“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
Jesus made His mission on Earth very clear, “to save that which was lost.” Yes, He healed the sick and fed the multitude, but every word and miracle built a platform on which to proclaim His ultimate purpose. Today, we tend to get caught up in helping people without remembering the greater purpose for our good deeds. In order to have the same purpose as Jesus, we need to fully understand what it means to be lost.
First, those outside of Christ are slaves to sin. Anyone without the nature of Christ lives under the influence of the world, which is driven by Satan. That’s why Romans 6:16 tells us, “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”
That means the lost are also spiritually dead—a fact we see throughout Scripture. Romans 6 goes on to say, “For the wages of sin is death” (v23). And the apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian church that before Christ they, “were dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Sin is enjoyable for a time. So, what God calls slavery can seem like “living it up” by the world’s definition, but those without Christ are literally the walking dead!
Because we’re all born with a sin nature, we lack the ability to please God or to know Him personally. Choosing to remain in this condition results in eternal separation from God in the seclusion and sorrow of Hell. Jesus spoke of this eternal death sentence in John 3:18. “He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
How harsh Hell must be for Jesus to endure the punishment of the Cross! He paid the price for sin, satisfying the holiness of the Father and demonstrating His love for the lost. Why would the mission of His followers be anything other than the mission of the Cross?
Having the mind of Christ does more than benefit us personally; it helps us to fully understand what it means to be lost. And that compels us to be soul winners because Jesus was a soul winner. Whatever else God calls us to do serves this ultimate purpose. So today, make His mission your mission!
