A department store building has collapsed in heavy rain. People are known to be trapped under the piles of cement. Everyone in reach rushes to help, frantically digging in the rubble for survivors. For each one brought out alive there are shouts and cheers and redoubled efforts to save another. The dazed survivors can only murmur: "It's a miracle I got out," or "If it hadn't been for that fireman—," or just, "Thank God! Thank God!"
An oil rig explodes and burns in the North Sea. More than 150 workers are suffocated or killed when the huge derrick falls across the platform. A few men escape by leaping into the icy water below where eager rescuers pick them up. Again we hear, "It was a miracle to escape—I thanked God!"
When little Andrew Byrd fell into a back yard swimming pool, only his eleven-year-old brother Allen saw the accident. Without hesitating, he dove in after Andy and brought him out safely. Toddler Andy had no words to express his feelings, but a picture of him snuggled trustingly in his brother's arms said it all.
Rescued! Thankful! Grateful to all who risked so much to save them! How normal. How natural. How right. If any one of the rescued had had a choice, would he have said, "Go away! I don't want to be rescued"?
It can happen. When a small ship struck the rocks in Moray Firth, the coast guard rushed to its aid. One by one the half-frozen sailors were lowered to the waiting boats. At last only the captain was left on the fast-sinking ship. Flatly he refused to leave, insisting that he could still bring his ship in to the harbor. Arguments failed to move him, and when they would have removed him by force, he suddenly produced a gun and threatened to shoot "dead on the spot" anyone who tried to take him.
Reluctantly the coast-guards-men had to leave. The rescued sailors were taken to shore, and the determined captain was left on his sinking ship in the on-coming darkness.
When morning dawned, there were the rocks, and there were the waves dashing against them, but the ship—where was it? And the captain, where was he? Only a little wreckage washed ashore.
How strange! How unnatural! How altogether wrong! Would normal people act like that?
Yes, they would. "Normal" people, average, everyday people are insisting that they can bring their ship of life to shore by themselves, they can reach the desired haven by their own efforts. They insist that they do not need the hand of love the Lord Jesus is holding out to them. If pressed too far, they may echo the thought, if not the words, of those who cried, "We will not have this man [Jesus] to reign over us!"
If not "this Man," the man Christ Jesus, then who? The Bible tells us that, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.
God has offered rescue to a poor, perishing world; can He be blamed if His salvation is refused, if the ones He would so willingly have saved, refuse His offer? God is "not willing that any should perish," but still people insist that, "I can do it myself!" "I can climb up to heaven my own way."
What way is that? Oh, kindness and honesty and working for good causes and any other thing that seems good to them. But in the Bible, God's Word, we read that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Rags, filthy or clean, will not make a very good ladder to heaven!
But there is rescue—there is salvation—and it is already accomplished. The Savior has come down where we are, has given His life on the cross of Calvary, has risen again and gone back to heaven where He is able "to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Heb. 7:25.
How strange and unnatural it is for anyone to refuse His salvation!
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Heb. 2:3.