What Shall it Profit a Man

Charles Spurgeon preached a well-known sermon (1856) on Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" The sermon is often titled "Profit and Loss" or "What Does It Profit a Man?" In it, Spurgeon addresses the ultimate question of the value of the soul compared to all worldly gains. He urges listeners to consider the futility of winning worldly wealth, fame, or power if, in the end, their souls are lost for eternity.

Sermon's Main Theme

Spurgeon argues that, while there might be some earthly "profit" in acquiring wealth or status, these gains are ultimately insignificant when compared to the eternal value of one's soul. At the moment of death, neither riches, nor fame, nor any worldly achievement can provide comfort or salvation. If a person possesses the entire world but loses his soul, he has, in the most literal sense, lost everything that truly matters