How valuable is one soul? The Master said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). One soul is worth more than “the whole world.”
Every soul is valuable because it is made in the image of God. Since “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), our likeness to Him must be spiritual, not physical. Like Him, we have intellect, emotion, conscience and volition.
Every soul is valuable because Jesus died for it! It is true that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), but let us not lose sight of the value of one soul in the midst of the 7.4 billion in the world today. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus died for every person!
Every soul is valuable because it is immortal. The soul is the only part of man that will live beyond this life. The soul—your soul, my soul and every other person’s soul—will live forever! “For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).
Every soul is valuable because heaven rejoices over the salvation of just one! When the woman in the Master’s story found her once lost coin, she rejoiced. The Master said, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
Knowing the value of the soul should accomplish two things: (1) it should affect how we care for our own souls and (2) it should motivate us to care for the souls of others. SOS—Save One Soul! Make this your goal! “…he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).
Dwight Fuqua
Findlay church of Christ
Sparta, TN