Who are the lost?

[Once4all]

I was reading something that talked about sharing the gospel and saving the lost. It got me to wondering about that term "the lost." Does everyone who is not a Christian fall into the category of "the lost"? Is that a scriptural way to use the term? Or have Christians appropriated a term identified in the Bible for a specific group of people and have applied it to a wider, never-intended audience?

From what I have found, "the lost" referred only to the Jews in the Bible. I've only looked briefly, searching for instances of that exact phrase ("the lost") and use of the word "lost" by itself in the New Testament. I don't see where it was ever used of Gentiles.

Comments?

[stephenpatrick]

Nov 8, 2012 21:21:54 GMT -5 Once4all said:

I was reading something that talked about sharing the gospel and saving the lost. It got me to wondering about that term "the lost." Does everyone who is not a Christian fall into the category of "the lost"? Is that a scriptural way to use the term? Or have Christians appropriated a term identified in the Bible for a specific group of people and have applied it to a wider, never-intended audience?

From what I have found, "the lost" referred only to the Jews in the Bible. I've only looked briefly, searching for instances of that exact phrase ("the lost") and use of the word "lost" by itself in the New Testament. I don't see where it was ever used of Gentiles.

Comments?

Hi Bev.

I too did a word search for the word "lost" in the NT.
Here it is.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Mark 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Luke 14:34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
Luke 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Luke 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luke 15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Luke 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
John 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
2Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:


Doesn't being lost imply that at one time you weren't lost? Or you were already home safe and sound. The man having a 100 sheep and losing one. The woman finding the coin which was hers. The prodigal son was at the beginning home under the care and protection of his father.
I think all of these are beautiful pictures of God caring for and protecting his people, Israel.

[Morris]

Nov 9, 2012 7:48:40 GMT -5 stephenpatrick said:

Nov 8, 2012 21:21:54 GMT -5 Once4all said:

Doesn't being lost imply that at one time you weren't lost?

While this is true, the word being examined is not simply about being 'no longer found'. There is an underlining concept of being destroyed/perishing.

For example, Romans 2:12 says, "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law". That word for "perish" is also Strong's #622; the same as in those verses quoted above by stephenpatrick (except for those verses which speak of "salt" which do not actually use any Greek word for 'lost' at all).

This connection between lost and destroyed/perish is fairly strong in this word, and in the ideas beings conveyed in their contexts. Take for example;

2 Thessalonians 2:10, "and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved". Note the contrasting of perish/lost with saved. It is really brought out in Luke 15:24, as has been pointed out, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry".

2 Corinthians 4:3, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing". This is mainly in reference to the unbelieving Jews.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

I think there is a strong contrast here between either perishing/being lost or to being saved. Either you're lost as 'ones perishing' or 'ones being saved'. Paul makes the assertion that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are lost/perishing; a stumbling block to the Jews, but foolishness to the Greeks. The Greeks are lost and perishing just as much as the Jews.

The whole of the wisdom and foolishness talk is aimed directly at the Greeks. The Gospel can have a veil and be a stumbling block to the Jews which are lost. The Gospel can be foolishness to the Greeks which are lost. They are both lost in their own ways.

That's my view on it, in a nutshell.

[Allyn]

My pat answer would those who are outside the gates. They are described in Rev. 21:8 and partly in chapter 22.

[Once4all]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Steve, what you wrote is exactly where I was headed. However, Sheldon did a great job of showing how the Gentiles can also be "lost." So I guess the word is not being used out of its biblical context, after all.

[Morris]

Nov 10, 2012 22:39:59 GMT -5 Once4all said:

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Steve, what you wrote is exactly where I was headed. However, Sheldon did a great job of showing how the Gentiles can also be "lost." So I guess the word is not being used out of its biblical context, after all.

Thanks for commenting on this, Bev. I did some further research just out of my own personal curiosity and found some more interesting verses. Figured I might as well share it with anyone that's interested too.

Matthew 10:39, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Here, lose/perish (Strong's G622, specifically in the form of 'apolesei') is juxtaposed with find (G2147 meaning "to find (literally or figuratively)"). It appears as though the meaning is definitely "lost" as opposed to "destroy".

However, notice the way it is said in Mark and Luke;
Mark 8:35, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it."
Luke 9:24, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."

In these verses, lose/perish is juxtaposed with save (G4982; "to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively)").

Luke also says it this way in Luke 17:33, "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it". This "preserve" (G2225) means "to engender alive, i.e. (by analogy) to rescue (passively, be saved) from death".

I believe this shows the intertwined aspects of lost and destroyed inherent within this word. There are other appearances of this specific form ('apolesei') of the word as well which I find helpful.

Mark 12:19, "Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others".
Luke 20:16-18, "He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” "

The exact same word here is certainly not just simply 'lost'.

I didn't even notice it before when I quoted it but look at 1 Corinthians 1:18,19,
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” "

I originally underlined the first one, 'perishing', but somehow missed the fact that 'destroy' is also word G622. What makes that one interesting is that it is a quote of Isaiah 29:14. The Hebrew equivalent word is Strong's H6, 'abad'. Comparing the definitions of the Greek and Hebrew words, we get a clear picture.
Greek G622 means "to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively."
Hebrew H6 means "properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)."

I'll finish with just two examples of H6;
Exodus 10:7, "Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” "

Numbers 16:33, "So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly."

[Once4all]

Thanks for the additional study info. I always enjoy it when you share your studies!