Anvil or Life Preserver?
A blacksmith's anvil or a life preserver, which one would you hold onto if you found yourself drowning in the ocean? The answer is too obvious to be mentioned.
And yet...
Amazingly, most people, when faced with the options, will choose the anvil...and sink to the bottom with it. The ocean represents sin that we have been born into. We have no control over that. The anvil represent our love of it. We do have a choice over that, with God's help.
The Scriptures reveal to us that the default setting of the human being is sin. Despite our natural tendency to hate God, He does not hate us. While man is the natural enemy of God, God is not the enemy of man. Focusing on our natural surroundings, we may not notice the spiritual realities around us. Every one of us was drowning in a ocean of sin, even if we do not realize it. God does not equip good people to survive the deadly waves. While we were still sinners, He offers to dying men a life preserver, which is Christ (Rom 5:8).
This sounds like good news. It is! So, God is going to give me a life preserver that is sufficient to prevent me and my anvil from going under. Wait, that is not how it works. Is repentance necessary for salvation? God is not going to save you with your sin. He offers to save you from your sin.
In order for a drowning man to embrace the life preserver that a loving Father offers, he must let the anvil that he is carrying sink to the bottom.
Either we let the weighty anvil of our sin sink out of sight to the bottom of the sea or we sink to the bottom with it. Many people cannot part with their beloved anvil and thus are going to experience the consequences.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8 NASB)
Jan 14, 2025