Unsinkable

By Jesse LeMay

                On April 15^th, 1912 the infamous and thought to be unsinkable RMS Titanic began its descent to the bottom of the frigid Atlantic. No less than 1,500 people would lose their lives on that day, many of whom were among the richest in the world. The Titanic was termed “unsinkable” by Shipbuilder magazine due to its fifteen watertight bulkhead compartments (history.com). Despite such engineering the ship would indeed sink after striking an iceberg just before midnight on the 14^th. One of the factors that led to so many deaths was that there were only sixteen lifeboats on board. There simply was no way of escape for many of the passengers on board. That tragic event is still recognized today as one of the greatest disasters of all time. As Christians, there are some lessons that can be taken from this accident that correlate with Scripture.

                In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul described the events of the downfall of the Israelites in the wilderness, saying that they were an example for all who followed, and that “he who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (10:12). We often think we are “unsinkable” and that we have “watertight compartments” which will prevent sin from creeping into our hulls. When it comes to our faith however, there are icebergs all around us that could be our downfall. Those icebergs are temptations and sins that we may not even see clearly. Just as the iceberg that hit the Titanic paid no mind to the fact that there were wealthy people on board, sin makes no distinction between persons either.

                Thankfully for us there is always a way out. God will not allow us “to be tempted beyond” what we are able to overcome, always providing “the way of escape” (10:13). Paul gives a list of potential sins that could bring us down ranging from idolatry to grumbling (10:7-10). These and others could be the “iceberg” that sinks our ship. Equally, there is no temptation too great that cannot be averted. Just as Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations with the word of God, we also must understand that He and His word are our lifeboats. Are we unsinkable? Absolutely not! However, if we trust in the Lord and rely on His strength and His holy word, we will never end up at the bottom of the sea.