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In Walden, his 1854 reflection on simple living, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The cost of a thing is the amount…of life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately and in the long run.”   Before we buy anything, we ask ourselves, “How much does it cost?”  We know time is money.  We also know that time is life.  When we think about the cost involved in acquiring something, we must consider that “money” relates to “life.”  If I earn $15 an hour and an item costs $100, I know I will have to work several hours (more than six) in order to purchase the item.  This is true if I figure the amount of taxes that I have to pay on the money that I earn.  Time is money.  Time is life.  At the same time, the hours that I have to give of my life in order to buy that item helps me realize that “the cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it.”
An Example
Teens spend 6 to 8 hours a day on screen-based leisure activities (screen time includes:  iPhones, iPads, Computers and Television) (see The Anxious Generation, Johnathan Haidt, p. 119).  Haidt reveals the “opportunity cost” which refers to “the loss of other potential gains when one alternative is chosen over another.”  The question is: “What is lost when young people spend so much time on screen activities and leisure activities at that.  Haidt names some of the costs involved:  (1) social deprivation.  Face to face interaction with friends has decreased from 122 minutes to 67 minutes in 2019.  (2). Sleep deprivation. The lack of sleep causes anxiety, depression, irritability, poor learning, etc.; (3) Attention Fragmentation.  This problem leads to the inability to stay on task.  On average, teens receive 192 notifications per day.  This defines a day during waking hours with multiple interruptions/distractions.  (4). Addiction.  Cognitive addiction results.  As teens spend much of their time on screen-based leisure activities, at the same time, there is a loss of interest in spiritual pursuits.  No time for God in prayer.  No time for Bible reading and study.  No time to memorize Scripture.  No time for good works in helping others.  No time for God in worship.  Often the “opportunity cost” is loss of spiritual growth and well-being.
A Lesson From Jesus
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt. 16:24-27).   Jesus develops the idea of “opportunity costs.”  What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  The cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it.  If a person loses his/her soul (is eternally separated from God–II Thess. 1:7-9), then something else took precedence over being fully committed to God and living in covenant relationship with Him.  God is supplanted with something else.  Whatever that something else is, is our idol.  Idolatry is strictly forbidden by God (Gal. 5:19-20).  The reason is that idolatry violates the first and great commandment.  “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  When we put something else ahead of God, we commit the sin of idolatry.  “What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”  The only way to preserve the value of the soul is in covenant relationship to Jesus Christ (discipleship).  Jesus demands three things:  (1) self-denial; (2) cross-bearing; and (3) discipleship (follow me).  Discipleship involves a total commitment of one’s life to God.  Paul describes this as presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1-2).  Discipleship involves our whole being.  Nothing can be kept back from God.  The cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is your life–all of it!
Is It Worth It?
A second question that must be answered after we have invested in something or someone is: “Is it worth it?”   What is a man profited?  Jesus said that we might gain the whole world and lose our soul.  In view of the Second Coming of Jesus and eternity, is that a good deal?  The value of our soul is priceless.  If we accept anything, even the sum of the treasures of the world, and lose our soul, we have traded down, we have lost something profound.  Remember, to lose our soul means being eternally separated from God in hell (Mt. 5:22; 10:28).  The reward of discipleship is eternal life with God.  “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Mt. 25:46).  The cost of discipleship is fullness of commitment and consecration to God in covenant relationship with Him.  The investment returns eternal rewards!  The reward is a heavenly home with God (I Thess. 4:17).   It is going to cost us something–indeed our entire lives–to be a Christian.  But, the return on investment is out of this world–eternal life with God!

It’s time for a spiritual check-up.  Health and fitness are important.  However, they are not more important than the heath of the soul.  “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (I Tim. 4:8).  In III John 1-14, we have three tests to determine the health of the soul:  the test of truth, the test of love and the test of righteousness.  In III John 2, John writes, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”  John ties physical health to spiritual health.  We can have joy and peace only by being right with God.
The Test of Truth
Truth matters!  What is truth?  In John 17:17, Jesus stated, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”  Many today believe that truth is subjective and so is a construct of one’s own mind.  However, Jesus makes it plain that truth comes from God and is synonymous with His Word.  The doctrine of Christ (II John 9) is the truth.  Truth is objective (stands outside of the individual person) and is knowable (John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”). The truth contains facts to be believed, commands to be obeyed and promises to be received.  Peter declares, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (I Pet. 1:22).  The well-being of our souls depends upon our obedience to the truth.  The truth is livable.  The Holy Spirit declares through the pen of John, “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee (they had received the truth and it abode in their hearts by faith-DS), even as thou walkest in the truth” (III John 3).  To walk in the truth is to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles.  The identity of a Christian is manifested by conformity to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.  Paul makes a strong declaration of presence of Christ in his life, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).  The well-being of the soul depends upon integrity in Christian living.
The Test of Love
John mentions the display of love (charity-KJV) by Gaius in the manifestation of hospitality in the furtherance of the gospel.  “Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well” (III John 5-6). The test of love is a vitally important one.  First, the well-being of the soul depends on loving God supremely.  “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with al thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:29-30).  Notice that this commandment is first in rank and importance.  If we fail to keep this commandment, then, obedience to any of the other commandments is a mockery.  Consider also that the whole person is involved in the obedience to this command.  This involves fullness of consecration to God and means that we hold nothing back in our commitment to Him.  The command is to love God.  This love for God means that we hold Him in the highest regard with the utmost of respect and reverence for Him.  It manifests itself in actions that express our adoration for Him, our veneration of Him, and our allegiance to Him.  Our love for God and His love for us forms a bond that makes us inseparable (Rom. 8:35-39).  Love for neighbor is also commanded by the Lord. “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).  Love for neighbor means seeking his/her highest good.  This love is undefeatable, benevolent, goodwill.  Love for brothers and sisters in Christ is also taught by Jesus (John 13:34-35).  Gaius demonstrates this love in showing hospitality to those who preached the gospel of Christ.  John mentions Diotrephes in contrast to Gaius who, “prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church” (III John 10).  Gaius demonstrates the well-being of the soul while Diotrephes shows the corruption of the soul.  Gaius loved.  Diotrephes did not.  Love always acts for the good of others.  Gaius did this while Diotrephes failed miserably.
The Test of Righteousness
John declares, “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.  He that doth good is of God but he that doth evil hath not seen God” (III John 11).  Righteousness is right living or living that fulfills God’s precepts and purposes.  The well-being of the soul depends upon moral integrity.  Intrinsic evil is sinful conduct or behavior that transgresses God’s Will.  Demetrius is mentioned by John as having a good report among men and the truth.  He is a Christian whose soul is prospering.  Christians must display moral integrity.  A list of sinful conduct is given by Paul in Gal. 5:19-20 and involves:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditious, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like.  This list is not exhaustive, but it is representative of the type of behavior that is morally reprehensible in the sight of God.  When these sins are present in the human heart, the soul is sin sick and corrupted.  Righteous living is an outgrowth of walking in the truth.  Righteous living reflects holiness which is a characteristic of the nature of God (I Peter 1:15-16).
Three tests provide a quick check-up for your soul: the test of truth, the test of love and the test of righteousness.  Is it well with your soul?  What if your prosperity were tied to the health of your soul?

Jesus asked two questions in Matthew 16:26 worthy consideration.  “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jesus Affirms That We Have a Soul.
Jesus is the creator of all things (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16).  Adam, the first man, was created from the dust of the ground (physical aspect of his being) and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7–the spiritual aspect of his being).  Adam was created in the image of God and exhibits will, intellect, emotion, morality–spiritual aspects of his being.  The soul is the inward man and the body is the outward man (II Cor. 4:16).  The body is subject to death, but the soul will never die.  We receive a soul or spirit at the time of our conception.  Zecharaiah writes, “The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.”  God is creator of all things and He is creator of man’s spirit.  Solomon in Ecclesiastes writes, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all” (Eccl. 11:5).  And, in Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  Further evidence that we have a soul can be found in James 2:26.  James defines death as the separation of the spirit from the body.  Obviously, life must be defined as the union of the spirit and the body. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Whenever Jesus died, His body was placed in a tomb, but His spirit went into paradise (Luke 23:43, 46, 53).  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead involved the reuniting of His body and spirit.  The conclusion of this Biblical evidence is that each human being possesses a soul or spirit.
The Soul Can Be Lost.
Jesus affirms that we can lose our soul.  To be lost means that we will be eternally separated from God.  There are various ways that the Bible indicates this eternal state.  In John 3:16, Jesus said that individuals who do not believe on Him would “perish.”  In Mark 16:16, Jesus said that those who do not believe on Him and are not baptized into Him will be “damned.”  In II Thess. 1:7-9, Paul describes the fate of those who know not God and obey not the Gospel as being punished with “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.”  Everlasting destruction does not refer to annihilation, but to eternal ruination.  Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
The pursuits of the human heart will determine our eternal destiny.  Some attempt to “gain the whole world” as they pursue material things and riches.  They pursue the pleasures of sin and worldly delights.  We are warned about loving the world and the things that are in the world (I John 2:15-17).  Love of the world is enmity against God.  God desires that we love Him supremely (Matt. 22:36-39).
The Soul Can Be Exchanged.
The value of the human soul can be seen in the price paid to redeem it.  Jesus gave His life and shed His blood in order to redeem mankind from sin.  Peter states, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” I Peter 1:18-19).  The word “precious” means costly.  The value of the blood of Christ is priceless.  Consequently, the value of the human soul is priceless.
The value of the soul can only be preserved through discipleship to Jesus Christ.  If we are not a disciple of Jesus Christ (a Christian), then we have sold out our soul for something else.  The only alternative to serving Jesus is to be a servant of sin (Satan) (Rom. 6:16-17).  If we exchange our soul for some sin, we have traded down and proven ourselves to be fools.  Sin is worthless and has no value whatever.  To take something priceless and exchange it for something worthless is foolish.  More importantly, it means that we will lose our own soul!
Preserve The Value of Your Soul.
In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”  Jesus asks three things of us.  First, we must deny ourselves.  This means that we must renounce the pursuit of the lust of the flesh through submission of our will to God’s Will.  Second, we must be willing to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus Christ.  Third, we must follow Jesus, i.e. actively pursue Christ-likeness.  We must put to death the old self and allow Christ to form a new life in us.  Only by undergoing this spiritual transformation can we save our soul. (see Rom. 6:3-4).

     The soul of man is the immortal nature of man.  Paul wrote, “For who among men knoweth the things  of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? (I Cor. 2:11).  The part that knows is the mind or heart.  This is the inward part of man.  There is an outward part of man (the body or the flesh) and an inward part of man (the spirit or soul) (2 Cor. 4:16). 
     The soul of man originates with God.  God is the Father of spirits.  “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Heb. 12:9).  God gives each person a spirit or soul at the time of conception.  When we die, the body and soul are separated.  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7).  Whenever Rachel died, the Bible states, “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin” (Gen. 35:18).  Whenever Jesus died, He stated, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).  His body was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and His spirit went to the Hadean realm in Paradise ((Luke 23:43).  James affirms, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).  
     God created man in his image (Gen. 2:27).  This means that since God is a spirit (John 4:24), man has a spirit too!  Since man possesses a spirit/soul, he has intellect, reason, will, emotion and self-awareness (conscience).  These characteristics separate man from animals.  Animals do not have a spirit/soul.  God freely allowed man to kill animals, especially for food.  But, God forbade man from killing another human being. 
     Human beings are special in the sight of God.  The scheme of redemption was purposed by God to save man from the consequences of sin.  God shows His love for man by sending Jesus into this world to seek and save the lost (eternally damned because of sin).  The value of the soul exceeds the value of the entire world.  Jesus said, “For what is  a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
     There are several thoughts that I would like to make regarding the significance of the Bible’s teaching about the soul of man.  First, the reality of the soul completely destroys the materialistic view of man.  If organic, macro-evolution is true, then man does not possess a soul.  Man would be nothing more than a mere animal.  This theory is false!  Second, reincarnation is false.  This doctrine affirms that the soul must pass through numerous transmigrations before it reaches its final state.  The doctrine of metempsychosis (the idea that at death the soul passes into another body, whether of an animal or a person) is false (Heb. 9:27)!  Third, the idea of total hereditary depravity is false!  This doctrine affirms that we are “born in sin.”  However, since God is the originator of the soul of man, the soul must be pure at the time God creates it.  The soul does not originate from the physical genetic material of the parents.  Hence, there is no “inherited sin.”  Each person sins whenever he/she transgresses the commandments of God (I John 3:4).  Infants are born pure!  Fourth, the scheme of redemption is valid and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin (Heb. 9:14).  If we accept the materialistic/humanistic view of the world, we eliminate the need for redemption.  The fact that man possesses a soul, and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) proves the need for a savior.  We have just such a savior.  It is Jesus Christ.  Salvation is in Him and only in Him (Acts 4:12).