Let me start by offering and answer and then giving an explanation.
In a sense, yes, they were "lost." However, I believe there's more to their "lost" state. The Bible often distinguishes between those who are "lost" and those who are "rebellious." When we say someone is "lost," we are implying that they do not yet know, therefore a lack of knowledge contributes to their lost state. They may not necessarily be rebellious. However, to say that one is "rebellious" implies knowledge, but also apathy. And it is their apathy that contributes to their lost state.
In the end, anyone who is not "in Christ" (in the same way as those not IN the ark) will be lost for eternity. But the "lost" are often treated by God with compassion and grace (consider the parable of the Lost Sheep). The rebellious are often treated by God with wrath and anger. Humanity, at the time of the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, were more than just "lost." They were rebellious. They were wicked. In both accounts, wrath was poured out as a result of their rebellion and disregard for God.
So, let's investigate this a little deeper.
The Great Deluge (Genesis 6 & 7)
Genesis 6 sets the stage, and it begins in curious fashion. Verse 2, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose." (Genesis 6:2) If you ask me, this is how the moral and spiritual decline begins. What is basically described for us is the marriage between the godly ("sons of God") and the ungodly ("sons of man"). Man is doing their own thing, living their own way, and doing as they please. From this union comes a group known as "Nephilim." (Genesis 6:4) The Bible is unclear as to their identity, so I will not bother to speculate. But what is clear is that they were "mighty men who were of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:4) Whomever these men were, they were mighty, and they were men that had a reputation. Given the moral and spiritual condition of the day, I suspect they were renowned for their wickedness and godlessness. Let me clear, God did not flood the earth because godly people were marrying the wrong people. These actions were mere evidence of the problem - a disregard for God and the things of God.
Shortly thereafter, verse 5 describes the problem. "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7) And in the next chapter, God does exactly what He says He would do. "He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth." (Genesis 7:23) One might argue, "how could a loving God do such a thing?" That very question supposes that God was not provoked. I would ask it another way: "how could man, who owes everything to his creator, do such a thing to God?" The global flood of Noah's day was the direct judgment of God against sin and against rebellion. Now, if that had been all the story, the argument would hold up. We so often miss the wonderful grace that is expressed by God, especially in tragedy.
Noah, a Righteous Individual
God calls upon a man named Noah. He was a contrast of his culture, described as having "found favor in the eyes of the Lord" and "was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:8-9) In fact, he was the only one at the time. One can hardly believe that there was no other righteous person. All of those who could have been on the ark died in Genesis 5. It's hard to imagine that the culture had devolved into an entirely moral corrupt and godless society. It's hard to imagine at time where every single human being (apart from Noah) was absolutely morally bankrupt. It's worth noting that there is no specific sin mentioned. But it is all included in the words "wicked" and "violence" and "evil intention." It is a difficult picture to see. I look at our world today and those terms could easily describe our time. Can you imagine what it might have been like for Noah? To be the sole righteous person in the entire known world? To be the only human on earth to seek after God? I'm sure that there were some polite people around at the time. There had to have been some decent human beings. The point is, even for those people who are polite, and decent, who have some semblance of morality, perished because they were not in the ark.
The primary expression of sin is rebellion and independence toward God. The evil was great, every thought of everyone's heart was only evil. Every person was wholly corrupted. There was no goodness in the world. The people of Noah's day were not dabblers in sin. They were not casuals. They were "chief sinners." They had taken the plunge so deeply that everything they did was an abomination to God. Genesis 6:11 says, "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and the earth was filled with violence." So the biblical description of the pre-flood humanity is that they had become totally hardened, totally separated from God. And by extension beyond all repentance. As will be addressed in another question, there comes a point where in a person's hard-heartedness where repentance is not possible. The people of Noah’s day were not destroyed simply because they were lost. They were destroyed on account of their decision to live their lives independent from their Creator - and in doing so, in living independent from God, which became the pattern and the norm of the culture, the culture decayed to the point that it could not be repaired. And the only course of action that God had was to start over.
It's a wonder that God didn't wipe out all of humanity.
But God made a promise.
Genesis 3:15
It's also worth knowing that it took Noah one hundred years to complete the ark. Do you know what that means? People were given one hundred years to change. There would have been no hiding a project of this size a desert. Some speculate that one of the reasons the ark was so large was not just to carry all those animals, but to carry all the people that God had hoped would change their hearts. But that would have required someone from the people that they were not willing to give - acknowledgement of their failures and need for God. One pastor wrote, "What God determined to destroy was already self-destroyed." Matthew Henry said "None are punished by the justice of God, but those who hate to be reformed by the grace of God.” The global flood of Noah’s day was a demonstration of God’s punishment for sin.
This wasn't an isolated event. It has many counterparts in history. Certainly not to the extent of the flood. God judged the people of Canaan with a command to wipe them out (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). He similarly judged Sodom and Gomorrah, which we will get to. He judged Nineveh (Nahum 1:14), and Tyre (Ezekiel 26:4). And of course, this parallels the final judgment. Jesus said in Luke 17:26, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man." What does He mean? That His second coming who happen swiftly - people will be living their lives with no thought of God, like they were in Noah's day. Just as they were caught off guard by the flood, people will be caught off guard by Jesus' coming. Just as the unrighteous was swept away in the flood, but the righteous preserved in the ark, so it will be when Jesus returns - those who are in Christ will be preserved and saved, those apart from Christ will be judged and punished and will perish (John 3:16-21) At some point God will shut the door. I can only pray that when that day comes you made it in the ark, that you are in Christ, by faith in Christ.
A Concise Account of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13 - 14)
There were five cities known as the “cities of the plain”: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. They were all located in the Jordan Valley, likely along the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea. In Genesis 13, Lot and Abraham decide to part ways on account of the strife between the herdsmen of Lot's flock and Abram's flock. The land was also unable to accommodate them both. Lot eventually "settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tend as far as Sodom." (Genesis 13:12) Verse 13 tells us that “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.”
In the next chapter, an army gathers against Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities. Sodom and Gomorrah were lost and "the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way." (Genesis 14:11-12) Abram would rescue those taken captive with 318 men. "Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people." (Genesis 14:16) Lot would return to Sodom.
Sodom and Gomorrah: Cities Known for Sinfulness (Genesis 18, 19)
The five cities of the plain were also known as "Cities of sin." In Genesis 18 the Lord informs Abraham of His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. “The Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me.” Abraha takes the role of Jesus here. He pleads for the cities, largely because his nephew Lot and his family lives in that region. And he asks God this question - “will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23) The answer to that question is, no, He would not. So, God says if there’s 50 righteous people in the city, He won’t destroy it. Abraham continues to plead with God. The number eventually gets down to 10, and in the end only Lot and his family is rescued. It’s a similar parallel to the flood - only Noah and his family were spared in the ark; only Lot and his family were spared from destruction of the Sodom and Gomorrah. Jump ahead to chapter 19. Genesis 19:28-29 indicates that more than just Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. “And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” Interestingly, Zoar was the sole city that remained unharmed, and it was the city where Lot sought refuge.
In the New Testament, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is used as a cautionary tale about the consequences of sin. Though God is loving and compassionate, He is also holy and just. One might argue that we are all sinful, and that is true. Just like the Bible distinguishes between being "lost" and being "rebellious," it also differentiates sin from an ongoing pattern of sinful behavior. The former suggests a lack of understanding, while the latter indicates a deliberate choice. The haunting destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a forewarning of the fate awaiting the wicked at the Second Coming of Jesus. In 2 Peter 2, the disciple writes, “if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly, and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passions and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones. (2 Peter 2:6-10) Like Noah, Lot was a contrast of his culture. Like Noah, Lot was the lone righteous man. He was saved.
The Sins of Sodom and Gomorrah
The question remains unanswered: What sins did they commit? Contrary to the flood, specific sins are identified for us. It was a wicked and vile place. Evil had pervaded every corner. 2 Peter 2 gets specific. First, they are described as "ungodly" which is all-inclusive of their deeds. They were engaged in “sensual conduct.” This would include sexual promiscuity and perversion. Sensuality is listed as one characteristic of those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). They were “lawless,” indulging “in the lust of defiling passions” and they “despised authority.” They were also “bold and willful” implying, I believe, that perhaps they knew better but did not care. Romans 1:21-32 gives a detailed digression of those enslaved by sensuality. The account in Genesis 19 also highlights homosexuality. Modern thinkers will say it was their lack of hospitality, that gives offense to God - that their demands to have sex with the guests in Lot’s house reveals their deep-seated violence and inhospitality. While inhospitality might have been involved, it’s clearly not the only sin. Peter’s statement can’t be ignored. Ezekiel 16:49-50 also gives more insight: “this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” The word “abomination” is the same word used in Leviticus 18:22 referring to homosexuality. So, while homosexuality was not the only sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, it cannot be ignored. They were guilty of many other sins. Though it would appear that sexual sins were the principal reasons.
In both the case of the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, we see the righteousness and holiness of God and His attitude towards sin. We also witness His grace and compassion in action. Noah spent a century constructing the ark, indicating that there was a century available for people to make a change. The door was closed, yet the righteous Noah and his family were saved. Lot and his family, distressed by the immorality and lack of reverence in Sodom, were also rescued, along with the city of Zoar, from destruction. Both examples serve as a preview of the ultimate judgment that will occur when Jesus returns. Those who are not in Christ will face destruction similar to the flood and fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, while those who are in Christ will be rescued and taken to safety for eternity. And I think the Bible is clear that they weren’t merely “lost” - they were rebellious. Jesus tells a parable about a lost lamb to explain God’s heart for lost people (Luke 15:3-7) The Good Shepherd was willing to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the fold to search for the one lost lamb. That lamb would have never found the Shepherd on its own. The parable demonstrates God’s tender concern for every individual, stopping at nothing to find those who need Him and bring them safely into His presence.
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