The Only Distinction That Matters

In Luke 19:10 I read, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (NLT)

In God’s eyes, there are only two kinds of people—saved people and lost people. Every one of us falls into one of these two categories. And, ultimately, no other human distinction matters.

God loves all people—regardless of gender, race, or culture. And he doesn’t distinguish people by their education, looks, wealth, or talent. What matters most to him is whether people are spiritually saved or lost.

The terms “Saved” and “lost” imply value. The two words mean that God sees me as being worthy of seeking, saving, and finding; “saved” and “lost” are expressions of his love.

The Bible says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10 NLT). That’s how valuable I am. Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save me.

Only valuable things get lost; invaluable things just get misplaced. In other words, nobody loses a toothpick. You may misplace a toothpick, but I don’t lose it, because it’s not that valuable.

If I lost my wedding ring, it would be a real loss. I would never misplace my wedding ring; I would lose it.

So, when we talk about whether a person is spiritually saved or lost, they’re incredibly valuable.

But God doesn’t want anyone to be spiritually lost. Why? Because it means they are disconnected from him and don’t have a relationship with him.

In God’s eyes, there are only two kinds of people, saved people and lost people. Ultimately, no other human distinction matters. God loves all people, regardless of gender, race, or culture. And he doesn’t distinguish people by their education, looks, wealth, or talent. What matters most to him is whether people are spiritually saved or lost. The terms “Saved” and “lost” imply value. The two words mean that God sees me as being worthy of seeking, saving, and finding; “saved” and “lost” are expressions of his love. “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost”. Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save me. Only valuable things get lost. When we talk about whether a person is spiritually saved or lost, they’re incredibly valuable. God doesn’t want anyone to be spiritually lost, because it means they are disconnected from him and don’t have a relationship with him.

When Jesus said Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham and yet was lost, he must have shocked his hearer in at least two ways: (1) They would not have like to acknowledge that this unpopular tax collector was a fellow son of Abraham, and (2) they would not have wished to admin that the sons of Abraham could be lost. But a person is not saved because of good heritage or condemned by a bad one; faith is more important than genealogy. Jesus came to save all the lost, regardless of their background or previous way of life. Through faith, the lost can be forgiven and made new.