This post is about something completely different. This is about “lostness” as many Christians see it. It is the lostness as often defined by Christianity. This term, which seems to encompass such meaningful words as “heaven and hell”, “to be saved” or “to be lost”. But it is also the “lostness of Christianity” in another respect, because “lostness” does not exist in the Bible. The word “lostness” (as a noun, that is, as a thing or a state) is foreign to the Bible. In fact, the Bible speaks exclusively of a verb “to get lost”. The traditions and the Bible are not congruent. This has consequences for teaching.

Nowhere does the Bible speak of being “lost.” This has consequences for teaching.

Let us first note that ” to belost” is indeed in the Bible. Understanding that is important. But the “lostness” exists only in the opinions and teachings about the Bible. They confuse the understanding of God’s action in this world. The Bible itself does not speak of a state (noun, “lostness”), but only of an activity, a becoming (verb, “to be lost”). It is not a state, but the change into a (different) state. The question now is which state is meant.

Reflections

It was perhaps 30 years ago when I first looked up these words in the Bible. It was quite a manageable number of Bible passages. The topic seemed to be well delineated. It should not be too difficult to understand what the Bible says on this subject.

The doctrine reflects the understanding of God and also the knowledge of God. It is there that the understanding of the Gospel, of God’s work and purpose with this world, is condensed. Provided one does not simply try to confirm the known thoughts, reflection can bring a real deepening of one’s understanding. We do not always know consciously and justifiably where certain thoughts and considerations come from. And sometimes you think you know something, which on closer inspection turns out to be something completely different. At least that’s what happened to me when I first looked up the terms “lostness” and “getting lost” in the Bible.

The first thing I did, however, was make a list – a list of words and terms that I recalled spontaneously from memory. These, I was firmly convinced, were always associated by me and others with “getting lost.” Not only had I done so myself, but up and down the country I found such references in scriptures, literature, taught at Bible schools, and mentioned in conversations with others.

The list looked something like this:

• Lost
• Eternal forlornness
• lost forever
• Be lost
• he who does not believe is lost
• Hell
• Condemnation
• Godforsakenness
• Punishment and chastisement
• Under the wrath of God

Then I took a Greek concordance and looked up all the passages in the New Testament; I read all the passages in the Bible where this “getting lost” was mentioned. Afterwards I compared the results with my list. This was a sobering inventory. All the links that should be there according to my understanding were not to be found in the Bible itself. My list looked like this after an initial triage:

The list after an initial comparison with the Bible:

• Lost
• Eternal forlornness
• lost forever
• Be lost
• he who does not believe is lost
• Hell
• Condemnation
• Godforsakenness
• Punishment and chastisement
• Under the wrath of God

Nothing at all remained of my first assumptions. Nothing of what I thought I found back in the Bible. Of course, I was able to bend some familiar parts to somehow find it back in there, but that wasn’t the goal. I did not want to interpret anything into the Bible, but I wanted to find out what the Bible itself says. And all the connections with other words that I had taken for granted were foreign to the Bible.

Nothing at all remained of my first assumptions.

Oops!

Eternal forlornness?

One of the most quoted passages is in John 3:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16

Not to be lost, but to have eternal life. That’s what it’s all about, right? Or is it not true? The answer to this question depends on how we interpret the expressions “to be lost” and “eternal life.” They are both not explained in this verse. The only thing that can be deduced here is that they contrast with each other. So we would like to maintain that. But what these terms mean must be explained from the entire biblical testimony, because it is not explained here.

This is probably also the place with which an “eternal lostness” is justified. Although it is not written there, the implication is: “If life is eternal, so should “being lost” be”. The reverse conclusion is made. However, only a few people seem to notice that this completely ignores the context and disregards the wording. The pressure of tradition is strong.

Is “eternal life” really a goal? Is this the formulation of God’s will? Is the goal to prolong our lives? Is this fulfillment and salvation? Or is He Himself left out of this formulation? The reduction to an endless duration of life seems to have little to do with God Himself….

Now, if we pursue the word “to be lost” (Gr. apollumi), it is only because it should help us to understand the Bible better.

Get lost

The Greek word for “to be lost” is apollumi. It is a verb and expresses a development, a movement, an activity. When something is “lost,” something happens. Below are all the posts, so that everyone can make up their own mind:

apollumi (gr. ἀπόλλυμι) – to be lost, to perish.

• Matthew 2:13; 5:29 5:30 8:25 9:17 10:6 10:28 10:39 (2x) 10:42 12:14 15:24 16:25 (2x) 18:11 18:14 21:41 22:7 26:52 27:20
• Mark 1:24; 2:22 3:6 4:38 8:35 (2x) 9:22 9:41 11:18 12:9
• Luke 4:34; 5:37 6:9 8:24 9:24 (2x) 9:25 9:56 11:51 13:3 13:5 13:33 15:4 (2x) 15:6 15:8 15:9 15:17 15:24 15:32 17:27 17:29 17:33 (2x) 19:10 19:47 20:16 21:18
• John 3:15; 3:16 6:12 6:27 6:39 10:10 10:28 11:50 12:25 17:12 18:9 18:14
• Acts 5:37
• Romans 2:12; 14:15
• 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1:19 8:11 10:9 10:10 15:18
• 2 Corinthians 2:15; 4:3 4:9
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10
• Hebrews 1:11
• James 1:11; 4:12
• 1 Peter 1:7
• 2 Peter 3:6; 3:9
• 2 John 8
• Jude 5 and Jude 9

The word also appears in a compound: sunapollumai (Gr. συνἀπόλλυμι) – to perish together.

• Hebrews 11:31

There is no such word as “lostness.” There is no noun, only a verb.

Lose something

According to etymology, the word apollumi is composed of apo (away) and ollumi (dissolve). The apo reinforces the dissolve. So it comes to an etymological term “to dissolve completely”. Perhaps the best way to compare this is with our expression “vanishing into thin air.” After all, if you lose something, the object has disappeared into thin air. It has disappeared. It got lost and now it’s gone.

“What man among you that hath an hundred sheep, and one of them is lost has not left the ninety-nine in the desert and goes after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does found he puts it on his shoulders with joy; and when he comes home, he calls together the friends and neighbors and says to them: Rejoice with me! For I have found my sheep that was lost.”
Lk 15,4-6

“Or what woman, having ten drachmas, when she loses a drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me! Because I found the drachma that I had lost.”
Lk 15,8-9

If you lose something, it is no longer there for you. It has disappeared from view. So there is no state like “lostness”, but only something that happens. What is lost is not lost afterwards (as if it had suddenly become a state), but it comes thereby into another state. A process is taking place. What is lost goes through this process. It is then “gone”, “invisible”, namely “disappeared from view” from the observer’s point of view.

But what is gone can also be found again. Striking: Everything that is really mentioned as “lost” in the Bible is also found again.

Striking: Everything that is really mentioned as “lost” in the Bible is also found again.

One might conclude that the Bible emphasizes “finding” more than “getting lost.” Unique in this context are the various parables we find in Luke 15.

The prodigal son

“And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said unto his father, Father, give me the portion of the inheritance that shall be mine. And he divided the possessions to them. And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything together and traveled away to a distant land, and there he squandered his wealth by living lavishly.

But when he had consumed all, a mighty famine came upon that land, and he himself began to suffer want. And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to herd swine. And he desired to fill his belly with the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave them to him.

But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s peons have an abundance of bread, but I am dying of hunger. I will arise and go to my Father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your peons!

And he arose and went to his father. But while he was still afar off, his father saw him and was moved within and ran and fell around his neck and kissed him. But the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said unto his slaves, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it upon him, and put a ring upon his hand, and sandals upon his feet; and bring forth the fatted calf, and slay it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and has come to life again, was lost and has been found. And they began to be joyful.

But his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and round dance. And he called one of the servants and inquired what it was. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath slain the fatted calf, because he hath restored him in health. But he became angry and would not go in. But his father went out and talked to him. And he answered and said unto the father, Behold, so many years have I served thee, and never have I transgressed a commandment of thine; and thou hast never given me a kid goat, that I might have been merry with my friends: but when this thy son is come, which hath passed thy substance with harlots, thou hast slain the fatted calf unto him.

And he said unto him, Child, thou art always with me, and all that is mine is thine. But yet you must be glad and rejoice now; for this your brother was dead, and isalive again, and is lost, and is found.”
Lk 15:11-32

The son had been “lost”, namely had disappeared from sight. Figuratively speaking, he had “died” for the Father. When the son came back, the father received him back from the dead, so to speak. He was found again.

There is no doubt here that the son did not fall prey to an “eternal forsakenness” or a “hell”. Nor was the situation irreversible. Rather, the only comparison is with death.

Kill and perish

The first time this word is used, we read in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the child and his mother to you, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.’ For Herod will seek the child to kill him. “
Mt 2,13

Herod wanted to “kill” the child. It has nothing to do with Herod pushing the child into a hell or eternal abandonment of God. He wanted to get Jesus out of the way, namely to kill him. His presence had to be changed to an absence. He wanted Jesus to lose his life. This Jesus, announced as king of the Jews (Mt 2,2), had to disappear from the stage. If this aspect is superficial, apollumi is the word used in the New Testament.

From Gamaliel’s speech to the Jewish religious leaders:

“For before those days Theudas stood up and said that he himself was something to which a number of about four hundred men adhered; he has been killed, and all who gave ear to him have been scattered and brought to nothing. After this Judas the Galilean arose, in the days of enrollment, and made a multitude of people apostate, and brought them after him: he also perished, and all that gave ear unto him were scattered.”
Acts 5:36-37

Judas the Galilean perished just as Theudas was killed. He died and disappeared from the stage. What happens afterwards is not an issue here. Apollumi simply means “to perish” in many places. Those who perish, die. The state in which one then arrives is death, not an irrational lostness. Other Bible passages in which this is similarly described are, for example, Lk 11:51 and Lk 13:33.

Those who perish, die. The state in which one then arrives is death, not an irrational lostness.

We read another example in the Gospel of John. Jesus was taken captive and before the Synedrium the Jews deliberate on the fate of Jesus:

“But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them: You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is profitable for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”
Jn 11:49-50, cf. Jn 18:14

It is better for one person to die than for the whole nation to perish. “Now this he said not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that he also should gather together into one the scattered children of God.”(John 11:51-52).

Without resurrection all lost

From the previous passages, it is in no way possible to conclude an endless separation from God or a torment in a hell. On the contrary, the statements are concrete and very clear. Those who perish, die. That’s as far as the thought goes. The person disappears from the perception.

Congruent with these statements is also the following reference from Paul:

“For if dead men are not raised, neither is Christ raised. But if Christ is not raised, your faith is void, you are still in your sins. So also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have been lost.”
1Cor 15,16-18

Paul talks about the resurrection in this chapter. The essence of his statement is that the resurrection of Christ is the fulcrum of the Gospel. If the resurrection does not take place, everything would be in vain. The raising of Christ is God’s confirmation of righteousness (Rom 4:25). If Christ is not raised, then we too would still be in our sins. And those who died as believers would have been lost. This is a strong argument that “to be lost” means “to die. Without resurrection, everything is over with death.

Without resurrection, Paul says, the believer is also lost. For without resurrection, death remains.

How is it possible for someone to be lost in Christ? Without resurrection, Paul says, the believer is also lost. Then death is not canceled and the deceased remain “lost”. There is no life in death. Death is the opposite of life. Only resurrection counters this. Without resurrection there is no expectation, not even for believers. This shows impressively that:

• to be lost = to perish = to die (with death as the result)
• this applies not only to the unbelievers, but explicitly also to the believers
• there is no life in death, but only after death – through resurrection
• without resurrection everything is over and we are “the most pitiable of all men” (1Cor 15,19)
• Getting lost” has nothing to do with hell or abandoning God.

Transition to another state

So getting lost does exist, but not in the sense that it is often still taught. To be lost means “to perish” or “to kill” in all clear contexts when it comes to the fate of people. Nothing goes beyond that. Whoever is lost, loses his life and is “gone” afterwards, as far as this world is concerned. On this aspect lies the emphasis of the Greek apollumi. There is no question of an end in hell, because without resurrection even the believers should be lost, Paul wrote. He thus confirms the meaning of perishing as “ending up in death.”

The conclusion of the biblical statements is very sober. Those who perish, die. However, this may mark a loss. For those who have died can no longer have a part in the current life. But we know that there is a resurrection of the dead, and a resurrection to life as well as a resurrection to judgment (John 5:28-29). Then it goes on. Exactly what happens next is not described by the term “get lost”. This concept only extends to death and not beyond.

Expand the horizon

What we have now read in terms of biblical references fundamentally changes the traditional view. The best way to illustrate this is with a graphic:

The traditional view of “getting lost,” as presupposed by the proponents of a “heaven and hell” doctrine, sees the reach as eternal and the state as irrevocable. The starting point doesn’t always seem so clear, because some think we never got off to a good start but are already lost from birth, while another group sees it as the person who doesn’t believe can still turn around until he dies. When he dies, only then is he irrevocably either saved or lost.

The biblical testimony, on the other hand, speaks quite differently. Here, “getting lost” does not begin with dying, but it is the dying process; “getting lost” ends with death.

The Greek apollumi points to an advent that is concluded by death . A person is then dead (not: lost!) until he is raised and appears for judgment (e.g., John 5:28-29 and Rev. 20:15).

The traditional view makes “getting lost” a condition. The verb is made into a noun, a “lostness” that lasts endlessly. The Bible, on the other hand, talks about a “getting lost” as something that happens and marks the change to another state. He who perishes dies and is death. Completely opposite conceptual worlds emerge.

The temporal horizon is extremely shortened after reading through the biblical statements. This does not trivialize the Bible, nor does it diminish the power of the statement. We only lose the wrong classification, which can be quite refreshing because it clears the view for God’s work. No endlessness, but a concrete statement about the loss of the current life is the focus. However, there is a catch, because this loss of life does have consequences – and that is why Jesus talks about it.

The outlook in the Gospels

At the beginning of this article was this verse:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 Rev. Elbf.

This is a core statement for many Christians, who on the one hand want to express God’s love for this world, but on the other hand also want to paint the seriousness of rejecting Christ (with all the consequences): Carrot and stick. The love of God and the wrath of God. Heaven and hell. Eternal life and eternal loss. But is this interpretation consistent with the basic text and context?

In the context of the Gospels, Jesus has a clear mission: he was sent only to the lost (apollumi) sheep of the house of Israel(Matt. 15:24). Paul later writes that Jesus became a minister of the circumcision to confirm the promises to the fathers (Rom 15:8). Here in John 3, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, the “teacher of Israel” (John 3:10) about the kingdom of God (John 3:3), which in Matthew is also called the “kingdom of heaven” that had come very near with Jesus (Matt 4:17), the kingdom that Daniel already foresaw in visions when the God of heaven would set up a kingdom under all the heavens (Dan 2:44; Dan 7:27). This is the messianic kingdom of which the prophets spoke. Nicodemus is facing the Messiah and this is the topic of conversation. It now states:

“… So that everyone who believes in Him,
is not lost,
but has eternal life.”

To “believe” is thus the key to whether one is “lost” or has “eternal life”. All that remains is to understand what is meant by “believe,” “perish,” and “eternal life” in context.

All that remains is to understand what is meant by “believe,” “perish,” and “eternal life” in context.

Do not get lost – the famous verse

The well-known verse in John 3:16 can only be properly understood in its own context. What is actually written?

1. everyone who believes in Him...
   This is explained in the previous verses: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eonian life” (John 3:14-15 KNT). The Israelites, when bitten by the serpents, had to look solely to the bronze serpent to stay alive (Num 21:9). It was not an achievement of their own, but they had to fix their eyes and their expectation on the bronze snake. This was the God-given solution to stay alive. If they did not do that, they would not end up in hell or in “lostness,” but they would die. That is quite sober. From this comparison, it seamlessly transitions into the familiar verse. Here, too, it is a matter of life or death: everyone who believes will not perish (Gr. apollumi), but will have eternal (Gr. aionios) life. You just have to understand what “eternal” means.
2. Not to get lost ...
   This has now been justified in detail: This is about a “perishing”, or dying. The result is death. Those who are dead cannot have a share in the messianic kingdom.
3. Eternal Life ...
   The difference between this age and the future Messianic age is a recurring theme in the Gospels. By no means was this about an endless life, but about the life of the age to come, as for example in the following passage: “Then Peter began to ask Him: “Behold, we have forsaken all and followed Thee: What will our portion be?” Jesus answered him, “Verily I say unto you: There is no one who has left his house, brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife or children, or fields, for My sake and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive this back a hundredfold. now, in this term, houses, brothers and sisters, mother and father, children and fields – under persecutions – and in the coming eon eonian life.” (Mk 10:28-30 KNT). From this it is clear that the aeonic life is the life of the coming aeon or age. For Nicodemus, as a teacher of Israel, this was a familiar concept. To participate in the messianic kingdom was the outlook of the prophets. An endless eternity is completely out of place here.

That this is the correct context is also read from other passages:

“And when he was asked by the Pharisees: When cometh the kingdom of God? he answered and said unto them, The kingdom of God cometh not so as to be observed; neither shall it be said, Behold here! Or: See there! For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. But he said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see him. And they shall say unto you, Behold there; or, Behold here. Don’t go, don’t follow either!

For as the lightning flashes from one end under heaven to the other under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in his day. But before that, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark and the flood came and killed them all.

Likewise also as it happened in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and killed them all.

It will be the same on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day – whoever will be on the roof and has his utensil in the house, let him not go down to fetch it; and whoever is in the field, let him likewise not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! He who seeks to save his life will lose it; and he who loses it will preserve it.”
Lk 17:20-32 Rev. Elbf.

As in John 3, this is about Pharisees talking to Jesus about the Kingdom of God – the Messianic Kingdom. Comparisons are made. When the Kingdom of God comes, or “in the days of the Son of Man” (Lk 17:26 cf. Dan 7:13), it will be similar to what happened in the days of Noah or the days of Lot. Whoever has not then heard and set his eyes on the Messiah will perish (Gr. apollumi Lk 17:27; Lk 17:29). Whoever tries to save his soul in these days will lose it (gr. apollumi), but whoever loses it (gr. apollumi) will beget it to life. The message is clear: Jesus tells the Pharisees that it is better to lose one’s soul (one’s life) (listen correctly: Jesus recommends to let the soul be lost!) in order to then receive a share in the Messianic life.

The picture that gradually emerges here from the Gospels is quite different from what is usually taught. The conversation with Nicodemus is about access to the messianic kingdom, and whoever believes in this context will not perish in the preceding judgments, but will receive a share in the life of the messianic age. The promise and statement of Jesus is that whoever believes will be saved through the time of upheaval and will share in the Messianic Kingdom. Those who turn away from the Messiah will perish and will not receive a share in the Messianic life and age. This is the contrast. It is a matter of life and death, and who is in the Kingdom on earth. When these words were spoken, today’s church was not even mentioned, let alone an actuality. A connection with our time and an eternal destiny of all people is not up for discussion here for Jesus and Nicodemus – and should not be here for us either.

It is a matter of life and death and who is in the Kingdom on earth.

The outlook in the letters

The word “to be lost” is decisively interpreted from the Gospels. The linkage with an indefinite eternity and the change from a verb to a noun were very clumsy, as we have already seen. In the other writings of the New Testament, the word occurs several more times. There, too, it cannot be connected anywhere with an absolute final skill of people. A contrast between “perishing” and “being saved” is very real, but the meaning of perishing is nowhere extended to an endless time including eternal condemnation, punishment, hell and the like.

“For the word of the cross is indeed foolishness to those who perish;
But to us who are being saved, it is God’s power.”
1Cor 1,18

Let’s also compare another passage here so that we can better understand this first statement:

“…For a fragrance of Christ are we unto God in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to some a fragrance out of death unto death, and to others a fragrance out of life unto life.”
2Cor 2,15-16

The contrast is between “being saved” or “perishing”, between “life” and “death”. Here it shows again that the translation of apollumi with perish is very accurate and it does not go beyond the current lifetime.

“But if our gospel also be veiled, it is veiled in them that perish, in whom the God of this eon blindeth the minds of them that believe not, lest the brightness of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, should shine unto them.”
2Cor 4,3-4

In all these biblical passages, the approaches from the Gospels resonate. Especially in Paul’s early letters, the expectation of Christ’s return is vividly present. Just as in the Gospels the messianic kingdom was “at the door,” Paul also sees the appearance of Christ and the transition to a new age as concretely imminent.

“But we beseech you, brethren, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering unto Him… Then shall that lawless one be revealed… whose presence is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and wonders of falsehood, and by every seduction of unrighteousness among themthat perish (apollumi), because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved. Therefore, God will send them an efficacy of error, so that they will believe the lie, that all may be judged …”
2Thess 2,1-12

Salvation is real, as is sinking. However, both take place here on earth and concern the current life. The result is, of course, very different. Those who are saved here pass through to the new age (“our gathering unto Him”), while others perish “that all may be judged.” Believers will have their eyes on Christ and await Him. The rest of the people will go their own ways and pass through the judgment. So Paul wrote to the Thessalonians before:

“But since we are sons of the day, let us be sober, and let us put on the armor of faith and love, together with the helmet which the expectation of salvation is: For God did not set us to wrath (cf. Rom 1:18), but for the appropriation of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might be with Him at the same time. live. Therefore, speak to one another, and one build up another, as you also do.”
1Thess 5,8-11

Much has been lost

If one reads carefully through the biblical testimonies, much of the biblical context seems to have been lost. But it can be found again. The link with “dying” can be traced at every turn in the New Testament. Against the backdrop of an impending upheaval of this world – from this time into a new time – we can discover Him who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with Him at the same time.

Thus we can promise one another and leave all the rest to Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will(Eph 1:11), for “One alone is the Lawgiver and Judge, He who saves and He who kills”(Jas 4:12).

Deepening

• What is eternal life?
• When does eternal life begin?
• Is faith an achievement that I have to make?
• Does Paul teach double predestination?