At the turn of the 20th century, Galveston was poised to become the New York City of the Gulf. Representing all the hubris of American culture, it was winning the race with its Houston neighbor to the north to become the southern mecca of culture, trade and commerce. People were wealthier than ever. Peace reigned. Scientific discovery had brought medical care to an all-time zenith. America was unstoppable in 1900. Galveston was helping lead the way except for one major problem. It had been built at sea level, right next to the Gulf of Mexico.
Late in the evening of September 8, a hurricane of greater intensity than any in recorded history slammed Galveston Island head-on. Hurricanes weren’t named in those days. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 still ranks as the single greatest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The most advanced instruments of the day literally were blown away at the peak of the storm, leaving scientists to only estimate sustained winds were 150 miles per hour with gusts up to 200 miles per hour.
A wall of water two stories high washed over the island just before midnight. Like a giant lawnmower blade, in only a few hours, it all but raked the city off the map. There is no way of knowing how many people died; estimates range from 6,000 to 10,000.
Galveston recovered, but never regained its status. Just as Sept. 11, 2001 always will be for us, Sept. 8, 1900 was a ground-zero moment for Galveston. A day after which the city never would be the same again—all because of where the city had been built.
Jesus warnings are harsh—difficult to read or hear. “‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’”
These words of Jesus soon are followed by yet another stern warning: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Those words are difficult because the same Bible which records those words of Jesus also promises “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Practicing faith as a condition of salvation seems oxymoronic to people who are grace versus works oriented. What exactly was Jesus was saying?
It is faith in Jesus, faith alone in his good grace, that saves. Faith means totally trusting all Jesus did in his death, burial and resurrection to suffice for our salvation. There’s nothing we can add to that, nothing we can take away. Jesus also is saying that those who trust him enough to save their eternal soul will trust him enough to actually do what he says now. It is not the way we live now that gives us hope of eternity. If we have hope of eternity, that will alter the way we live now. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice,” Jesus said.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
The works of our lives—good or bad “fruit,” as Jesus refers to them—are evidence of the condition of our souls. “These words of mine,” are the words he had just spoken in the Sermon on the Mount.
He had just spoken words about being “poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” “the merciful,” “pure in heart,” “the peacemakers” and “those who are persecuted because of righteousness.”
He’d also talked about people who influence the world for what is eternally good, “salt and light” people, forgiving instead of getting even, keeping sacred words of promise, caring for those who are beaten down, genuine prayer and piety, living for what is of eternal value, trusting God for our daily needs and trusting him also to handle the judgment of others instead of doling it out ourselves.
We don’t get to heaven by doing those things. But if we have the hope of heaven in us, if we’re trusting Jesus to deliver our souls to God, then we’ll trust him enough to live like that, to do what Jesus says, whether it makes sense to live like that or not.
There is a terrible danger in being what could easily be described as a “cultural” Christian, a person who just affiliates with a religious organization and being a true follower of Jesus. Jesus is clearly making that distinction in these words of his.
We can be cultural Christians by adhering to the expectations of our religious community without participating with Jesus in allowing the Holy Spirit to transform the way in which we live. If so, we live with the very real danger of building a futile life (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
On Sept. 8, 1900, the city of Galveston was swept into the sea. Though generations of people had given their lives building the great city, they simply, futilely, built it in the wrong place. What a tragedy it would be for us to do the same with the time we’re given. What a promise to know that those acts of ours that are faithful to the call of Jesus, acts of faith, hope and love, will stand both the test of time as we know it and eternity beyond.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.