What Shall it Profit?

A Solemn Call To All

By David L. Cooper

Biblical Research Society

Life is ACTUAL, REAL. Most of us are accustomed to think that death is the most solemn of all human experiences. This idea is indeed a mistake. Living is the most solemn; dying is only incidental. If our living has been right, glorious will be the exit out of this life, with all its disappointments and imperfections, into our glorious future existence.

The sacred writer in Psalm 49 presents to us the seriousness of life.

A CALL TO ALL NATIONS

“1 Hear this, all ye peoples;
Give hear, all ye inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp” (vss. 1-4).

Note that this call is to all—to the low and the high, to the poor and the rich. The writer asserts that he is speaking wisdom and understanding. This message if fundamental because it is a revelation from God to all people. It relates to the redemption, the salvation, of the soul and to the proper use of wealth, which may be entrusted to different ones.

THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

“Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil,
When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?” (vs. 5).

In this verse the psalmist expresses his absolute assurance regarding his own safety, physical and spiritual, in the days of evil. That he is talking primarily about the security of the soul, as well as his being preserved physically in times of danger, is seen by the fact that, immediately after speaking of his own security, he, in verses 6-10a, tells about the costliness of one’s redemption. He has no doubts about his own redemption, for in verse 15 he declares that God will “redeem my soul from the power of Sheol.” (In Old Testament times, from Adam to Christ, all people upon death descended into Sheol, or Hades—the place of departed spirits and the wicked to the other compartment.) The author, being perfectly assured of the security of the believer, the redeemed, realized that he would be brought up from Sheol into the presence of God in the future.

THE COSTLINESS OF REDEMPTION OF THE SOUL

“6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
7 Non of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him
8 (For the redemption of their life is costly, and it faileth for ever),
9 That he should still live always, that he should not see corruption.
10 For he shall see it” (vss. 6-10a).

In this passage the sacred writer shows that the soul of man is of inestimable value. It is eternal. Man at present is in the fallen condition. He must be ransomed, but all the material wealth in the universe can in no wise purchase the redemption of a single soul. As to the rich men of the world, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him (For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever), That he should live always, That he should not see corruption.

While man cannot with material wealth purchase either the redemption of his own soul of that of his brother, we know what is the redemption price of a human soul: “And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear: 18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down fro your father; 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ: 20 who was fore-known indeed before the foundations of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God” (I Peter 1:17-21). In plain English we have the divine revelation concerning the redemption price of every soul. Only those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and trust Him for redemption will ever be saved.

THE MISUSE OF MATERIAL WEALTH

“10 …Wise men die; the fool and the brutish alike perish, and leave their wealth to
other
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling
places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12 But man being in honor abideth not; he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings” (vs. 10b-13)
Here we have a statement concerning the misuse of riches, which God entrusts into the hands of many people. The majority of the wealthy seem to think that they have made their own fortunes. They have worked hard, been frugal, have accumulated great resources—in a word, they have a big bank account. While it is true that many thus labor, toil, and practice frugality and economy in their use and disposition of the wealth which they have accumulated, they should know once for all that it is God who gives them the power to make money. Here is the divine revelation on this point: Moses, in warning Israel (Deuteronomy 8:11-17), stressed the thought that they should beware lest they should forget a number of things that are of vital importance to man in his sojourn in this life. This warning is followed by a strong exhortation: “But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swear unto thy fathers, as at this day” (vs. 18). These words should resound—echo and re-echo—in the soul of every mortal.

These words, of Psalm 49:10b-13, are spoken concerning the way “the fool and the brutish” handle their wealth and dispose of it by their wills. They keep it in their own power and hands during life, but pass it on to their heirs at their death, thinking that their houses (their descendants) will continue with it, and that all their prestige and power will pass on from generation to generation of their posterity. In thus handling their wealth, they display their folly. They probably formulate certain fundamental principles of business and life that become axiomatic, in the circles in which they move. They pass on these statements to others, who approve of their sayings, thinking that, by following these, they will retain and increase their wealth, prestige, and power.

THE MISERABLE LOT OF THE UNSAVED VERSUS THE BLESSED CONDITION OF THE RIGHTEOUS

These unsaved people—lost, because they have not, for various reasons, accepted the redemption purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ himself—eventually pass from the stage of human activity into the world beyond, going out into the darkness of eternity without God and without hope (Eph. 2:11-12). When they make their exit into the great unexplored spirit world, they go to Sheol, to that part of Sheol where there is no hope. On this point, hear the psalmist:

“14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd: and the
upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be for
Sheol, to consume, that there be no habitation for it.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for he will receive me”

“They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.” Death, which is here personified, is their shepherd, who corrals them into the dark dungeons of Sheol. In this place their beauty is consumed. Concerning Sheol Job declared: “….But before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; 22 The land dark as midnight, the land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as midnight” (Job 10:21-22).

All of these descend to that apartment of Sheol to which they are assigned upon their death. They remain there until the thousand-year reign of our Lord is over. At that time they will be brought up from Sheol, will appear before the judgment of the great white throne, and will then be banished into outer darkness from which there is no possibility of return, being separated from God and all saved loved ones forever and ever.

On the other hand, those who have accepted the redemption purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ have, not only the assurance of protection and preservation in this life, but also perfect assurance that they will be with the Lord and all the blessed forever and ever.

The spirits of all the saints of Old Testament times—that went down in that part of Sheol to which Abraham and the righteous were assigned—came forth when our Lord was raised from the dead. When He ascended on high, He took these spirits with Him to glory (Ps. 68:18; Eph. 4:8-10). Since the conquest of our Lord over death, hell, and the grave, the redee3med upon death go immediately into the presence of Christ, awaiting the time of the rapture of the saints, which occurs before the Tribulation. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:16-17). (One should read I Thess. 4:14-5:11.)

Thus the redeemed, the saved, will have, as Psalm 49:15 states, dominion over the lost in that bright eternal day, for they will reign with Christ forever and ever.

FINAL WARNING REGARDING THE MISUSE OF WEALTH

In verses 16-20 of our psalm we find a final warning thrown out to the rich men and women of the world, the unsaved:

“16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul (and men praise thee, when thou doest
well to thyself),
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see the light.
20 Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

People should not fret themselves at evildoers, neither should they be afraid of those who are made rich, for they shall die and not carry their wealth with them; they leave it behind, usually for the heirs and lawyers to squabble over—the latter getting the lion’s share. Through men live, accumulate great wealth, and bless their souls, “He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see the light.” Of whom is the psalmist speaking thus? The next verse answers: “Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” Clearly he is referring to the lost rich people, those who are in honor—those esteemed because of their wealth—and understand not; that is, they have not understood the first principle of life, the necessity of accepting the redemption of the soul by the precious blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. As far as this life is concerned, they are like the beasts that perish. They pass out of this life; they, as Job said, go to their place from which they never return to this life. From the standpoint, then, of this life, they have perished. Of course, he does not mean perish in the sense of extinction, or ceasing to exist. Man is an immortal being and must spend eternity somewhere: either with God and the redeemed or with Satan and his emissaries, together with the lost.

Wealth and riches have wings, we are told. Man may be rich today and a pauper tomorrow. I know of a man concerning whom the statement was published in the local paper that he was worth forty-three million dollars. A few years later, testifying in a law court, he swore that he did not have a dollar to his name. There is nothing sure in this life—except the Lord Jesus Christ and the results of one’s doing His will.

Our psalmist does not say anything concerning the misuse of wealth on the part of redeemed, born-again people. On the contrary, he, in a trumpet blast, declared to all nations, to the low and the high, to the rich and the poor, the costliness of the redemption of one soul and the perils of riches in the hands of those who are redeemed should use the wealth entrusted to them is discussed by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. We shall therefore now turn to their teaching.

THE REDEEMER’S MESSAGE OF LIFE AND SERVICE

Concerning the redemption of the soul, our Lord declared that Christians should serve one another, “even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). He came and fought with Satan, won the victory over death, brought life and immortality to light through he gospel (II Tim. 1:8-11). The Lord Jesus in His conversation with Nicodemus declared, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). A baby is born of his mother into the world. This is the natural life. Jesus said that one must be born again, anew, from above. If he does not have this spiritual experience of regeneration—impartation of spiritual life—he can never enter the kingdom of God.

Concerning the use by the children of God of the wealth entrusted to them, our Lord spoke in a very definite, positive manner. Christians frequently speak of that which the Lord has entrusted to them as if it were their own. In Luke 16:1-13, this attitude is contrary to the plain teaching of the Lord Jesus. In this passage He spoke a parable to this effect: A certain rich man had a steward who had been accused to him of wasting his goods. The owner summoned the servant to give an account of his stewardship. Anticipating what the trouble was, the steward immediately planned for the future. Here is what he did: He called in one of his lord’s debtors and asked how much he owned. Upon being informed that he owed a hundred measures of oil, the steward told him to write out a statement for fifty. Another owed a hundred measures of wheat. The faithless steward reduced his bill by twenty per cent. When he was talking with his employer, of course he had to report what he had done. The employer commended the steward for being wise in making provision for his future, but did not commend him for his unrighteousness. Following this parable, our Lord gave His own interpretation of it, which shows the true status of the wealth entrusted to the children of God. Brother, sister, let the Lord’s words sink into the depths of your heart: “And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. 10 He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:9-13)

From these words we see that we are to use the material wealth which God has placed in our hands in preparing the way for a hearty, enthusiastic welcome into the eternal tabernacles. “Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.” Our use of the “unrighteous mammon” will determine the type of “eternal tabernacles” in which we reside throughout the ages of the future. Moreover, the one who is faithful in a little will be faithful in much. On the other hand, the one who is unrighteous in a little will be unrighteous in much. According to verse 11, the mammon of unrighteousness which is entrusted to us is not our own. It is not the true riches at all. Moreover, according to verse 12, the wealth which is entrusted to us is not ours; it belongs to another—to God. We are only the trustees of such possessions and are supposed to use these things for the advancement of the cause of the Lord.

Quite frequently Christians ask themselves questions like these: “Shall I give a tenth of my means, or income, to the Lord?” or, “Shall I, in addition to the tenth, make an offering?” Those who ask these and similar questions surely do no fully realize that we are not under law (for tithing is in the law and not in the gospel) but are under grace. Moreover, they do not understand that whatever wealth or possessions they have are held in trust, they being the Lord’s stewards to whom He has turned over His goods. We should never think about our possessions, for they are not ours. They are the Lord’s regardless of how large or how small. We should rather say: “How much of the Lord’s goods which He has committed to my management shall I use for my personal needs?”

Certainly we who are under grace should not do less than the Jews did when they were under the law. We should be as honest and conscientious about the disposition and use whatever means He has placed in our hands as an employee should be in the use or disposition of the goods entrusted to him by an employer. If I am working for some man or for a firm, I am expected to discharge the duties of my position to the advantage and gain—of course, in a righteous, honorable manner—of my employer. I must be honest and conscientious in regard to the Lord’s goods in my hand, because I shall have to give a strict account of my stewardship. If I am faithful as a steward, the Lord will commit to me that which will really be my own in eternity and will reward me accordingly.

If the Lord entrusts certain wealth into my hands, He expects me to use it in advancing His cause during the term of my stewardship, during my life. After death I have no jurisdiction over any wealth which He has put in my hands. It is mine to administer to His glory, to the advancement of His work, while it is in my hands. To will it to others that they might administer it is failing to be faithful to God in the matter of stewardship.

So very frequently born-again people hold on, with a bulldog grip, to the wealth that God has entrusted to them, and finally will it to their children or heirs, expecting them to administer the funds for the glory of God. In all too many instances those to whom the wealth is passed on have different ideas and fail to administer the estate to the glory of God. One should do his duty and should administer the money for God’s glory while it is still in his hands—during his lifetime.

A MESMSAGE FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL

Of all the apostles Paul stands out head and shoulders above the crowd. Fourteen of the books of the New Testament were written by him. The Spirit of God speaking through him regarding redemption declared: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith“(Gal. 3:13-14). Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and has brought the blessing of Abraham to all of us who believe. Salvation is full and free to all who will come to Him and accept His redemption.

Concerning the matter of wealth placed in the hands of Christians to be administered to the glory of God, the Apostle Paul gave the following charge to Timothy, who was to pass it on to the brethren: “Charge them that are rich to this present world, that they be not high-minded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed” (I Tim. 6:17-19). According to this statement, riches are uncertain. It is God who gives us all things richly to enjoy. We are to be, not rich in gold and silver, but in good works, always being “ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed.” These instructions are so very, very clear, and to the point, that they need no further comment. The wise servant of the Lord will act accordingly.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE LORD’S CAUSE THAT WILL YIELD UNBELIEVABLY LARGE DIVIDENDS

Every work of God, regardless of what it is or by whom it is carried on, should be supported by His people. Each should ask the Lord to lead him to see where he should invest the money which has been entrusted to him. At the same time the Lord expects us to examine, to investigate, and to use the initiative which He has given us in making our spiritual investments.

That these statements are in harmony with the Scriptures is clear from two parables: the parable of the talents and the parable of the pounds—especially that of the pounds. Each Christian has a pound and can make five or ten pounds with the one pound. This fact emphasizes individual initiative.

God told Abraham that it was in him and his seed the He Himself intends to bless the entire world. Everything which we have of a spiritual nature has come from God through Israel to us. But Israel as a nation has never yielded its life to God in order to become a channel through which His power may flow out to the world. We know, however, from the prophetic word that the remnant of the nation will thus yield and become the channel through which God will yet bless the world.

One of the most thrilling chapters in the entire Bible is Revelation, chapter 7. Here we see a company of 144,000 Jews—twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribe of Israel—who are servants of God, sealed to serve in the Tribulation period. Immediately after we see this vision, we are given another one of the world-wide revivals in which people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language are brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. The Apostle John, to whom this vision was shown, asked who are the ones constituting this innumerable host. The divine answer is found in these words: “These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). These people are saved during the Tribulation, because the church is taken out of the world prior to that time of judgment. But this innumerable company comes out of the Tribulation. We conclude therefore that they accept Christ after the Tribulation begins. Otherwise, they could not come out of it. Moreover, they wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are therefore people who are saved during the Tribulation.

Cut by whom are they led to the Lord? The fact that we see a vision of 144,000 Jews, servants of God, immediately before we are given the vision of this untold number argues positively that they, the 144,000, are the ones who lead this innumerable host to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In this connection we recall God’s promise to bless all nations in and through the Jews. We come to the irresistible conclusion that these 144,000 Jews are the ones who conduct this mighty worldwide revival, the greatest of all the ages.

The Jews do not have the truth of the gospel now, but the 144,000 will have it when the Tribulation begins. How will they get it? There is but one answer, which is that we who have the truth will now give it to them in a permanent form so that, after we are taken out of the world, the message will be in their hands for them to consider and to accept.

We who are giving the truth to Israel now are thus preparing the future world evangelists. Many of the Lord’s servants today invest large sums of money in educational institutions for the preparation of young men—ministers and missionaries—who enter the gospel ministry. This is indeed wonderful and great. We praise God that they are thus interested in training those who will proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. But does not wisdom dictate that those who have the Lord’s funds should likewise invest in preparing these future evangelists for this great task lying ahead of them?

Those who invest the Lord’s money, their time and talents, etc., in preparing these future evangelists will come in for indescribably great rewards, because they are making possible this mighty turning to God. What are you, my brother and my sister, stewards and stewardesses of God’s entrusted funds, doing in preparing for this mightiest of all revivals? This question will come before you at the judgment seat of Christ when you and I appear to receive the things done in the body (II Cor. 5:10). If we help in the preparation for it, we shall share equally with those Jewish evangelists who lead these uncountable millions to Christ. “He hat receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matt. 10:41).

We give thee but thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.
May we thy bounties thus
As stewards true receive,
And gladly, as thou blessest us,
To thee our first-fruits give.

–W. W. How