BenjaBlog: Who is Lost?

Who is lost? As you read God's inspired word, you will find several verses that refer to the lost. One good example is Luke 19:10:

For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Those who are lost are those who have not obeyed God; those who are not Christians.

Now, there are many people in the world who profess to be Christians. Will they all go to heaven? Read Matthew 7:21-23:

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 who is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This verse tells us that many who profess to be Christians will not go to heaven. In fact, God will say to them, "I never knew you." Why will so many people who profess to be Christians be denied eternal life? Read Luke 6:46:

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

And John 14:15:

If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.

What must we do to have eternal life in heaven? We must obey God and keep His commandments. Why won't the members of all the denominations go to heaven? Because they have not kept God's commandments. They may sincerely believe that they are worshiping God in the right way, but unless they follow the Bible exactly, they are lost.

Many who profess to be Christians follow the teachings of men instead of God's commandments. Read Mark 7:7-9:

But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.
And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.

When people follow after the teachings of men, they are being led astray and are lost. Read Mark 13:22:

for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.

How can we know whether or not a teacher is speaking the truth? Read Acts 17:11:

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

The Beroeans were studying the scriptures to see whether the things that Paul and Silas were saying were true. We should do the same thing today to determine whether someone is a false teacher or not. First John 4:1 says,

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

One aspect of Christianity that is often corrupted by false teachers is salvation. One popular form of "salvation" is the sinner's prayer, where one prays to God and asks for forgiveness. Is someone who has said the sinner's prayer lost? Well, the Bible says nothing about the sinner's prayer, and it is not in the plan of salvation. Moreover, the Bible teaches that God only hears the prayers of the righteous. James 5:16 says:

The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.

Prayer is a privilege for those who have been saved. Sinners can pray, but God will not acknowledge their prayer. For more information about this subject, click here to read an article from Apologetics Press.

Many false teachers will lead people astray by teaching that baptism is not necessary. They say that just as long as you love God, He will have mercy on you and save you. First of all, Jesus said in John 14:15,

If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.

If you truly love God, you will obey Him. If you do not obey Him, you are lost. Also, the Bible clearly says that baptism is essential for salvation:

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.

(Mark 16:16)

So who is lost? Everyone in the world who has not been saved according to God's plan of salvation is lost. What is the plan of salvation? It is God's guideline of what to do in order to be saved. The first step is to hear. One must hear the gospel preached in order to understand what to do to be saved (Acts 2). The second step is to believe (John 14:11). One must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Next, one must repent of their sins, turning away from them and striving to live righteously (Matthew 4:17). The fourth step is to confess before men the belief that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 10:32). The last step is to be baptized: immersed in water, coming in contact with Christ's blood, to have one's sins washed away.

There are many people in the world who are lost. Every day we come into contact with people who do not know Christ. Many of our friends are not Christians. Jesus commanded His disciples in Mark 16:15,