On Sharks and Christian Assurance

Sharks frighten me.

You drop me out in the middle of the ocean, I guarantee you the first thoughts on my mind will be: “Oh crap. What’s beneath me? It’s probably a shark. It’s a shark isn’t it?”

And to be scared of sharks isn’t unreasonable. I mean, come on. They’re built like self-propelled torpedoes. They’ve got rows of razor sharp teeth. Even when they’re “just being curious” they can take your leg off. And they can smell your hangnail from miles away. Those are what we call REASONS.

However, even in the presence of all those reasons (and more), you know where I’m not nearly as scared of sharks, even when I’m out in the ocean?

On a boat.

And the bigger the boat the smaller the fear.

Sin is like the sharks prowling the depths of the oceans. Our own sin, and the sin of this world is frightening. It’s dangerous. It’s real. It should scare us, scare us.

And while it’s something to be reasonably scared of, for the Christian, to be in Christ really means to be in the water, but on a boat. The ocean may rock the boat and remind you of what could happen if you fall in, but as long as you’re in the boat you can have some peace of mind while you’re out on the water.

And the beauty of the Christian gospel is that because of the empty tomb left by our crucified and risen savior, you know eventually that boat will make it to the land where you never have to think of how frightening sharks are ever again.