There are three parables in the Bible that I see a new fresh revelation in them. The first parable is regarding the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 13:44-46 NKJV
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The second parable is losing something and finding it later. This concept also applies to a shepherd losing one sheep and goes after that one sheep leaving the 99 behind. And it also applies to the prodigal son. All found in Luke 15. For this teaching, we will use the lost coin and finding it later after seeking it parable.

Luke 15:8-10 NKJV
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver [c]coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

In the first parable, where the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field that is found, is ‘salvation. Someone found something they didn’t have before and it’s priceless. Salvation is priceless and it is a gift from God.

When a person finds salvation, they find a true treasure and they never want to give up that treasure. In fact, they usually make changes, such as selling all he has and buying that field, as the parable put it so eloquently.

In the second parable, the woman had ten silver coins, and they have value to them. Note, she already has them. It’s not something she found. She can represent a Christian who lost something of value that he or she had.

Notice what she does, she lost it and noticed she lost it. She took the initiative to find and it took some effort. She needed light, and she moved everything in her house, swept the house, found this value.

She sought the Lord. She, a Christian representation ‘sought’ the Lord, and she found Him again.

There are big theological debates in today’s Christian world that say you can lose your salvation versus once saved, always saved.

The above parables talk about this topic and present it very simply.

You have someone who found salvation, and their life changed.

You have someone who lost something of value, and changed their life to find it again.

Both deal with salvation. One who didn’t know, and one who knew the worth but lost it somehow. Notice, we don’t know how the coin was lost. Isn’t that the way with anything? We don’t know how the other sock went missing but it happens.

But here’s the thing, when we know it’s valuable, we take care of it and place in a position in our life so that we know where it is and that it is safe.

This comes down to having knowledge of the value of salvation. Not all know the value of salvation.

Romans 6:23 NKJV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the [a]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:6-9 NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, [d]in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Once we understand the knowledge of His free gift, we walk in sanctification, saved, and then in justification because it is His blood that saves us from His wrath that is still coming.

So, then I ponder this, was a person, who ‘lost’ their salvation really saved in the first place?

Let’s remember a very important point here, we’re not God. So, if we ‘look’ or ‘judge’ a person on their actions, going to church, preaching behind the pulpit, praying for people, laying hands on those who need it, are they saved but those actions?

Remember 1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

They are not. They are only saved when they confess as Romans 10:9 tells us:
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

And after making that confession of prophecy over their lives, they realize the value of what they have, and the love of God transforms their heart. And the first thing a person saved wants to do is ‘change’ their life around to put God first in their lives.

How can we see if someone is saved or not? You will know them by their fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

If we see a preacher, theologian, or anyone who seem to be in the Word but are not demonstrating love and forgiveness, this should be a red flag to you. But don’t condemn them. Pray for them as Jesus prayed for us in John 17.

Be of good cheer, He will not lose one.

John 17:9-19 NKJV
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep[d] through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them [e]in the world, I kept them in [f]Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is [g]lost except the son of [h]perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify[i] them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

We have the Word of Jesus Himself, prophecy over us that He will not lose any of us.

Join Him in prayer. Pray this prayer over everyone, whether you think they are living for Christ or not. This is the prophecy prayer that will keep us.

It will be the treasure we find, and take care not to misplace or lose.

And it will be the motivation for us to realize that we have something of value, His salvation that we will always seek when we felt or believed it was lost.