Saving Lives
“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)
Being a first responder is not the world’s best-paying job. First responders should be paid a decent wage, since they and their families live with risks and hardships that other families do not. Yet being a first responder–whether police, fire, or EMS–is not about making money. It is about helping people.
As a first responder, you can have unforgettable, life-changing experiences that many people with better salaries never have. You can help people and, most importantly, save lives. How often does it happen that someone is in danger of death, but an alert first responder arrives quickly and intervenes to save him?
A man having a crisis jumped into a lagoo; apparently not to commit suicide, but the lagoon had a drop- off, and he found himself in deep water, drowning. One responding officer, a former high school swimmer and lifeguard, jumped in after him. Officers pulled him to safety. He had no pulse and was not breathing, but they revived him using CPR. (Danielle Wiggins, “Heroic police rescue at Wade Lagoon in Cleveland Saves Man in Crisis,” wkyc.com, updated 10/29/25) Experiences like that are unforgettable.
As a first responder, you never know when you will be in the right place at the right time to save a life. You may pull a victim from a burning car or house. You may talk a would-be jumper down from a bridge. You may perform a Heimlich maneuver or CPR. You may rescue a domestic violence victim from an abuser, or even save a hostage. First response can be dangerous, but saving lives makes it so rewarding.
Our passage is also about saving lives. If you know Jesus as your personal Saviour, you know the joy of knowing you’ll be in heaven one day. Yet many people do not. They may believe there is a God and a heaven, but they may have been told there is no way to be sure of heaven. So they live with what seems to be an unresolveable hope of heaven versus fear of hell. 1 John 4:18 says, “…fear hath torment.”
It is not unresolveable. The Bible says we can be sure of a home in heaven. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47) He did not say “might have,” but “hath.” Romans 6:23b also says, “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” A gift is something you give for free, for keeps, by your choice, to someone you care about. God cares about us. He wants us to have eternal life, and He wants us to have the peace of mind of knowing we have it.
Yet someone must tell them. If a burning building has people inside, someone must go in. If a suspect is terrorizing citizens, someone must confront him. If a person needs immediate medical help, someone must go to him. Likewise, if people are in danger of death and hell, someone must tell them about Jesus.
Many people are in danger of death and hell. Jesus said, “…wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) That’s why Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
If you are a first responder and you are saved, you are not only on the job to help people and save lives. Most importantly, you are on the job to tell about Jesus and save lives for eternity. If you want to see from the Bible how to have your sins forgiven and eternal life by receiving Jesus as your personal Savior, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 11/3/2025