A Heart for the Lost

By Paul M. Gould

A Heart for the Lost

by Paul M. Gould

Happy New Year everyone! I've been studying the book of Romans this year and found myself in the first few verses of chapter nine this morning. I was struck with the Apostle Paul's passion for his nonbelieving neighbors. He speaks of his "great sorrow" and "anguish" over the fact that his fellow Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah (Rom. 9:2). He would rather be "cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers . . . the people of Israel" (Rom. 9:3-4).

Reading Paul's words and reflecting on his heart for the lost remind me of God's great love for people. God pursues—relentlessly—the lost so that they can have every opportunity to bend their knee and enter into a saving relationship with him. Paul's heart also challenges me: "Lord, would you give me a heart, like Paul, for the lost?" As we work diligently to provide you with the latest resources in apologetics, philosophy, and culture, let's not forget one important reason why we care about ideas. As Paul puts it elsewhere, we "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5) because we are engaged in a battle for the minds—and hearts—of those who don't yet know Jesus.

As you equip yourself through the many resources provided by our "Useful Things," would you pray for those in your life who don't yet know Jesus? And after you've studied, perhaps consider taking a step of faith to reach out to that friend and point them to the one "who is God over all, forever praised!" (Rom. 9:5)

— Paul Gould is founder and president of the Two Tasks Institute and a Visiting Fellow at the Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is also co-host of the Eudo Podcast and the author or editor of Cultural Apologetics, The Story of the Cosmos, and Philosophy: A Christian Introduction.