From My Perspective - - -

Just another ordinary day in New Orleans. Passengers have boarded United Airlines Flight 497, an Airbus Jet headed for San Francisco, and were comfortably seated. The flight departed and were starting their ascent when the unexpected occurred. The Pilots radio the Tower that they have smoke in the Cabin and need to return to the New Orleans Airport. Suddenly, the Pilots radio another message that their flight controls are not longer operational. As the Tower readies plans for an Emergency Landing, the Controllers ask: “How Many Safe Souls Are On Board?” The Pilots respond: “There are 106 Souls on Board.” The Tower asks about “Safe Souls”! The Pilots respond with just “souls” which may have implied that their situation was tenuous at best and “safe” was an unknown with the uncertainties occurring in the Aircraft.

Hebrews 2:6-8 asks and answers a question about man: “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him…”The Message translates Genesis 2:7 and enunciates: “God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive - a living soul!” Other translations state that man became a living spirit, or being, or creature, or person. The body houses the soul. When a person dies, the soul leaves the body and maintains its reality in eternity. The question of the Control Tower is both intriguing and haunting – “how many safe souls are on board?”

The question regarding “safe souls” could (and should) be asked in several venues, not the least of which is the entity referred to as The Church. Over the years, one of the most disappointing times was when the questions were posed to a “church member”: (1) Have you come to the place in your life where you know for certain that if you died today you would enter Heaven? and (2) Suppose you did die today and you were standing in the presence of God and He said to you – “Why should I let you into my heaven?” – what would you say? Many people do not have a clue! When a follow-up question is posed that asks upon what passage of Scripture are you basing your hope of eternal life in Christ? – What brought you to the place of conviction of your sin and your need to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? – once again – the responses leave much to be desired. Countless numbers of people, when pushed/pressed have said, “well I guess its John 3:16!” - while others offer Psalm 23 as the possible answer. It is guessing and hoping the answer is close to being correct. The concern should be that “guessing” is unsatisfactory – knowing with “certainty” is both satisfactory and required. Is it possible to know with certainty? One of the great truths in God’s Word is I John 5:13-15, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” The key phrase for the “safe soul” is “that you may know that you have eternal life.”

A “safe soul” stated a beautiful answer to my wife and me when we asked her “Why should God let you into His heaven?” She said, “I would have to say to God that I really don’t deserve to be in your heaven – I’m so unworthy - but I asked Jesus to cleanse me from all my sin – and He promised me I can be with Him forever. That’s what I would say to God.” These were the words of a safe soul in her late 80s. Her husband, in his 90s, told of his being a member of the “church” for as long as he could remember. His answer reminded me of a line from the Hymn, - Love Lifted Me, “Souls in danger, look above – Jesus completely saves, He will lift you, by His love…” I love the statement used by the Evangelist when he stated: “Just like sitting in a garage won’t make you a car, neither will sitting in a “church” make you a Christian” (that is, one who is certain of eternal life in Jesus Christ}. Be a “safe soul” on board with Jesus rather than an uncertain and unsafe soul without Him. Consider these things with me!