Chris' Corner - Sunday, August 16, 2020
Ancient Egyptians and Greeks believed once people passed from this life into the realm of the dead, their souls would be weighed to determined one’s fate in the afterlife.
In medieval times, some religions depicted the Archangel Michael holding scales to weigh the souls of people on Judgement Day. These doctrines are not found in scripture.
However, God sees our soul as invaluable, because He made it “in His image and after His likeness” (Genesis 1:26, 27). God made the spirit to be our inner person and placed it within our bodies at the moment of conception. What matters now, is how much value we put on our soul.
Jesus 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).
Yes, there was a time when God told the king of Babylon he had been weighed in the balances and was found wanting. But the eternal destiny of the king was determined already by his own corrupt life.
As we learn about sin and fall to the temptation of it, our soul becomes tarnished. This is true for everyone, no exceptions! “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Every soul who sins stands condemned unless the blood of Jesus Christ washes us from those blemishes (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23).
“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2). “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
The very reason God’s Son came to this earth was to save every soul He could. “...for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). “The Lord...is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus implied the soul of just one person is worth more than the whole world. He also made it clear, the value of our soul is not something to be determined after our death. It’s something we must consider for ourselves while our soul remains in our body.
So the question is, what is my soul worth to me? What is yours worth to you? The value we place on our soul’s salvation will determine how we live our lives here and now. Because once we die our destiny is sealed. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).
When we consider just how priceless our soul is, it helps us to place a higher value on our life with God here on this earth. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
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