When the immediate descendants of those who had survived the world-wide flood of Noah’s day found their bearings again in the course of time, one of their earliest recorded endeavors began with these words: “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4). It was a lofty ambition – in some sense, a noble one – to reach heaven! Man, though he had failed the test in Adam, would build again the bridge he had broken, the bridge of communication with God. That the attempt failed, we know: that it, and all attempts like it, are doomed to failure from the start, may seem more surprising.
Adam’s sin and its consequences brought misery and ruin upon the human race; even those who do not admit the cause, tacitly recognize the result. Something is wrong with the world. And so men have set out to fix it. In Noah’s age, the fix was to build a tower; in the days of Jeremiah, to propitiate the false gods; in the time of Jesus, to keep punctiliously the Pharisaical law (see Genesis 11:4, Jeremiah 44:15-18, and Mark 7:3-4). But always the key has been: believe in yourself! Strive! Press onward! Never give up, and you will earn paradise at last!
The world could be better, as we all admit: let us, then, make it better! Or, if we are not so ambitious, still we recognize that our own lives could be better. Then let us make our own lives better; at least, let us assure ourselves of a better life hereafter.
There are dozens – hundreds – thousands of ways of working toward this goal. The pragmatic modernist believes in himself openly. There is no use trusting anything or anyone you can’t see. Do the best you can, don’t let yourself become discouraged, and you will be happy. Or, briefly: if you would only be happy, then you would be happy. What could be more practical? What could be less helpful?
The militant atheist laughs at religion and all such feel-good teddy bears. Unyielding despair is his motto. Hope in hopelessness! Enjoy misery! Then you will be beyond the weaknesses of life.
Your Buddhist prefers to think himself into the grand nothingness that is his ultimate reality, while the Roman Catholic resigns himself to giving alms here and to a little purgatory hereafter. The Hindu hopes for a better life next time, if he manages to follow all the rules. Muslims, too, stick to the rules. It is easy; it is safe; there is no need to think or experiment.
In the end, most people tumble through life as best they can, hoping that when the balances are struck, the good will outweigh the bad and their bridge will hold up. After all, they are not really evil. After all, they have tried as hard as could be expected. After all, God is love. Surely He will be eager to pardon everyone!
But is the bridge back to God as easy to build as we would like to think?
Listen to the self-proclamation of the Almighty: “I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exodus 20:5). His law cannot be ignored – “cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them” – His penalty cannot be treated lightly – “the wages of sin is death” – His sentence cannot be escaped – “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Deuteronomy 27:26, Romans 6:23, Ezekiel 18:4). The Bible, God’s revelation to mankind, makes it abundantly clear: there is nothing trivial or insignificant about sin against God!
Sins separate between us and God; because of them He hides His face from us, refusing to hear us when we come in pride, thinking that we know how to make matters right (Isaiah 59:2). Strive as we will, press forward as we may, so long as we believe in ourselves the gap can never be bridged. We will never find a way back to God, until we leave ourselves behind – our strength, our assurance, our pride – and realize that there is only One who can build the bridge. Ironically, it is only as we despair of ourselves that we can begin to hope in God. And then we discover that the bridge has been built; that the gap has been closed; that the way – the only way – is open for all who would come to the Father through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
In the parable of the unforgiving servant, the servant is forgiven freely, without any effort on his part (Matthew 18:23-34). He has nothing to do – because he can do nothing. Although he offers to pay, his master knows that is not possible, and out of compassion he forgives him the debt (Matthew 18:27). Like the master of the parable, God is ready, for the sake of Christ, to forgive the debts of those who ask Him. But to ask Him we must drop our tools of self-righteousness, abandon our abortive bridges, and throw ourselves on His mercy. Only then, having been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, will we be enabled to walk as children of light (1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 5:8). Only then will we be off the collapsing planks of human endeavor, and on the solid bridge of God’s eternal plan.
Geneva D 
What do you think?