To gain the world but lose your soul is a poor bargain. A Faustian bargain is made anytime we sacrifice something of great spiritual or moral importance for something of worldly or material benefit, such as knowledge, power, or money. Many have gained worldly goods but lost their integrity in the process. Anyone who lies or steals has done exactly that. We fall into this trap of sacrificing our soul for some worldly good because we think we can live with a tarnished soul, or perhaps we just don’t weigh the bargain in the balance of eternity. If we are weighing the harm done to our soul against the worldly gain in the balance of worldly things, worldly things will always win. We see this all the time when people commit heinous crimes, and it is evident that they are only thinking selfishly. Robbing and killing others can only be contemplated by someone who is thinking of their own selfish and worldly gain. If one weighs these crimes in the balance of eternity and their eternal souls, one will automatically see the poor bargain. Ultimately, sin is the poor bargain of sacrificing something of ultimate value for something worthless, or only of temporary value. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36 NIV
