"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10.)

The Pharisees murmured because Jesus ate with sinners and received them. He then told them the three stories about lost things---a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost boy. (Luke 15.) The angels in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents. Being lost is a description of one’s spiritual condition with God. A sinner is separated from his God.

"Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God that he will not hear you. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue hath muttered perverseness." (Isa. 59:1-3.)

"My people hath been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place." (Jer. 50:6.)

"Go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 10:6-7.)

"But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor. 4:3.)

There is such a person as one "lost" in sin. It is a biblical precept and extraordinarily important to understand its meaning.

The Bible describes one separated from God due to sin in various ways. Being "lost" is one of several. For example, the word, dead, is often used as another analogy to describe that spiritual relationship with God. (Eph. 2:1-2, Gen. 2:17, 1 Tim. 5:6.) Another is unfaithfulness, as in a marriage relationship. Going after other gods in the OT is likened to one committing adultery. All of these say something about what it means to be apart from God.

We understand the meaning of being lost. We all have experienced being lost. It may be as simple as a child wandering off from his parents while walking in a crowd. Jesus was once "lost" in this physical sense. His parents did not know where he was. We may be lost driving in a strange town and not knowing exactly where we are. We know something of the fear that strikes our hearts when we first realize that we are lost.

However, there are some difficulties with this subject as well. It is possible for one to be lost spiritually and not realize it. One might think that they are with God and in reality not be! The elder brother was still at home, but unhappy and discontented. Many think that the story is more about the lostness of the elder brother rather than the prodigal son. He well represents the Pharisees among the Jews. It is possible to be blinded by the god of this world. Satan can deceive us. Even God is said to "send a strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they may be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. 2:11-12.)

#1: By being honest and allowing God to open our eyes

Since we can be deceived and sent a strong delusion, how can we know whether or not we are lost? To avoid being blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) and sent a delusion from God (2 Thess. 2:11), we must be honest about what we desire in life. If we purposefully seek to deceive God, we will be the ones who are deceived, for God cannot be mocked. We must not try to play games with God. He is smarter than we and He knows our hearts. By rejecting a knowledge of God and by rejecting honesty, we blind ourselves and destroy our consciences. The Bible is strong about not violating your conscience. If you think that something is wrong, do not violate your conscience. If you go contrary to your conscience, you commit sin even if the thing itself is not wrong! (Rom. 14:23.) That is a strong statement. Think about it. This is perhaps how we become deceived and deluded. If you have received a delusion, you will not know that you are lost.

Therefore, you cannot know if you are lost unless your eyes are open. Listen to Jesus, "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matt. 13:14-15.)

A song that we sing well states this truth. "Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for thee; ready my God, Thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Savior divine." ("Open My Eyes, That I May See," 505, Praise for the Lord.)

One is lost and confused about his origin and destiny if one does not believe in God.

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10.) "Know ye that the Lord He is God. It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:2.)

"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6.)

When one dies without faith in God, one cannot feel confident about what lies beyond. Most atheists are really agnostics; that is, they just do not know. They say that we cannot know for sure. They are in a state of confusion and ambivalence. They are lost concerning who they are and where they are going. Christians can say with Paul, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (2 Tim. 1:12.)

It is possible though to believe in God and yet remain lost. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well. The demons also believe and tremble." (James 2:19.) Thus, there is more to salvation than believing in God. Many, perhaps the majority, so believe.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me." (John 14:6.) "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

(1 John 5:11-12.) The Bible could not be clearer on this matter of salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12.) "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11.)

An Ethiopian treasurer once wanted to become a Christian by obeying the Gospel. He was told, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37.)

Jesus is described in the Bible as "Immanuel" which means, God with us. (Matt. 1:23.) "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14.) "Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. . . ." (Heb. 1:3.) If one rejects Jesus, one also rejects God. (1 John 2:22-23.) No one can claim faithfulness to God while rejecting Jesus. No one can be saved outside of Jesus Christ. Pluralism denies this basic teaching of Scripture. If Jesus is not the Savior, then there is no savior!

Everyone in Christ is declared by Scripture to be saved. Everyone who has not obeyed the Gospel can know that they are yet lost in their sins. "Obeying the Gospel" is a biblical phrase, though not often used in the religious world. They speak of saying the sinners’ prayer, receiving Christ in your hearts, and being saved the minute that you believe. They want to minimize your obedience to the Lord.

"But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6:17-18.)

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17.)

"And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16.) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13.)

One could have obeyed the Gospel in the past and now be lost.

The word, left, is often used in the Bible. It well describes the lostness of a person who was once saved.

"The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he hath left off to be wise and to do good." (Psalm 36:1-3.)

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 6.)

"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord having saved the people out of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." (Jude 5.)

"Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Heb. 10:38-39.)

According to Hebrews 10:25-26, if we leave the Christian assemblies, we have nothing to look forward to but a certain judgment and fiery indignation. If we have left the church, we are outside the place of redemption. You know whether you have left or not. The prodigal son left home.

One writer stated it plainly for all of us. He wrote, there are two considerations by which we may know that we are saved or lost. Are you living in your sins? Are you living with the saints? We are lost if we have left living with the saints and started again living in our sins!