Why I Love the Apostle Paul’s Testimony for Evangelistic Purposes: Part 1-The Religious Lost Person

What Is Meant by Lost People?

Lost people typically fit into one of two categories: religious and rebellious. The term “lost” in biblical language means that these people are not followers of Jesus Christ. In other words, they have not repented of sin and put their faith in the finished work of Jesus (cf. Rom 3:23-25). The term also implies inherent dignity and worth (see, Reid, Evangelism Handbook, 37). If something is lost, we only know this to be the case because we value it enough to miss it when it’s not there. Scripture teaches, to summarize these points, a) all people are valuable to God as his image-bearers (Gen 1:27), b) some people have not repented of sin and placed their trust in the work of Christ, c) this means they are lost, and d) God has commissioned his followers to evangelize the world to bring these people to himself.

The structure of this post will explain what is meant by the religious lost person–my next post will be on the rebellious lost person. After we clarify this category, we will review how God’s work in the life of the Apostle Paul speaks directly to this group for evangelism purposes. Through this method, I hope to prove to you and show you why I love the Apostle Paul’s testimony for evangelistic purposes.

The Religious Lost Person

A religious lost person is one who believes they are not in need of salvation because of their morals or works. They wrongly believe that they are able to earn God’s favor by either being a “good person” or by performing religious acts. The root of a religious person’s sin is what the Bible calls “pride.” Scripture clearly teaches that every human being is born with a sinful nature (cf. Rom 3:23; Isa 64:6). The two issues that plague a religious lost person are as follows: 1) a wrongful trust in their own abilities, and 2) a diminishing of sin’s severity.

Paul wrote in Galatians 1:4, “[Christ] gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” We should ask, “How did Jesus Christ give himself for our sins?” The answer is the cross. Sin is so severe in God’s sight that it required the Son of God to die an excruciating death so that he could remain just and forgive sinners. Jesus’s death on a cross was God’s righteous wrath being poured out for the sins of the world. Therefore, our sin required a perfect sacrifice, which shows even the most religious person that even a perceived insignificant sin requires a great sacrifice.

Martin Luther taught:

This sentence … defines our sins as great, so great, in fact that the whole world could not make amends for a single sin…. Sin is an exacting despot who can be vanquished by no created power, but by the sovereign power of Jesus Christ alone.

Luther, Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians, 15-16

Paul’s Testimonial and Response to the Religious Lost Person

Paul was a very religious lost person prior to his conversion in Acts 9:1-19. This is what he says in his own words,

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Philippians 3:4-6

Paul’s religious life would put any modern day religious lost person’s works to shame. It’s like saying you are the best basketball player in the world. Then, Michael Jordan steps on the floor to prove that your skills are nowhere near his. In this analogy and from his writing in Philippians, Paul is Jordan.

We must ask the question, “Does this mean that religious lost person is without hope?” Absolutely not! Paul’s religious dependence was overcome when he met the resurrected Jesus. He illustrates the power of the gospel in the life of a religious lost person when he wrote,

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith–that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:8-11

Paul’s religious pursuits were countered by the righteousness of Christ’s work. He seems to imply that trying to gain salvation through good works or religious dedication will only lead to loss rather than gain. To put it another way, you will lose Christ in the name of seeking to gain God’s favor because it is impossible to do this. Nevertheless, by giving up religious pursuits to obtain salvation and putting your trust in Christ, you will gain Jesus and his righteousness will be given to you by grace through faith.

What is the gain you receive by trusting in the work of Christ instead of your own? Paul wrote that you will “attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:11). A new and eternal life! That’s what is gained by giving up on your own ability to be saved and trusting in the work of Christ for your salvation. What a gracious gift from God who sent his Son for all people–including the religious lost person.

No One Is Outside of God’s Gracious Reach

Why do I love Paul’s testimony for the religious lost person? It shows that no one is outside of God’s gracious reach. The same God who saved the religiously zealous Apostle Paul is the same loving and gracious God that can save the religious lost person today.

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