Airplane Crases & Salvation

Plane Crashes & Salvation

I remember seeing the headline “US Airways Plane Crash-Land in New Your City’s Hudson River ” – the remaining part of the headline is what made it stand out “Everyone Survives.” Most plane crashes end in death. Planes that land in the water almost always end in tragedy. However, this was different.

On January 16, 2009 US Airline Flight 1549 ran into a flock of birds shortly after take-off. Apparently some of the birds went into the engines which caused both engines to fail. The pilot had to make a decision quickly. He elected to land in the Hudson River . Chesly B. Sullenburger III is 57 years old, a former fighter pilot, and runs a safety consulting firm. He and his crew have been credited with saving all 155 people on board the plane.

After safely landing in the river the passengers still had to be rescued. The flight crew was able to get the people to quietly and efficiently get out on the wings of the plane. Boats nearby then came to take the people to safety.

Later on I watched “Sully” and the rest of the crew on television. They spoke of the fear they felt and how they had to keep calm. Each person was responsible for certain duties and fulfilled those duties. After thinking about this I came to see a connection between what happened on January 16^th and our salvation.

For the crew and passengers to survive, everything had to work out right. If the plane flew into the birds earlier, it would not have had the speed and altitude to reach the river. If the problem happened a minute or two later, the plane may have been too far away from the river to circle back. It happened at just the right time. We see in the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 God’s divine providence. The Eunuch was traveling from Jerusalem back home. He was reading from Isaiah 53, a passage he did not understand. Out in the middle of nowhere a man appeared and asked if he understand what he was reading. Now, was this a coincidence or what? Obviously, we know it was not just happenstance, but God working through Philip. Notice the absence of any miracles in this conversion. An angel told Philip where to go and who he would meet. The rest was up to Philip. I agree with a statement I recently heard another preacher make, “God’s divine providence is the rule and not the exception.

The decision of what to do had to be made quickly and decisively. Sully said he had a couple of seconds to think and then act. To delay was to die. The same goes for us. We had to decide if we are going to obey God or not. To procrastinate is to elect to disobey Him. I am sure you know the song “Almost Persuaded” containing the phrase “almost is lost.” It will not do any good to almost make it to heaven, just as it would have done no good to almost make it to the Hudson River . If you have not decided to obey God, you need to and you need to be decisive. “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6.2b).

Every person had to do his or her part. The Captain immediately delegated certain tasks to his crew. The co-pilot was in charge of trying to re-start the engines and once he realized they were not going to start he had to prepare the plane for the landing. One very important thing he did was close off certain air passages. While flying, those passages allow air into the plane. In the water they would allow water into the plane. It would have sunk and people would have drowned. As it was, the plane floated and water slowly crept into the plane while people were able to get out. Captain Sully said he knew this co-pilot had recently completed a safety course on this specific plane. He was trained for the job. In the church, we all have certain tasks to do. Whether it is to encourage others (Hebrews 10:24 ) teach others, invite visitors, or some other task we all have a part to play and we need to use our talents wisely.

Sully was highly trained and a skilled pilot. He was a former fighter pilot, a safety instructor, and had flown for many years. In landing the plane the wings had to be perfectly level or the plane would have either flipped over or spun out of control. There is a value in age and maturity. We often encourage young people to grow in their service to God but we should not overlook those that have been serving God for a long time. There will never be a time when you become too old to serve God. The church needs the talents of every member.

Finally, the people had to get off the plane and onto the boats. It would have done no good to have stayed in the plane. Eventually they would have drowned. Once on the wing the people had to get on the boats because that was the only way to the shore. They would not have swam to safety because the water was too cold. Could you imagine a person declining to get in a boat because they did not like the color of the boat? Of course not! When we talk about being saved we have to realize that there is only one way of salvation. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14.6). We can not choose our particular way of salvation. Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will the condemned” (Mark 16.16). Yet I know people will not be baptized because they want to be saved some other way. Many will be lost because they did not do what Jesus said.

It was a joyful occasion when people on the plane called their families and friends to tell them of their safety. It is a joyful occasion when a person elects to obey God. I just wish people would use the same sense concerning their salvation as they would if they were on a plane. –Dennis Tucker

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