What benefit is it if a man gains the whole world, but loses his life?
This is one of the most sobering questions in the Gospel. Christ sets before a person the true weight of values. To gain the whole world here means to have the greatest outward success: wealth, power, influence, or glory. But if at the cost of all that a person loses his soul, then what he has gained will have no real value. This saying reveals the immeasurable worth of the human person. All the goods of the world together cannot be equal to the value of one soul, because the soul is created for eternity. This verse breaks the foundation of worldly thinking, according to which success is measured by outward achievements. By Jesus’ standard, a person’s true gain is bound up with his eternal condition. This question is especially powerful because it does not answer immediately, but compels a person to examine himself. When everything is finished, what will remain in a person’s hands if he has lost his soul?