We Are On A Sinking Ship: A Lesson from the Titanic

Titanic is a 1997 film that tells the story of how the biggest ship at the time, carrying some of the richest people from England to America sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. It is believed that more than 1,500 people died in the accident, while the few survivors lost all their material possessions.

The movie did really well in helping us see how most of the 1,500 people who perished in the accident lived their last moments and the efforts they made in trying to stay alive. The leading character, Jack, went to great lengths and did everything humanly possible to save himself and the woman he had come to love, even though he died in the end.

It is not by accident that it is considered as one of the most watched and beloved movies of all time. Apart from the strong performances of the cast, the movie is based on real life events which bring the story home to many of its viewers. Such is the case with most movies based on real life events. We watch them with greater involvement and emotions than if it were just a fiction.

There have been many times when I found myself shedding a few tears as I watched those movies. But most importantly, the fact that these movies are based on real life events mean there are great lessons to be learnt. Both from the actions and inactions of the people involved in the real-life story and how they responded to situations they faced in life.

The lessons from the Titanic are many, however, what stood out for me was the fact that at the point of death no one was preoccupied with their material wealth. It is believed that the ship was carrying some of the richest people in the world at the time, yet at the point where the ship was sinking, they were not preoccupied with saving their goods but their lives. Naturally, this should be the thinking process of any rational human being. When the ship is sinking, you don’t worry about the goods; you try to save your life. That was the exhortation of apostle John when he said,

 “do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17).

In a sense, the world and all that is in it can be likened to the Titanic. According to John, the world along with all that is in it – the pride of life represented by ambition and achievements of all kinds, the lust of the flesh made up of sensual pleasure, and the lust of the eye reflected in uncontrolled craving for everything the world has to offer is going down. And if the entire ship is going down, what point is there to save the gold and silver on the ship?

Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what the people of the world are trying to do. But unfortunately, many Christians have joined them in this fool’s errand. Though we read that the world and all that is in it is passing away, we cling on to the things found in the world. The saddest part is that there are pastors who teach their congregation to scramble for as much as they can, since more material wealth in their estimation is a sign of God’s blessing.

This explains why there is so much anxiety among some Christians today, especially the adherents of the prosperity gospel. They are scrambling for gold and silver on a sinking ship. How sad and irrational! Instead, John admonishes us to seek and do the will of God, because

“whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17).

Anyone who is a friend of the world, cannot be a friend of God. Over the years I have met many well-meaning brothers and sisters in Christ who argue that their desire is only to make a lot of money, so that they can support missions and the work of the kingdom. As well intentioned as such a desire may be, it is only another lie from the master deceiver himself. Regardless of the motive, once you set your mind on “money-making”, you’re going down with the sinking ship. No one has gone to the den of the god of Money and come back alive. According to Jesus, no one can serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).

Knowing that we are on a sinking ship, what should be our posture toward the present world as Christians? There is no better exhortation than the one given by the apostle Peter.

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:10-14

In these verses Peter admonishes us to devote ourselves to a life of holiness and godliness, without which no one will see the Lord. Our lives must be about the things that will count in the world to come, rather than scrambling for things that will perish along with this world.

Jim Elliot was an American missionary who was martyred trying to bring the good news of Christ to the Auca people of Ecuador. He was only 28 years old when he died. In the eyes of the world, this was a life that had been cut short, but these words from his journal, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”, shows a wise man who understood that the world is a sinking ship. May the Lord grant us this same understanding of our times, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.