The once beautiful cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, over 290 meters long, lay on its side, dwarfing the mouth of the small harbor of the Island of Giglio off the coast of Italy. About two-thirds of the cruise ship was submerged in saltwater. The portion of the ship that could be seen above the water still towered over its surroundings. The ship, which cost over a half billion euros (560 million USD, United States dollars) to build, had been declared a total loss.
It now lay rusting and rotting, an environmental risk and an eyesore for the people living on the island. The American salvaging firm, Titan Salvage, won a contract from the cruise ship line to remove the giant hulk. First, they would refloat the ship, which required the construction of underwater platforms and large floats, called sponsons, on both sides of the ship. Then the ship would have to be towed a considerable distance to a shipyard in Genoa, where it would be cut up for scrap metal. The cost of the entire salvage operation would be more than a billion euros (1.12 billion USD), which was approximately double the cost of building the ship in the first place.
Salvaged or Saved?
The word salvage comes from the Latin word “salvare,” which means “to save.” It is the same Latin word that the words “salvation” and “savior” come from.
But how different the idea of salvage is from salvation! To salvage a wreckage at sea means to save whatever has not been completely ruined of the ship or its cargo. In the case of the Costa Concordia, it was precious little. But God’s salvation through Christ saves all that has been ruined by sin and brings it into a much better state than ever before.
To make the salvation of sinners possible, God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life on Calvary’s cross. It cost over a billion Euros to salvage the Costa Concordia, but to redeem souls from death and destruction, it cost far more. It cost the life of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
And what a salvation He provides for all those who believe on Him! Please consider these immense blessings that come to ruined sinners when they believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation.
Three Huge Blessings
First, for guilty sinners, the stain of sin is forever removed. A stain is a blot, or ugly mark, that ruins what is bright or beautiful. After the act of sin is completed, the stain of sin remains. The stain of sin mars a person’s life and wrecks all chance of ever entering into heaven. That stain is washed away the moment a soul places his or her faith in Christ. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanse[s] 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)).
Second, because all have sinned, all have incurred a debt of eternal punishment. Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4) reads, “Behold, all souls are Mine. ... The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” The death referred to includes the eternal separation of the soul from God in hell. The debt of eternal punishment is a horrible debt to carry through life. Those who carry it run the risk of passing into a lost eternity at any second. However, no one needs to carry this debt through life because of what the Lord did on the cross. When a person believes on the Lord Jesus, that debt is completely discharged. Only through faith in the Lord Jesus can a sinner ever be rid of this terrible debt.
Third, the Costa Concordia was raised from a partially submerged state to later be cut up for scrap metal. The bodies of believers will be raised again, too. Although their bodies may be lying in the grave, at some future moment, God will raise them from the grave and reunite them with their souls. The resurrection bodies will be far more wonderful than our earthly bodies. They will be free from pain and suffering. These resurrected bodies will be able to enjoy the glories of heaven and the presence of God forever. “I am the resurrection, and the life,” the Lord Jesus said; “he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:2525Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25)).
Knowing the Saviour
What a Saviour! How marvelous that He should give these immense blessings to all those who believe on Him! The blessings that come to those who believe far exceed the losses they have suffered because of sin. No one could ever be worthy of these gifts, but God is very pleased to give them by His grace to all who believe. Won’t you be among the number of those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may learn firsthand the wonderful power of God to save sinners?
God works to remove the pain and stain of sin from our life. Are we thankful? Find out the proper attitude in Lessons From a Wisdom Tooth.