Is there any Christian teaching that promises as much success and salvation as the Titanic? By Leola Rosenvold

Reading time: 8 minutes

The Titanic, a fantastic new British passenger liner, was the pride of England. Many wanted to be there on the maiden voyage of the largest, most powerful and most luxurious ship that had ever crossed the seas.

One of its most outstanding qualities was that the Titanic conveyed the feeling of complete safety. The hull was double-walled and divided into sixteen watertight compartments. Even if four of these chambers were flooded, there was no danger of sinking.

Fortunately, 2.224 passengers and crew members were able to take part in the maiden voyage from England to New York - luxury on all levels. As the ship glided across the sea, every effort was made to satisfy the passengers' appetites with the most delicious foods. Music and dancing provided the necessary entertainment, everyone was content; everyone felt perfectly safe, they thought: "The ship is unsinkable."

The ship's officers had been warned to take the southern route to be on the safe side, because icebergs were crossing the sea to the north. But the captain, confident that his ship was unsinkable, chose the shorter North Atlantic route.

rude awakening

It happened just before midnight. A jazz band was playing the popular music of the time and the passengers danced to it. Suddenly they were rudely torn from their calm. Dancing and laughter stopped abruptly. Immediately the band changed the song and played: "Closer my God to you". What happened?

About 150 km off the coast of Newfoundland, the ship struck an iceberg that tore a XNUMX-foot leak in the right side, damaging five of the air chambers. Where was safety and peace now? The huge ship filled with water and began to list. The crew and passengers felt a false sense of security.

The Titanic radioed incessant SOS calls, but they went unheeded. Even on the California, a huge steamer that was only 30 km away, nobody heard the horrified cries for help, because the ship's radio station was not manned, the radio operator was not on the receiving end. Had the desperate cry been heard, all the passengers on the damaged ship would have been saved. But her reputation fell on deaf ears.

Since the Titanic did not have enough lifeboats on board, as many women and children as possible were transhipped first.

That night, April 15, 1912 at 2:20 a.m., 1.513 people including the captain and crew tragically found their icy grave by ship in the North Atlantic.

What happened to the 700 people in the lifeboats? Many more would have lost their lives that freezing night had not the steamer Carpathia arrived twenty minutes after the Titanic sank. All the people who were in the lifeboats were saved.

The captain and crew would certainly not have taken the advice to choose the northern route lightly if they had not lulled themselves into a false sense of security - in the feeling that the ship was unsinkable.

False Spiritual Security

Can it be that we also think we are in a false sense of security - spiritually? What is the spiritual impact of believing, "Once saved, always saved"? Are we like the passengers on the Titanic? Unaware of the approaching danger, do we go about our daily lives and pleasures as deceived "Christians," thinking, "I am saved!"? In our sense of being saved, don't we feel as safe as on an "unsinkable ship"?

Ellen White writes: "I have seen with sorrow the torment of thousands of souls who led their lives thoughtlessly and indifferently... They think it more important to lay up treasures on earth than to seek the truth. They live in peace, but it is not the peace that Jesus left to his followers, but the peace of self-deception and complacency, which means death.« (Review and Herald, January 13, 1885)

Just as self-deception and false security killed 1.513 people on that fateful April day, so in our day thousands of people will die from false spiritual peace.

real peace

But, thank the Lord, there is still real peace. All who seek the truth can find the peace that Jesus gives. It can be obtained by surrendering oneself to God, obeying His commandments, and resolutely adhering to Him to the end. Our Savior says: "He who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10,22:119,165 NL) The psalmist describes the great peace of soul like this: "He who loves your law will live in peace and will never fail" (Psalm XNUMX:XNUMX NIV). )

Ellen White writes: »Only the heart that has learned to give itself to God will find peace.« (Signs of the Times, July 20, 1882) She promises the overcomer: »Great will be his peace and joy, for it is God who gives them.« (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 227) This is the peace that Jesus promised his faithful followers.

false peace

On the other hand, Satan brazenly offers "peace" and "security" to all who wish to remain in their sins. Despite their sinful conduct, he assures them: You are saved! However, his "peace" has nothing to do with the security that the cross of the Messiah offers us. This cross showed how faithful and devout Jesus was. Jesus asks us too: »Take up the cross and follow me!« (Mark 10,21:XNUMX SLT)

Ellen White reports of those who rejected Jesus: “Obstinate, self-assured, and self-righteous, they closed the door to peace and their only hope because they would not walk God's way. They did not want to open wills and hearts to the light of truth. We do not want people to encourage others to seek safety, peace, prosperity and happiness by putting down their cross, as they did then. Then one finds only Satan's deceptive 'peace', but not the peace from above - the peace that Jesus promised.« (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 930, 931)

Countless rejoice that Jesus died on the cross for them; but they themselves do not want to carry their cross, do not want to let their ego and their sins die in order to become holy. They push aside the cross of truth and believe they are saved along with their sins. They do not understand that sanctification is part of the plan of salvation. They think believing is enough. Trapped in this false doctrine, they seek refuge in a semblance of peace. But isn't this peace like the deceptive peace on the Titanic? Paul describes their condition thus: "Therefore God sends them a power of deception, that they may believe lies, that they may be judged that did not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2,11.12:XNUMX)

Many realize too late that "believing" also means believing that sanctification and salvation belong together. It seems as if they are ignoring what Paul writes: »But we must always thank God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, that God chose you from the beginning to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and believing in the truth.« ( 2 Thessalonians 2,13:XNUMX NIV)

»For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, even more so, having been reconciled, we will be saved through his life.« (Romans 5,10:XNUMX NIV)

The Holy Spirit, through Ellen White, underscores this verse by making its meaning quite clear: “By his death we are reconciled to God; by his life, if it becomes visible in our life, we will be saved.« (Signs of the time, July 17, 1903)

Ellen White emphasizes the importance of sanctification: "Unless truth transforms and sanctifies the lives of men so that they may find a loving and godly basis for their hope, many a mistake or heresy will sweep them away and lose their salvation." (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 39)

If people are not sanctified by the truth, they will be swept away mercilessly by the waves of unbelief and perish like the Titanic.

Our task

In fact, those who know the truth and Satan's deadly plan should have no choice but to warn others. Why should we withhold the plain truth about sanctification. Don't we want to upset the "status quo" of the world? However, if we keep them silent, we will forget them ourselves. This has the same fatal consequences as the Titanic peace: The real peace and our lives go swimming.

"All who try to keep peace by remaining silent instead of defending the truth - the present truth of our time - fall into a peace that will end in the sleep of death." (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 930)

We want to declare present truth and hold back nothing that is important to salvation, because we believe that "truth brings comfort and peace that lies cannot give." (The Desire of Ages, 671)

In the last days, God's faithful servants will finish his work on earth: 'When God fills people with his spirit, they go to work. They proclaim the word of the LORD and their voices sound like trumpets. The truth does not become less or weaker in their hands. They will make the people aware of their trespasses and the house of Jacob their sins.« (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1647)

Another valuable statement also assures us: "As long as God has a church, he also has people who speak instead of being silent... I saw personalities... who actually wanted to speak soft words, but then trumpeted the truth... Preachers are free to tell the truth boldly proclaim it as it is in God's Word. The truth can hurt! … The truth wants to be spoken clearly. Makes it clear how necessary a decision is. While the false shepherds proclaim "peace" and preach pleasant things, God's servants will cry out the truth - relentlessly. The consequences must be left to God.« (spiritual gifts 2, 284-285)

If only we wanted to be among those men and women who let their voices sound like trumpets and call out, "Wake up! turn back! Watch and pray! Evil is coming!«

Choose the safe way!

Even if there are people who think they can safely cross the most dangerous waters, it is dangerous to believe in the safety of a "spiritual Titanic". When disaster strikes, these self-deceived people look death in the eye and realize: I'm not prepared for Jesus' coming. They will go down with the ship - they are doomed!

Does our »spiritual Titanic« have open ears? If we wake up now, we won't be unwarned like the passengers on the polar sea that fateful night. We want to hold tight to the truth and peace that Jesus promises to all of His disciples. Let us enter the heavenly harbor with Jesus as captain and pilot; in triumph – redeemed forever!