WHAT IS THE WORTH OF A HUMAN SOUL?
Most condolence messages end with these spiritual-sounding words: “May his/her soul rest in peace.” Though well intended, these words will look hollow and empty when placed under the microscope of God’s word!
A close look at just a few of the many Bible passages that allude to this extremely important subject of the human soul will bear out the truth of the above statement. Interestingly, thc destiny of the human soul is closely linked to man’s response to the Gospel (Good News) of God’s eternal kingdom announced throughout the Bible and summed up in these two verses:
(1) ” For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3: 16 NIV). (2) “And all who believe in God’s Son have eternal life. Those who don’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them” (John 3:36 NLT).
The Scriptures quoted above refer to two destinations: eternal life and eternal death. They also refer to God’s love and God’s wrath. He gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ (John 6:47 NLT). But His wrath abides on those who reject His offer of life (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus himself declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 1 1725-26 NIV). If wc prayerfully examine the contexts Of these verses in the Bible, the Spirit Of God Will convince us that it is the soul Of man that lives on With full consciousness, after his body mingles with the dust, They will also impress upon us the fact that without God’s grace (unmerited favor), revealed in Jesus Christ, no man can escape the deadly consequence of sin eternal separation from God! Not even ‘Christians’ are spared if they are not again!
What is ‘soul’?
It is that essential part Of a person — the real self— Which Will never cease to exist. When God breathed into the first man He created from the dust Of the earth, the man became a living soul, an eternal being. Unlike all the other creatures and things God created, only the man and the woman were endowed with an attribute of God by virtue of which they do not cease to exist after their death. (Read Genesis and Ecclesiastes 3: 11. )
Contrary to the theory of ‘cycle of births and deaths’, the Bible emphatically declares, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face God’s judgment, so Christ was crucified once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT•, cf. 2 Corinthians 5: IONIV).
The worth of a human soul.
In the sight of God, the human soul is invaluable; in fact, God cares for the entire personality of man — spirit, soul and body. (Read Matthew 6:25-34.) On one cx.•c.asion Jesus asked His disciples, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or , what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV), The answer is hidden in the question itself: the worth of a human soul is infinitely more than all the material wealth and physical health he can acquire in the world! The context is in verses 21-23 where Jesus explains to His disciples the purpose of His suffering, death and resurrection: the eternal salvation of man. When Peter tried to deter Jesus from accomplishing God’s purpose, Jesus rebuked him for seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.
What happens to man after he dies?
Man’s body goes back to the dust and his soul goes to one of the two eternal places God has prepared — heaven and hell — depending on the decision man makes on earth. Anyone who receives by faith God’s free offer of salvation in Christ will have eternal life in heaven. If someone dies without receiving God’s offer when they had the opportunity, they will land up in hell, forever separated from God (John 3: 17 , 36; 12:48).
In light of this Scriptural truth, our words of consolation and sympathy, “May his / her soul rest in peace,” make little sense because they can never change the destiny of the dead ! Likewise, those who have cntcrcd heaven after death because they received God’ s Offer Of life by faith, Will enjoy and prosperity throughout eternity in God’s presence
Wishing rest and peace for the departed souls, therefore, is certainty not a prayer to God; at best it is man’s way of expressing sympathy to the bereaving families. The truth is, eternal destiny of our souls does not depend on the good wishes of our friends and relatives, but rather on the decision each one makes on God’s free offer of eternal life or eternal death (Deut.30: 15-16, 19′, Jn.3: 16-18).
Offering prayers for the dead.
When our world-view of man and his destiny is in sync with what God says in the Bible, we will avoid observing the ritual of ‘month’s mind’ and offering prayers for the souls of the dead. If they died with saving faith in Jesus Christ, we can offer comfort and consolation to the sorrowing families with the life-imparting words of Scripture (John 6:39-40; 12:27-29; 14:1-4; ICor. 15:22). If anyone in the family is a nominal Christian (who has never repented and received Christ as Savior), they have the opportunity to believe and be assured of a glorious, endless life in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear reader, be sure of the eternal destiny of your soul and that of your loved ones.
Mr. Vivek Salins
UBM Christha Jyothi Church, Thane
