The Lost
QUESTION
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
Brother Dan, could you please explain this Bible verse, thank you!
ANSWER
Let’s take in a little more of the context:
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:1-6)
In this passage, Paul is speaking of the tireless nature of his ministry efforts. His reliance is not upon emotional appeals, crass sensationalism, or other forms of carnal manipulation, but upon the clear declaration of gospel truth such that those who have the faith to receive it might understand this good news with clarity. To paraphrase his thesis: “We honestly and clearly declare the gospel without ceasing to all who are willing to listen.” When he goes on to say, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost,” I believe he is emphasizing the frequency, clarity, and ubiquity of his gospel labors. The intent is something like, “Look, if people don’t understand what we’re declaring unto them, it is not for lack of clarity or for lack of access, because those impediments are not in play. They don’t get it because they are LOST.”
Refining our understanding of Paul’s statement requires that we consider what is intended by the term “lost.” Many are quick to insist that “lost” means “non-elect.” There is no doubt that the non-elect cannot believe gospel truth, being devoid of the capacity of faith required to receive it (Romans 1:17, Galatians 5:22). It follows that gospel truth can be said to be “hidden” from the non-elect in this sense. Nevertheless, this definition is unnecessarily restrictive, IMO. One can be “lost” to gospel truth as an unregenerate member of God’s elect. Indeed, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6a). This tells us that there are members of God’s elect who are astray and out of the way with respect to the truth. Consider Paul’s own life arc. While PBs might haggle over the precise moment of Paul’s regeneration, we know that it was NOT from the womb because he says,
“For WE ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But AFTER THAT the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of REGENERATION, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:3-5)
Paul includes himself in this description, using the pronoun “we.” If he believed that his life followed a different pattern, he would have used “you” instead. That means that for some duration, as someone old enough to knowingly participate in such behaviors (disobedience, lustful pleasures, hatred for others, etc.), Paul was an unregenerate man. Why is that? Because he declares that “regeneration” came “after that.” With that observation, we see that even the elect can be in a state where the gospel is hidden to them, the state of “unregeneracy.” With that we broaden our definition of “lost” to include “the elect but unregenerate.” But there’s more…
Are the “non-elect” and the “elect/unregenerate” the only ones who could be said to be lost? Is it possible for an “elect/regenerate” person to be lost with respect to their reception of gospel truth? The Lord’s interaction with elect/regenerate Peter makes this point beyond any dispute, when held alongside John’s testimony (Matthew 16:15-23, I John 5:1). So we find that it is possible for even the elect/regenerate to be in a state of blindness regarding gospel truth.
THREE CATEGORIES OF “LOST”
Consequently, I believe it is possible to make a case that each of these three categories can be said to be “lost” at least in some sense:
NON-ELECT – ever and always “lost” in that they are cut off from gospel truth.
ELECT/UNREGENERATE – “lost” in their inability to receive gospel truth.
ELECT/REGENERATE – “lost” when their minds are confused by worldly things.
I believe we do the text a disservice when we insist that “lost” only means the “non-elect” by removing some of the intended theological ramifications. It seems to me that “lost” usually has reference to the sheep and not to the goats. The Lord does not have a goat herd and thus, whatever else might be said of their woeful state, they are not “lost” so far as the responsibilities of the shepherd are concerned. I have not done a comprehensive study of “lost” or the related concepts and terms in the bible to state that it definitively refers to the elect in a state of unregeneracy or regenerate rebellion, but I suspect that this is the most common implication. While I am not offended by the notion that the non-elect are “lost” to the gospel, as this is true at least in the sense that I defined it above, I don’t believe that this is primarily what Paul has in mind, if at all. The sheep are God’s people, sheep get “lost," and shepherds are tasked with recovering them.
In the final mix, Paul is stating that the impediments to gospel reception must be removed by God. Paul had been faithful to do his duty in distributing gospel truth with clarity and honesty, but gospel ministry is of insufficient force to effect conversion. Paul led horses to water, but only God can remove the objections of nature and conscience such that they drink.
- Elder Daniel Samons