What Charles Blondin Has to Do with Salvation
By Russell McKinney
Mitchell County
“…Even the demons believe — and tremble!” (James 2:19, N.K.J.V.)
Charles Blondin, whose real name was Jean Francois Gravelet, was a French acrobat who became world-renowned as a tightrope walker during the latter half of the 1800s. He began his career at the incredibly young age of five and first won fame in his home country of France and other parts of Europe before coming to America in 1855. Four years later, on June 30, 1859, he walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls, a feat he would perform many more times during his career.
To keep the public’s interest piqued, Blondin frequently added new twists to his act. For example, he performed the trick blindfolded. He performed it on stilts. He performed it while pushing a wheelbarrow in front of him. Once, he paused at the midway point of the trick, sat down on the wire, and ate an omelet. Blondin’s exploits became so well known that Abraham Lincoln referenced the wheelbarrow version in his Presidential campaign in 1864. Lincoln said that he was “Blondin on the tightrope” in that he had all that was valuable to America in the wheelbarrow he was pushing that carried his political agenda.
More than once Blondin walked across the Falls while carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. After one of those trips, shortly after Blondin and Colcord had reached the other side safely, Blondin asked a man in the crowd of onlookers, “Do you believe I could do that with you?” The man answered, “Yes.” “Then hop on,” said Blondin, “and I’ll carry you across.” But to that, the fellow replied, “Not on your life!”
You see, that onlooker had a general belief in Blondin’s ability to live up to his end of the offer, but he didn’t have the type of belief that would lead him to climb onto Blondin’s back. No, that would have required a whole other type of belief. That type of belief, needless to say, is much rarer.
Our text passage from the book of James shows us that there is a type of belief that isn’t a saving belief. Whereas demons (fallen angels) have enough belief to know that God exists and that Jesus is God the Son (see also Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-17; and Luke 8:26-37), demons are still destined to spend eternity in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). And, unfortunately, literally, billions of people will join them there throughout eternity even though many of these people not only believe in the existence of God but actually believe that Jesus was God in human flesh.
As for how someone who believes that Jesus was God in human flesh can be lost, that answer goes back to the story from the life of Charles Blondin. Just as that onlooker believing that Blondin could get him to the other side of Niagara Falls wasn’t enough to literally transport the onlooker to the other side, anyone who doesn’t have enough belief to go “all in” 100% for Jesus by figuratively climbing onto His back and letting Him transport that person to heaven will never get there. That’s why each of us should examine the supposed belief we claim to have in Jesus and make sure that it is a saving belief rather than a damning belief. Even a belief that gets you into the church, causes you to pray, and leads you to read your Bible might not be the kind required for salvation. To sum up, the matter, being impressed by Jesus and learning about His life and ministry is a good start, but it isn’t the same thing as climbing onto His back and trusting in Him and Him alone 100% for salvation.
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Russell Mckinney lives in the English Woods area of Spruce Pine and serves as the pastor of Roan Mountain Baptist Church in Bakersville.
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