The Parachute

The parachute is a popular illustration among open-air preachers and one-to-one witnessers alike. I make no claim for it myself, but have enhanced its use from the basic ‘put on the parachute to be saved’ comparing it to the word belief in the greek (pisteuo). This illustration is especially helpful if your crowd includes those who consider themselves to be Christians.

The basic illustration goes something like this: Imagine you are on a plane, and the captain comes on to say that he has good news and bad news. The good news is that there is a parachute underneath each seat.

I add this here: If the pilot started and stopped here, you would say ‘how nice, there is a parachute. now let me go back to sleep!’ This is the shortfall of the modern gospel presentation- they tell the good news without the bad news, or they share the good news without stating that there is bad news. Jesus loves you, and he wants to save you! Save me from what?? Everything seems fine…

….the bad news is that we have lost all of our engines and we will soon crash.

My comment? The Bible tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this comes judgement. It tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death. We are all in this life crashing and burning because we have all sinned. By the way, by the time that I get to this illustration, I have already gone through the law with the individual or the group.

Now what must you do to be saved in this scenario?

Does knowing about the parachute save you? Does believing that the parachute exists underneath your seat save you?

My comment here is that many people know about Jesus, especially in America and western Europe. They may know quite a lot about him, they may know why he came. They in essence have a mental assent, a knowledge of Jesus and believe He is a historical figure. Is that what the Bible means by belief? Partially.

The illustration continues…no, you must take action. You must get up out of your seat and put the parachute on, strap it across your chest, make sure it is secure and ready. But does adding the parachute to your back save you? Will you be saved from the fall to come just by putting on the parachute and remaining in the plane?

My comment is…of course not! You will die parachute or no parachute if you remain in the falling plane. Many young people go to events, crusades, concerts, evangelism services, and they go forward and pray a prayer and mark a piece of paper and they believe they are now Christians. Then, they go back to their daily lives, their messed-up homes, or hard school or work situation, or they just continue in their sin. I mean, they believed in Jesus from a mental standpoint, acknowledging his existence. They emotionally believed in him, and accepted his message as presented. What is the problem? That is only two thirds of biblical belief-pisteuo. If you remain in the plane with the parachute on your back, you are still going to die.

Matthew 7:21-24 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

No, in order to live, you must believe the parachute exists, place the parachute on your back, and then jump out of the plane. You must change the way you are going (crashing and burning, on your way to death)- this is called repentance-and jump out of your way of life (the plane) placing your full trust in your salvation to that parachute (which is an picture of Jesus).

Belief-pisteuo- in the scriptures is an mental ascent, an emotional response, and a volitional turning from and turning to. It is a belief that encompasses your life, changing it. It is knowing who the Savior is in truth, placing your trust in him, and submitting your will to that Savior.

I always finish this off with a question about where people are in the process. Did you know you were crashing and burning? Did you know about the parachute? (Jesus) Have you put on Jesus, but you didn’t change your lifestyle? Have you placed your full trust in Him by repentance (jumping out of the plane, trusting alone in the parachute?)

I pray that other Evangelists can mold this and use it in your own way to share the good news. Sola Deo Gloria!

~ by pastorboy on September 9, 2009.