A 44-foot fishing boat named Vicious Fisher was cruising through the Olympic Maritime Sanctuary about thirteen miles west of La Push, Washington, when the steel hull sprung a leak. The crew tried to pump out the water entering the ship, but the water rushed in faster than they could remove it. With each passing moment the fishing boat sank lower into the long ocean rollers. Finally, the captain sent out a call for help.
All the crew was rescued, but the Vicious Fisher went down beneath the waves. Authorities were deeply concerned about the thousands of gallons of fuel oil still in the tanks of the ship. Someday the fuel tanks will erode and those thousands of gallons will leak out. The fuel will present a danger to the animal and plant life of the marine sanctuary. If an oil spill reaches the nearby wilderness beaches, it might take several years for the environment to return to its original condition.
Oil stains would cause the beaches to lose their pristine condition. Campers and naturalists would no longer find the area attractive. Animal and plant life would suffer. It would indeed be a great loss. Since there is one environment, it makes sense to care for it. What a shame it would be if the nearby beaches lost their luster because of an oil spill.
The environment, because it affects us in so many ways, is exceedingly precious; however, each one of us possesses a soul that will live on forever that is even more precious. Sadly, our souls have been stained by sin. Sin has marked us and marred us and made our souls lose their luster before God. In the natural environment, the fuel oil over time would be broken down and the stains it caused would disappear, but the stain left by sin will never break down; it will remain throughout the endless ages of eternity. No amount of wishing, self reformation, or good works will ever remove those stains. Jeremiah 2:2222For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. (Jeremiah 2:22) reads, “Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord God.” The only way for the stain of sin to be removed from a soul is for that person to bow their heart and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. At the cross, the Son of God gave His life and died in the sinner’s place. He was the Creator of the universe, but He let Himself be nailed to a cross of wood. The Lord Jesus was both man and God in the same person. As Man He could suffer death; as God His death could provide a sacrifice of infinite value to cancel out sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). When a person believes on the Lord Jesus as Saviour, His precious blood washes away every stain of sin. Sins past, present and future are all cleansed by its life-giving flow. The all-seeing eyes of God can no longer detect a speck of sin. “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalm 32:22Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (Psalm 32:2)).
Each of us has been given one soul. It is exceedingly precious because it will continue on forever. Souls washed in the blood of Christ will live on in the glories of heaven. Words can’t describe the fullness of joy souls will feel in that happy place. In contrast, souls who remain stained with sin will experience utter sorrow and misery in the darkness of a lost eternity. Diesel fuel washing up on a pristine beach is a shame and a great loss, but the loss is only temporary. Time will likely set it right. The loss of a soul who dies stained with sin is eternal and can never be set right.
The captain of the Vicious Fisher saw his ship was sinking and called out for help. Won’t you see your danger and call out to Him who alone has the power to save and cleanse the human soul?