Wednesday-Failure is Not an Option
- Chet Gladkowski
- Oct 20, 2024
- 4 min read
And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
Hebrews 7:15,16
In the movie, Apollo 13, there’s this powerful scene about the critical condition of the equipment. There was precious little oxygen and power left to get the three astronauts home alive. Ed Harris, playing Flight Director Gene Kranz, says those immortal words, “Failure is not an option[1].”
When you’re flying in space, there is no room for error. The little things that no one pays attention to here on earth are disastrous and deadly in space. On Earth, no one cares about a door or window that doesn’t quite close all the way. That same, small problem in space means instant death. If you get a flat tire, you pull off the side of the road and put on the spare. Or you call road service. No such options in space.
But most of life here on Earth isn’t like traveling in space. Not at all. Our dull, daily routine is one unimportant minute followed by another. And then another. And another. There’s lots of chances to try something again. And again. When there is a problem, there’s lots of room for a do-over.
We can even ignore some of our everyday problems that we have. All we have to do is look the other way, or not pay attention to them, and nothing seems to happen. Remember the last time your toilet kept running after you flushed it? You jiggled the handle and it still kept running. You took the top off and looked at all that stuff. Two days later the plumber arrived and quickly fixed it.
When it comes to our being reunited with God, he doesn’t take it lightly. Nothing could be more serious to God. There’s nothing that he’s not willing to do. No price he’s not willing to pay. He’s personally going to solve our problem. You know, our selfishness and stubbornness that’s caused by our sin.
God says “Failure is not an option” when it comes to our sin. He’s not going to just sit back and hope something’s going to change. He’s not even going to order someone else to step in and help us. Not on your life.
When it comes to our being reunited with our loving God and creator, he personally is going to do more than organize a committee. More than just give a speech. More than post a blog or two on social media. More than making an appearance on The View. Even more that writing something in the sky.
Not on your life. God’s going to personally get involved. Remember that we’re the only ones made in his image[2]. He’s not going to trust his most precious part of creation to anyone else. He created a plan[3] and then personally came to Earth at just the right moment in the history of the world.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
Romans 5:6 NLT
When we look back at the law and the priesthood, it didn’t really fix what was wrong with us. It couldn’t fully forgive sin. There was no once-and-for-all sacrifice that people could do to take care of our biggest problem. And because of this, there was no way for laws or sacrifices made by priests to save us.
Something more powerful was needed. Or, should I say, someone more powerful was the only way that our sin could be solved once and for all. Instead of priests that came and went, we needed a forever priest. Someone who could pay the sacrifice needed to reunite us back to God. Someone with the power to change us from the inside-out.
Jesus came as our savior and high priest. But not in the normal way. While he didn’t come from the right tribe or family, he did come with eternal power. He came with a life that couldn’t be snuffed out. Yes, he died on the cross, but death couldn’t hold him down, coming back through the resurrection on the third day.
That’s why Jesus had to come. With God’s deep desire to bring us back, he had to pull out all the stops. He had to do what no one else could have thought of. What no one else could have done. He personally came and paid the debt and made us free.
Yes, with God’s plan and determination to bring us back, failure was not an option. And the normal sacrifices just couldn’t pay our eternal debt. God himself had to come and die in our place. The precious blood of Christ[4] is what it took. And God was personally willing to sacrifice himself for you and me. That may be a new thought for some people. Our sin problem was so awful that only God himself could pay the price. Is it any wonder that we’re called to worship him for everything he’s ever done? There wasn’t anything that he wasn’t willing to do to get us back to himself. So, how can we hold back anything in our lives?
Noodling Questions
In what part of your life is failure not an option? Explain why it’s so important.
How are you “utterly helpless” before God? Why is it important?
Describe how bad sin is in your life? In the world?
[2] Genesis 1:26,27
[3] Ephesians 1:11
[4] 1 Peter 1:19
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