“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8–9

Have you ever tried to explain to someone what the word “faith” means? If you have, then you know that it’s a difficult concept to explain. Here’s a story that might help others understand the meaning of faith.

It was a dark night on the main road from Jackson to Vicksburg, Mississippi. It had rained heavily, but the storm had finally broken, and the pavement was not so slippery. A truck driver traveled down that stretch of highway, and since conditions had improved, he began to relax a bit. Suddenly he saw the twin taillights of the car in front of him melt into the road and disappear. The truck driver bolted upright with his startled eyes wide open. Such a thing could not happen. In the next fraction of a second, he saw the gaping black hole where once a bridge had spanned the river. The truck driver slammed on his brakes, and the wheels stopped instantly, but there was no longer a road beneath them. His truck sailed silently and eerily into the black void before him. As the truck sank into the water, the driver broke out the window, got out of the truck, and managed to swim to shore. Like a dripping scarecrow, he scrambled up the embankment to the road. As he climbed, he heard one car after another zoom smoothly into the gap and disappear. The only trace was a booming splash preceded by startled shrieks or cries. Finally, the truck driver made his way to the road and frantically waved his hands at the oncoming cars in the dark. But they did not stop. Sixteen people died that night because they had faith in a bridge that was no longer there.

In life, we maintain faith in many bridges—the bridge of successful achievements, the bridge of good deeds, the bridge of “I tried as hard as I could”—but all of these bridges are out. Faith in Christ is the only bridge we can rely on. It’s the only bridge that will get us across the river of temptation, the river of trial and affliction, the river of sin and guilt, the river of death. Without the bridge of faith in Jesus Christ, the dark waters would swallow up every one of us. As a survivor, will you warn others about the bridges that are out? You may be the only signal of the danger ahead.

“To believe in Christ is initial faith …
to assimilate Him is active faith.”
Cornelius Woelfkin