneself up to the sorcery of Satan for apparent benefit is neither wise nor safe, even if life is prolonged and temporal gain is secured, for disregarding the will of God will not pay in the end. No barrier erected to guard against Satan's power can be broken down with impunity, and all such apparent gain will prove at last an irrecoverable loss.
Worth of a Soul
One soul that God created and Christ redeemed is worth more to heaven and to God than the whole world and all its wealth, property, houses, lands and money. Set beside a soul, the world is insignificant, losing a soul is a greater loss than losing a world, and being saved from sin and brought to spiritual life has no equal in worldly gain. To gain the world while losing the soul is therefore utter loss.
The soul is of great value because of the possibilities before it, the spiritual advantages granted to it, the capabilities it may possess when vitalized by the word of God, and the immortality and eternity of bliss it may obtain through the Life-giver if obedient. Christ gave His life for the world's redemption to win it back to loyalty to God, enduring the cross and its shame for the joy of that result, and He is the treasure to value above earthly riches. Because He gave His life for souls, their loss grieves Him.
Therefore earnest, determined efforts to save even one perishing person are worthwhile, and resources should be taxed to the utmost for the conversion of one soul, lest it be left to lose eternal bliss. One soul won will flash heaven's light around him, penetrate moral darkness and save other souls. Work should give priority to leading people to salvation rather than being consumed by a large workload. Apparent success in gaining wealth for an institution or in establishing a large one the Lord has not planned is not worth pursuing when it costs a Christlike quality or principle, discourages souls, and diverts needed resources from existing work and genuine needs.
Call to Self-Denying Service
To gain the whole world is no advantage if a person loses himself or is cast away, for worldly gain cannot compare with the loss of life itself. Life is preserved by surrendering it in service to God and others, following Christ in self-denial and self-sacrifice. Following Jesus requires bearing reproach and surrendering worldly hopes, accepting suffering and humiliation before sharing His glory, since worldly greatness and pleasure cannot compensate for losing oneself. A person must therefore give himself wholly to Christ's service rather than preserve his life or worldly gain at the cost of following Christ, and must not delay in serving God.
The choice to serve Christ or Satan carries consequences for both this life and eternity, and to gain the whole world and lose one's own soul is a poor bargain. Choosing money, selfish pleasure, or one's own way at the cost of faith in God, truth, and duty is a terrible loss, and no temporal gain or worldly advantage is worth imperiling the soul's highest interest. Denying self and making sacrifices to recover faith is better than living without God's presence and favor. Without spiritual discernment and the converting power of God changing the heart, working away from Christ makes shipwreck of faith and lets go of truth, and no amount of worldly gain can make up for that loss. The tongue is not to be used to tell how to bury money in the earth but to tell how to invest safely in the bank of heaven. Giving oneself up to the sorcery of Satan for apparent benefit is neither wise nor safe, even if life is prolonged and temporal gain is secured, for disregarding the will of God will not pay in the end and all such apparent gain will prove at last an irrecoverable loss, because no barrier God has erected to guard His people from Satan's power can be broken down with impunity. Accepting the truth means taking a stand with God's commandment-keeping people and not being ashamed of Christ's cross, choosing a life with lasting happiness rather than being held back from it.
One soul is worth more than the whole world, so losing a soul is a greater loss than losing the world, and gaining the world is no true advantage if a person loses the soul. The soul is of such value that it must be guarded as something to save or lose, and worldly, selfish aims cannot compensate for its loss. People must recognize its value, seek salvation, and purify their lives through obedience to the truth. This warning applies even when a person has encountered Christ's salvation and the truth, making its loss immeasurably serious. Speech and conduct should therefore be restrained and serious, especially before those who do not acknowledge God, and used to glorify God rather than for careless or trifling behavior.