"9/11." Just to hear that expression brings such vivid images to our minds. That day changed our vocabulary. It changed our mentality. It was a day of thousands of tragic deaths. Many of us still recall where we were some forty years before 9/11 when we heard the upsetting news on November 22, 1963. That was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Another tragic death.

On a daily basis, on local, national, and world news, we are treated to reports of deaths, many of them labeled as "tragedies." Some of those tragic deaths are accidents in which there are innocent victims. It grieves us to hear the news that a young mother and her small children were killed in a wreck on the interstate. Or, perhaps it is the news that a toddler drowned, or that an infant never woke up from a nap.

Other tragedies are avoidable, but because of reckless behavior, they occur anyway. It fires me up when I hear of a body being tossed from a vehicle during a crash because the person was not wearing a seatbelt. It saddens, but also infuriates me, to hear a news report of a boating accident which results in people drowning because they were not wearing life jackets. Then, of course, there are the tragic deaths that are caused by drunk drivers.

Not for a moment would we downplay the significance of the tragedies that we have named above and their horrific consequences. Yet, in the big picture of things, there are other tragedies that far surpass any of those that we have listed. What might possibly be more tragic than the death of a beloved spouse, an infant, or thousands of innocent people in a tower?

The spiritual death of a Christian is a great tragedy. There is absolutely nothing pleasant about the thought of a child of God going back into a life of sin. The Bible calls the separation from God that comes about because of sin "death," and this has reference to spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1). For those that once escaped the corruption of the world, but later returned to it, then "the latter end is worse with them than the beginning" (2 Peter 2:20). Like "the prodigal son," such members of the church are "dead" and "lost" (Luke 15:32). Let us make certain that we are doing our best to help save these souls from death (James 5:19,20). Their departure from the living God is a horrible tragedy.

Another kind of tragic death occurs anytime that a person dies physically and is not a faithful child of God at the time. "As I live, saith the LORD God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live . . ." (Ezekiel 33:11). The Bible gives a comforting message about those who pass through physical death and are in a faithful relationship with God: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15). We also read, ". . . Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord . . ." (Revelation 14:13). Sometimes the word "untimely" is used to describe a person’s death. Truly untimely deaths – those are the physical deaths of non-Christians and unfaithful children of God. What makes them untimely? Answer: Those that leave this world separated from God remain separated from Him forever (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9).

A third type of tragic death is the death of a congregation of God’s people. Jesus sent a message through the apostle John to the first-century saints in the city of Sardis: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God., and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:1). A dead church? That is what Jesus called it. What a sobering thought. The Christ wants us to be "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). He wants us to remain "fervent in spirit" (Romans 12:11). But, when you get a local church that is filled with members that have lost their zeal to teach the lost, lost their desire to try and win back wandering sheep, lost their love for Bible study, loathe assembling with others saints to worship God, and could care less about the downtrodden, sick, needy, or lonely people around them, then, yep, you have a dead-church scenario.

Let’s not try and fool ourselves. There are congregations in our generation that have died a slow death. Some have closed their doors, others are barely hanging on, and yet others, while they still have big numbers in attendance, are just going through the motions. Decay has already set in. Do you know what? We could be next on the list of "slowly dying" churches unless we keep our hearts in tune with the Master’s plea: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).

The spiritual death of a Christian, the physical death of anyone that is not prepared for judgment, and the death of a congregation – these are, indeed, tragic deaths. They are not enjoyable to think about or discuss, and yet, we must admit the reality of such and do our best to educate others about them and avoid them in our own lives.

-- Roger D. Campbell