What Will You Give in Exchange?

Background Scripture: Mark 8; Psalm 49
Lesson Scripture: Mark 8:35-37; Psalm 49:6-12, 14-17

Introduction

The world barters for the Christian’s soul every day of his life. The natural tendencies of every man are attracted to the wares it offers. These so-called bargains allure and attract us through our intellect and feelings.

“The world . . . is a vast system that is anti-God and pro-self. It is a kingdom wherein the flesh or carnal nature rules. . . . Here man’s ego is pampered. It is a deceptive system. While it is alluring and appealing to the flesh, it ensnares the soul, enslaves the mind and body, and seeks to destroy all that is godly.” 1

The Christian daily faces the need to identify and resist the alluring offerings of the world and its ways which appear to make it easier for the flesh. He must choose to “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:25).

Key Verse

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezek. 18:4).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

This lesson is a study of values. Whether or not we are conscious of it, our lives are a continuous exercise of evaluating the importance of every aspect of life. Some of these are very important because they influence our very ability to live and function properly; others are of negligible importance. Every day of our natural life is guided by the value we place on these issues. Those areas we place the most value on are those to which we give the most attention.

Jesus, through the gospel, seeks to add a new dimension to our system of values. This involves that which is not necessarily seen or felt by our natural senses but that which requires a deeper revelation of spiritual things. This is referencing the things of eternal value as opposed to the temporary values of the natural world.

Like natural life, spiritual life is made up of profit and loss as well as living and dying. Operating solely within the earthly realm of values means temporary gain with a destructive eternal outcome. The focus of operation within a gospel realm of values considers the value of earthly things in the light of a timeless eternity. Valuing earthly things will give temporary satisfaction but eternal loss, while placing value on spiritual things will reveal the unfulfilling and destructive effects of those things that are highly esteemed among man.

The choice is ours to make. Jesus asks, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37).

Psalm 49 provides a very clear illustration of the value of the soul in contrast to earthly values of wealth, position, worldly wisdom, and possessions. The deception of these earthly treasures gives a false sense of security that can change in a moment of earthly destruction or financial collapse. History records this unchanging truth over and over: refusing to learn lessons from the past, man without God plunges heedlessly toward the abyss of eternal destruction.

On the other hand, the psalmist observes the eternal value of the soul and the need for redemption from its imprisonment in this body of clay. The price for the redemption from sin cannot come from a fellow sinful human being, because he himself needs that redemption. The cost of that redemption requires a sinless sacrifice, priceless and beyond any value that man can pay.

How wonderfully redemption was revealed to David in this psalm; God would provide the priceless payment for man’s salvation, not only from this present evil world and the destructive forces of hell but from eternal death. Verse fifteen is a prophecy of a sinner being saved by grace, received by God Himself.

Practical Truths for Today

How is the value of life calculated along with all that pertains to it? This lesson should move us to evaluate the eternal outcome of today’s decisions. We are living in a time that places value on that which gives immediate results. Little thought is given to the resulting and long-range effects and eternal consequences of thought patterns, actions, and selfish indulgence.

Society seems to be losing its belief in God and moral principles. As this happens, spiritual things may lose their meaning and have little value. The values of life are calculated according to personal rights, happiness, and fulfillment. This results in a short-range view of life. Concern for potential consequences is disregarded in exchange for pleasure and fulfillment. With no accountability before a Creator God, why worry about future judgment?

Do you recognize the infinite value of the salvation extended to your soul? Are you willing to make a living sacrifice, giving up the right to yourself? Are you willing to dare to live differently than the trends and fashions that are pressing you into conforming to the world around you? Or are you willing to risk the destruction of your soul to enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction of the world? These are questions that we must answer. Either they will be answered with commitment and premeditated consent or by neglect, giving in to the natural inclinations of our flesh. Eternity will discover the truth. We will either say, “Had I only,” or “It was worth it all!”

Illustration

The final judgment will reveal the true values of every man. At the judgment bar, each one will receive a reward according to the value system they used in life. Even today, the contemplation of one who realizes too late that he has sold his soul for something of no value is terrifyingly horrible. It is beyond our imagination to grasp the feeling of utter hopelessness that will explode upon the mind of a lost soul on judgment day. The true folly of how cheaply the priceless soul was sold for a “piece of bread” (Prov. 28:21) will be part of an eternal torment.

On the other hand, unimaginable joy and bliss will burst upon the redeemed and reveal how little was their tribulation and the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. The pain and suffering of faithful Christian living will melt away in comparison to the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore unfolding before them. Their testimony will be, “It was worth it all.”

What will you give in exchange for your soul? The question demands an answer—it is not one that can be simply laid aside. Choose today while God’s grace and mercy are being extended. Consider the text of the song “Eternity.”

I stood at the time-beaten portals,

Where many a pilgrim had passed

Out into the infinite future,

To be with the pure and the blest

And, musing in silent devotion,

Eternity seemed to draw near

And strains from the choir of the faithful

I seemed in my fancy to hear

I lingered, and silently listened

To the dull, heavy tread of the years,

And tho’t of the fate of the guilty,

When Christ in His glory appears.

A shudder came over my spirit,

As I tho’t what a moment might cost;

For eternity’s stillness was broken

By the groans and the sighs of the lost.

I saw then the Judge in His splendor,

As He stepped to His great judgment seat,

And tho’t of the crashing of ages,

When time and eternity meet.

For Time, who has laid many millions

To slumber in death’s silent shade;

Shall reel at eternity’s presence,

And sleep in the tomb he has made.

Let us work while ’tis day, brother, sister,

For soon shall the Master return,

To garner the wheat that we harvest,

The chaff in His fury to burn.

Then in haste let us rush to the rescue,

But few can we save at the most:

Soon millions shall be at the judgment,

Forever, eternally lost.2

Questions

1. How can we retain the vision that helps us to evaluate the things that are most important in daily life?
2. Can the good things in life become an enemy of the best things in life?
3. How can I know if I am putting the proper value on my soul’s salvation?
4. Spiritual death is the result of sin. Is there a way to escape the judgment of the law that clearly demands the death penalty of the sinner?
5. 1 Bible Doctrine and Practice, p. 259
6. 2 Daniel O. Teasley (1876-1942), “Eternity,” Christian Hymnal

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).