When we consider the great height from which God’s love flows down to this earth, our hearts fill with wonder. We learn how far down sin has brought us when we see that God gave His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ the Creator of the universe, to be born in a manger and then to die on the cross — all to rescue us from sin’s grip. The Lord Jesus had to die to bring us back to God. He had to shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sins. He is now seated at God’s right hand in heaven. He is able to save every sinner.
Yet, there are people who think God will accept them into heaven by some way other than through His Son. “Jesus saith... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6). A substitute (good works, going to church, etc.) won’t do. The following true story illustrates how a substitute will fail.
The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan spans a wide channel of water called the Straits of Mackinac. It is an impressive structure consisting of miles of cable and iron.
When workers were being hired for its construction, Nick McMann and John Dunlite were two steel workers who jumped at the chance to work on what was to be one of the world’s largest bridges.
Nick was a single man, but John was married and had a family. John’s wife knew the danger involved in the work and was scared. “Too many things can go wrong, John,” she pleaded. But John answered, “It is the chance of a lifetime to work on this bridge, and besides that the money is good.”
Weeks and months went by and steady progress was made. Two steel towers were erected, one on either side of the channel. The towers stood 450 feet tall — straight up out of the water.
The next step in the construction was to stretch the first cable from tower to tower. Two volunteers were needed to man the top of one tower. Nick and John both volunteered. They trusted the engineer’s careful planning. A cable of steel one-inch thick was to be stretched across the channel by a ferry boat, and this cable would be used to pull a heavier, stronger cable across.
Nick and John were hoisted to the top of the tower. The blue waters of the straits were far beneath them. They could see Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east. They attached their work belts which held their tools weighing a full 40 pounds to their waists. They would have to work fast with these tools once the cable arrived.
At the last moment the engineers substituted a rope for the one-inch steel cable. It came across the tower, but when it started to bring the heavier cable across, the weight was too much for the rope. It broke. The shock wave of the breaking rope sent a violent shudder through the steel tower Nick and John were on. They lost their balance and fell off the tower. People on shore saw them struggling madly to get their heavy work belts off before they hit the water. They tried frantically, knowing the weight of those tools would take them to the bottom of the channel.
Many people in their last moments before death have wrestled frantically trying to get their sins off before they enter into death’s dark waters. There is only one remedy, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any other choice will fail, and the person will be banished from God’s presence to suffer in hell rather than to live in heaven. Do you know when you are going to die, so you can accept Christ at the last minute? No, of course not. Don’t take this risk; accept His salvation today.
Nick and John weren’t able to get their belts off in time. They hit the water and were killed instantly.
God has stretched one “cable” from heaven to earth — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31). It is strong, and for those who have trusted in it, it has never failed! Any substitute for God’s “cable” will definitely break.
When we receive God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our own Saviour, His blood cleanses us from all sin and we know for sure He will take us to heaven. This is God’s way of salvation. Is it yours?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).
ML-06/30/1985