Vol. 16,  No. 9 November, 1979 Stuff About Things This story will curl your hair but hear me out if you can stand it. Such an approach would not be here if I had not tested it, and found it workable in other quarters. Suppose some enemy overran our part of the country and took captive a large number of citizens. These were made slaves, and taken to some far away island where they labored in chains day and night. Our government, much concerned and determined to free these people, called in the wise men and asked them to devise a plan of salvation — a scheme of redemption. Now, our day seems to be dominated by Wonder Woman, Superman, and the Incredible Hulk; so the wise men decided that Superman should be sent to deliver the captive citizens. Whereupon, Superman rushed to a closet, donned his uniform, and went flying through the air to the far-away isle. He swooped down upon the enemy, smashing them right and left, and drove them far a-field. Then, pushing over a mighty tree, he karate-chopped four great wheels from the end of the trunk, sliced the remainder into lumber, of which he built a great wagon. Now, stepping into the sea, he began to heap the bottom soil into a high  causeway, which joined the island with the mainland. He then told all to get into the wagon, and when they did so he pulled the wagon along the highway to home and safety. Howz at? But when the news reporters milled around the survivors and asked what they thought of the government's plan of salvation they seemed to think the plan of salvation was "get into the wagon;" and some thought it was a great plan, and some thought it was not really necessary. A curious bystander was led to believe the government's plan of salvation was "glad tidings of a wagon" instead of the coming and works of Superman. (Superman was last seen sneaking into a phone booth.) This story is not intended as an extensive parallel to God's plan for our salvation from sin. It is given for ONE purpose only, i.e., to make us re-examine the common practice of defining the "plan of salvation" as "faith, repentance, confession and baptism." Is "get into the wagon" the GOOD NEWS? One does not lessen the importance of submission and obedience by recognizing that God sent Christ as Savior, and that the "plan" is centered in what He did for us. [Previous Article] [Next Article]     Created on 28-March-2002 Page last updated