Perdition and Be Lost
A loss is when something is moving from its original place and when it is missing there could be good or bad consequences. This happens in our physical and in our spiritual worlds. When a person moves away from something, for whatever reason, he or she may lose himself or herself, and within the church when somebody falls away from and ignores God’s purpose and teachings we could say that perdition is present.
This perdition could have several causes such as immorality, a person who’s become a rich person, or become poor after being rich, to live through a tragedy or death of a loved one, depression, greed, lack of faith and others.
In our society it is common to want to become rich, which often results in being selfish, proud and arrogant with prepotence. Within the church it is a little more unusual but, it happens also. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” Mark 8:36-37 (ESV)
People in spiritual warfare who lose will often keep going with sin and, they are hurting themselves — soiling their very souls. They will not have what most believers enjoy — hope. “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water? While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither before any other plant. Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish. His confidence is severed, and his trust is a spider’s web.” Job 8:11-14 (ESV)
The arrogant and proud who think they are superior or better than the other are lost also. Because they believe and trust in other gods and not in our Lord and don’t live according to how Jesus taught. They treat other people opposite of how Jesus treats us and them. “For the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly that ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3 (ESV)
When we fail we could be lost but, when we have faith and love Him, God will raise us up again. This means that perdition will not be able to happen if we keep going, consistently looking up. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”.
The difficulty in Christian life today is to live without watching the world, following it in some way and getting lost. We need to be conscious that we have a transforming power in our lives through the Gospel and, if the world pushes us into perdition, Jesus the Good Shepherd always gives new opportunities to all His sheep to come back to the fold.
May God bless you.
