In exchange for our souls

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36-37
This is a rhetorical question that Jesus asks His disciples, and it must of course be answered, ‘Nothing.’ There is nothing we can give in exchange for our souls come judgement day. It’s quite simple: if we have believed on Jesus as our Saviour, we will enter into eternal life; if we have rejected Him, we will enter into eternal punishment. There is no in-between, and there is no annihilation. Every person’s soul will continue to live on after the death of their body. The question is, where will they live.
Many people think that if they do certain things they will gain an exemption from God. They think if they give money to charity, or volunteer their time to help others, or if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, God will accept them. But the Bible teaches that our acceptance before God is not based on what we do, but on whether we have believed in Jesus Christ. Even after that, once we have believed, we are accepted by God regardless of what we do. It’s all by His grace!
We must all remember that we are not the masters of our destiny. If we want to enter eternity, we need to give our soul (or life – the Greek word used can be translated either way) over to God.