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?
What does Matthew 16:26 mean?
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 16:24-28 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 16:26
- To gain the whole world means to possess it as our own - all its riches, its honors, and its pleasures. "To lose his own soul" means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell. Two things are implied by Christ in these questions: 1. That they who are striving to gain the world, and are unwilling to give it up for the sake of religion, will lose their souls; and, 2. That if the soul is lost, nothing can be given in exchange for it, or that it can never afterward be saved. There is no redemption in hell.
Key words
- exchange
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Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Or, "for the redemption" of it, as the Ethiopic version renders it: see Psalm 49:8 .
Context in Matthew 16
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Matthew 16 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict and parables of the kingdom. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.