What it Means to be "Lost"

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From: TFTW Bible College

The story of the Prodigal Son, or a lost boy, in the Bible (Luke 15:11-32) is an analogy of the plight of man. In the story, the son rebels against his father’s way of life, takes his portion of his inheritance and goes and wastes it. He then finds himself alone and starving and without his family. He is lost. He then decides to go and apologize to the Father and ask if he could just be a servant in his father’s house. Once he repents, apologizes, and says he wants to live according to his father’s rule of the house, the father shows him great mercy. The father welcomes him back with open arms and holds a celebration. When talking to the other son who did not leave, the father states, “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 15:32) Just as the prodigal son was lost because he rebelled against his father’s house and wanted to live his own way, man is lost when he rebels against God’s rules and decides to go beyond God’s laws and live his own way. We, too, need to realize we were wrong in rebelling against God, the Father, and repent to turn back and offer to be a servant in His house. God will welcome us back with open arms and not only make us a servant but put us back in the family!

The idea of being "lost" is being

outside the family of God.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Ephesians 1:3) Paul states that all the spiritual blessings are “in Christ.” He means that we have spiritual blessings, but only if we are in the body of Christ. The “body of Christ” is another name for God’s church. In referencing Jesus, Paul wrote, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23) 

Paul stated that the church was also the house of God. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) Someone’s house is another way of saying someone’s family. Joshua said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Joshua’s physical house would not serve the Lord. He meant everyone in his family would serve the Lord. To have spiritual blessings, we need to be in Christ, God’s church, His house, His family.

What are the spiritual blessings we would get by being in God’s family? Think of what blessings you would get by being in a good, physical family. You would get love, fellowship, support, forgiveness, and possibly an inheritance. The same is true for the spiritual family of God. “In Christ” you will have love, fellowship, support, and spiritual inheritance.

God's Family is

Referred to as Body of Christ, The Church, House of God

One spiritual consequence of sin is that you are separated from God’s family and lose out on His inheritance, which is eternal life in Heaven. Unless you wash away your sins, you are separated from God now and you will remain separated from God for eternity. The location set aside for those separated from God for eternity is Hell. Those who do not obey God’s laws, but instead practice “iniquity” or “lawlessness,” will be separated from God. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23) Notice that even the ones who think they are following Christ will be told to depart from Him if what they do is not in accordance with the will of the Father. We know what the will of the Father is because He communicated it to us in His Word, the Bible. Where will those who are told to depart and be separated from Christ go? Into an eternal Hell. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41) 

Hell will be horrible because it will be a place of torment and a place where you will be separated from the love, fellowship, and inheritance of God. There will also be no hope of getting out because it is eternal punishment. 

On the other hand, Heaven is a wonderful place. In describing Heaven, John said, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

The good news is that, just like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, our Heavenly Father is merciful and wants us to return. He does not want us to stay lost and separated from Him and His blessings. God created Adam perfectly, but when man sinned, God lost a perfect man. Since we all have sinned, we cannot restore a perfect man to God. But, God sent His Son Jesus to live as a perfect man and to die as a perfect sacrifice to God for us. If we accept that payment on our behalf, by obeying God’s plan of salvation, we wash away our sins and are added to the church, His family. Those who obeyed God’s word on the Day of Pentecost were added by God to the church. “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47) 

  • Hear the good news about Jesus - Romans 10:13-14
  • Believe Jesus is the Son of God - John 3:16
  • Repent from sin and turn to obey God - Luke 13:3
  • Confess Jesus is the Son of God - Matthew 10:32
  • Be baptized to wash away your sins - Mark 16:16
  • Live faithfully serving Jesus - Revelation 2:10



a Christian, writer and homemaker

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