Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 16:26

"For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?" — Matthew 16:26 (ASV)

For what is a man profited, etc. To gain the whole world means to possess it as our own—all its riches, honors, and 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;
2. That if the soul is lost, nothing can be given in exchange for it, or it can never after be saved. There is no redemption in hell.