A dad, his thirteen-year-old son, and a friend of the family hiked to the top of the Middle Falls on the Wallace River. They walked through tall evergreen forests and up switchback trails, climbing 1200 feet during their hour-and-a-half walk. Glacial-melt waters and the plentiful rains that fall on the Cascade Mountains feed the Wallace River. Once at the top, they took in the breath-taking scenery of the wild mountain river, the stunning waterfalls and the surrounding mountain peaks.
On an impulse, the young teen slipped off his hiking boots and decided to wade into the icy-cold river. Near the river’s edge was a large rock that was barely submerged. He misjudged the surface of the rock, which was far more slippery than he thought possible. As he stepped on it, he immediately slipped into the racing white water of the river! Instantly he reached out his hand to grab the hand of the friend who was standing on the river’s edge, but he missed his hand by inches.
The current of the river swept the thirteen-year-old downstream and over a ten-foot drop that was just above the main falls. At this point the river deepened and narrowed and raced through a rock gorge for a few yards before it roared over the main falls. The boy said later, “My first thought was that I was going to die!” He knew he had only seconds to find something to grab hold of before being plunged over the high, 270-foot falls to his death.
The boy’s feet struck a rock wall at the side of the river, and he was able to grab onto a ledge about a foot wide and six feet long. The rushing river had carved this little spot out of the solid, rock wall. The boy climbed onto it and scrunched himself into a ball, pulling his knees tightly up to his chin. He still couldn’t manage to get his feet out of the numbing, cold water. From this precarious perch, he could look almost straight down the height of Wallace Falls to the valley far below. One false move, one small loss of balance, and the boy would fall back into the river and plunge over the falls.
After his son had been swept downstream and over the ten-foot drop, the boy’s dad immediately called for help on his cell phone. The sheriff’s department quickly sent out a rescue helicopter.
By the time the helicopter arrived, it was getting dark. Spotlights lighted the area below the chopper while they lowered a rescue worker. However, the rope holding him was cut apart when it slashed against a sharp rock. The rescue worker plunged into the river and was only saved from going over the falls by a backup rope. After this failed attempt, another rescue worker struggled to rappel down the steep rock face to the boy below. It took hours of searching for toeholds, but finally he was able to reach the boy and help him climb up to safety. The rescue had taken most of the night and had almost cost the life of one of the rescuers.
Before we judge the boy too harshly for wading into a rushing mountain river just above a roaring cataract, consider this: Are you aware that his foolhardy act is just like one that each of us has committed?
The Bible states that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). When people do evil, they are walking on the slippery slope of sin where, at any instant, they may experience a serious fall. In fact, all of us have slipped into the rushing current of sin and are unable to remove ourselves from it in our own strength. The boy was headed to certain death if he went over the great falls. Each one of us will certainly perish forever if we leave this world in a state of sin. They will fall into the depths of a lost eternity from which there is NO RESCUE!
But our God loves us too much to let that happen without doing something about it. In His deep love for sinners, He made a plan by which we might be saved from our sins and the sentence of an eternal death: “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:1414And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)).
The Lord Jesus came into this world and lived a life of perfect purity and love. He alone was sinless. He did many wonderful miracles of healing in His life on earth, but these are minor when compared to His greatest work — He let Himself be nailed to the cross where He made the only sacrifice that could put away sin forever. Because of the great work the Lord Jesus did on the cross, God can reach out to men and women in grace and offer them a free salvation. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)). All those who put their trust in the Son of God receive the salvation He offers as a gift. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)).
Genuine faith is always accompanied by repentance, which is the renouncing and turning away from sin. A person can’t turn to God, who is light and love, without turning away from the darkness of sin. A person who has repented and has faith in Christ as their Saviour has passed from “death unto life.” This means he has passed from a state of rebellion where he was under condemnation and entered into a place of favor where God can bless him richly and fully, both in this life and in the life to come. This great passage takes place the instant a soul believes in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
We all have slipped into the current of sin that leads to judgment. Not one of us can escape the consequences of our sins by anything we can do. It takes the Saviour who went into death for us and then arose from the grave to save us. How much we all need God’s grace! And how ready and willing God is to fill your life with a steady stream of goodness and love the moment you believe! Won’t you turn from your sin to God in faith that you might know His wonderful grace and power to save?