Yes — the Bible itself calls Lot just and righteous; he was a believer, even though his life in Sodom was marked by poor choices.
Scripture twice describes Lot as 'just' and 'that righteous man' (2 Peter 2:7-8), declaring that God delivered him when Sodom was destroyed. Les Feldick teaches that he does not originate this claim — the Scripture does — and he simply does not argue with the Book. Lot's righteousness did not keep him from being drawn in by Sodom's wealth, but his righteous soul was vexed day by day by their unlawful deeds.
2 Peter 2:7-8 — The explicit passage that calls Lot 'just' and 'righteous' even while he dwelt among the wicked — the direct biblical answer.
Genesis 13:12 — Shows Lot's first step of drifting toward Sodom by pitching his tent toward the city.
In the book of Genesis, Lot is introduced to us as a man who made a choice based on what his eyes saw. When Abram gave him the choice of the land, Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld the plain of Jordan, 'well watered every where,' even 'as the garden of the LORD' (Genesis 13:10). He chose that well-watered valley and 'pitched his tent toward Sodom' (Genesis 13:12). By the time the two angels arrive in Genesis 19, Lot has gone from pitching his tent toward Sodom to sitting in the gate of the city as one of its leaders (Genesis 19:1). Yet the New Testament is explicit about Lot's standing before God. Second Peter 2:7 says God 'delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.' The very next verse explains why he is called righteous: 'For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.' Whatever else was true about Lot's location and choices, Scripture applies the words 'just' and 'righteous' to him, and it records that God delivered him.
Les Feldick is well aware of the question. He says, 'Some of you may want to call me and write me and ask me how in the world I can make a statement to the effect that Lot is a believer.' His answer is that he does not make the statement — the Scripture does: 'I can't understand it. The Scripture does, and I don't argue with the book.' For Les, the matter is settled by 2 Peter 2, where Peter calls Lot 'just or righteous Lot' (Clips 0, 7). Les also traces how a believer could end up so embedded in Sodom. The Jordan Valley appealed to Lot because it was beautiful and offered every possibility for increasing his herds and flocks, so he took the well-watered plain while Abram stayed in the mountains (Clips 1-2). He pitched his tent toward Sodom rather than moving in at once, and Les uses this as an illustration of how sin works in every believer's life: 'We play with it, we toy with it, it toys with us, and then we just start slipping and slipping, and the first thing, what? It's got us.' Lot ended up not merely a resident of Sodom but one of its city fathers, sitting in the gate (Clips 4, 6). The final stroke is the deliverance. Les points out that God 'delivered just or righteous Lot, who was vexed, or was constantly in turmoil over the filthy manner of living of the wicked.' So Lot's righteousness is not a contradiction in Les's thinking — it is the Bible's own verdict on a man whose soul was distressed by the very city he would not leave (Clip 7).
Les anticipates the objection. He says that when he calls Lot a believer, the response is often, 'How in the world can I make a statement to the effect that Lot is a believer?' His answer is blunt: 'I don't make it. I can't understand it. The Scripture does, and I don't argue with the book.' He grounds the claim in 2 Peter 2, which he says deals with false teachers and yet still identifies Lot as 'just' and 'righteous'.
The Bible describes the plain of Jordan as 'well watered every where... even as the garden of the LORD' (Genesis 13:10). Les notes that it appealed to Lot because it was beautiful and had all the possibilities for increasing his herds and flocks. He also reminds us that Lot had been exposed to the world of Egypt on Abram's earlier detour, a mistake Abram would soon reap consequences from.
By the time the two angels arrive in Genesis 19, Lot is 'sitting in the gate.' Les explains the significance: in that setting, sitting in the gate meant the person was a city leader. Lot was, if not the city manager, on the council — 'he has become a great man in Sodom.' He had gone from pitching his tent toward Sodom to being one of the city fathers.
Les uses Lot to illustrate how sin gains a hold. It doesn't engulf a person all at once; instead, 'we play with it, we toy with it, it toys with us, and then we just start slipping and slipping' until it has us. That is exactly what happened to Lot — the tent toward Sodom became a residence, and the residence became a seat of power. Yet 2 Peter 2:8 says that during all of this, Lot's righteous soul was vexed day to day with the unlawful deeds of the wicked. He was inwardly troubled, even while he remained entangled.
After the three men appear in Genesis 18, the Lord tells Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom. Les explains that Abraham then begins to plead with the Lord — fifty righteous? forty? thirty? — because his beloved nephew Lot and Lot's offspring were living in the city. Abraham's intercession shows how personally connected he was to the fate of Sodom.
Scripture Declares Lot a Believer
Les answers the objection that he merely calls Lot a believer — he explains that the Scripture itself makes the statement, and he refuses to argue with the Book.
The Valley's Appeal
The Jordan Valley appealed to Lot because it was beautiful and offered the possibility of increasing his herds and flocks — the reason he was drawn away from Abram's highlands.
Lot's Choice of the Plain
Lot chose the well-watered plain to the east and pitched his tent toward Sodom; he did not jump into Sodom with both feet all at once.
Abraham's Plea for Sodom
Abraham bargained with the Lord about sparing Sodom because his beloved nephew Lot and Lot's offspring were living there.
Lot Sits in the Gate
By the time the angels come, Lot sits in the gate of Sodom — Les explains this means he had become a city leader, showing how deeply he had become entrenched.
Egypt's Influence on Lot
Les notes that Abram's exposure of Lot to Egypt was a mistake that would bring consequences, helping explain Lot's attraction to Sodom's world.
Sin's Gradual Grip
Les compares Lot's path to how sin works in every believer — toying with it until you slip and it has you — ending with Lot as one of the city fathers.
God Delivers Just Lot
God delivered just or righteous Lot, who was vexed — in constant turmoil — over the wicked's filthy manner of living, showing God's verdict on Lot's righteousness.
Genesis 13:10: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Why the plain of Jordan appealed to Lot and drew him toward Sodom.
Genesis 13:12: Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
The first step of Lot's drift into Sodom — he pitched his tent toward the city rather than entering it immediately.
Genesis 19:1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
Proof that Lot had become an important man in Sodom, sitting in the gate as a city leader.
2 Peter 2:7: And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
The Bible's direct statement that Lot was 'just' and that God delivered him.
2 Peter 2:8: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Explains how a righteous man could live among wickedness — his soul was vexed day to day.
Genesis 18:23: And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham's plea for the righteous in Sodom, prompted by Lot's presence in the city.
Yes, according to 2 Peter 2:7-8 God delivered 'just Lot' and called him 'that righteous man.' Les Feldick stresses that this is the Scripture's own statement, not a claim he invented — he simply does not argue with the Book.
The evidence shows the opposite inner reality: his righteous soul was vexed day after day with the unlawful deeds of the wicked (2 Peter 2:8). He was in constant turmoil over the filthy manner of living of the people around him, even while he stayed in the city.
Les traces the gradual slide: Lot saw the beautiful, well-watered valley with its potential for his herds and flocks, chose it, pitched his tent toward Sodom, and slowly slipped until he was sitting in the gate as one of the city fathers. He did not enter with both feet at once.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Says About Sodom, Lot, and Judgment (Romans 1)