Articles
What Does It Profit?
Many of the decisions we make take into consideration the benefits and the drawbacks. Ideally, the more important the decision, the more time we take, the more factors we consider, and the more thoughtful our considerations. We weigh the pros and cons, the benefits and liabilities, and whether or not we will be better off or worse. In the end, we want to know: Is this worth my time?
Hopefully, everyone who is reading this understands that spiritual matters are of utmost importance and, as such, we should make careful consideration of the questions relating to our spiritual condition and our eternal destination. This is not something we want to take lightly, and we should not overlook any factor, else we could make a decision that could be eternally costly.
There are some questions, though, that are relative to our spiritual condition that we might not realize. Some of these questions are asked within the Scriptures and worth considering, and worth knowing the answers. All of these questions essentially ask the same basic question: “What does it profit?” Let us see the questions, and the answers to each.
A Man's Labors. Three times, the wise writer asks this question. He first asks, “What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3), concluding that it will simply be forgotten by the passing of time (Eccl. 1:4-11). He asks again, “What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?” (Eccl. 3:9), concluding that he should just enjoy the work for work's sake because he doesn't know what will happen after he dies (Eccl. 3:22). Finally, he asks, “what profit has he who has labored for the wind?” (Eccl. 5:16), concluding again that a man should enjoy his work as his heritage, given by God (Eccl. 5:17-20).
Before we draw any conclusions ourselves, we have to consider the context of the questions put forth by the wise writer, for he speaks of our labors “under the sun” (Eccl. 1:3) and our labors “for the wind” (i.e., useless things, Eccl. 5:16). The book of Ecclesiastes is one written by a wise man who sought happiness and meaning in earthly pursuits [the things “under the sun”] and concluded none of it was worthwhile for answering his questions. Only after being disappointed by it all did he conclude, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Eccl. 12:13). You see, laboring only for the visible, material things is a worthless pursuit.
It really is meaningless to labor for earthly purposes, since everything of this earth is merely temporary. Paul reminds us, “(W)e do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). He would then add, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven” (2 Cor. 5:1, 2). Material things are, at best, temporary, so laboring only for the temporary things will seem like a colossal waste of time when we think of the eternal — which leads the wise writer to ask a similar question about the profit of certain endeavors…
Amassing Material Goods. The wise writer asks, “When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?” (Eccl. 5:11). He notes a related problem when he notes, in the previous verse, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase” (Eccl. 5:10). He learned — firsthand — that amassing material goods was not the road to happiness or meaning. He learned, “As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand” (Eccl. 5:15), and — if that was not enough to convince him — “I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” (Eccl. 2:18, 19).
More importantly, Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). It is discouraging to think that all we have labored for will just pass to the hands of someone has not worked for it, but we should be more concerned by the fact that all the material goods in the world cannot be traded for one soul! Even if we have gained every single thing on earth, and we haven't obtained eternal life, what good is it? That's a rhetorical question; it profits us nothing.
Jesus gives us a more worthwhile alternative when He admonished men to “not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19, 20). Instead of focusing on the material things that do not bring happiness or meaning, and cannot be traded for eternal life, we should focus on the eternal things and the things that do satisfy our desire for meaning. The solution is, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).
Faith and Works. James gives us another question worth our consideration: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (Jas. 2:14). To make the point about the uselessness of faith without works, he asks, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (Jas. 2:15, 16). In case there might have still been doubts as to what he was saying, he states it plainly: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jas. 2:17). In case one still didn't understand, he says again, “faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:20), and, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Jas. 2:26). In case anyone persists in saying a man can be saved by merely believing, James did not mince words when he wrote, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24).
A man who believes in Jesus as the Christ, but who does nothing for the one whom he calls ‘Savior,’ his faith is meaningless and useless. What good, James asks, is that faith? “Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (Jas. 2:19). Indeed, how can we claim we have saving faith if our faith is no different than the demons, who believe there is one God and that Jesus is the Christ (cf. Luke 4:41)? Are we going to claim that those demons will be saved?
No, friends and brethren, faith by itself will profit you nothing; it will not bring you praise from the Lord in the final judgment. Jesus Himself said plainly, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). James adds to His words in telling us our faith must be proven by our deeds, even after we have become a child of God. People of faith do what the Lord demands. [See Hebrews 11:4-39.] Will we do the same, or will we stubbornly claim we are saved 'by faith alone'? —— Steven Harper
