Dale Ridge church of Christ

In 1990 the USS Iwo Jima suffered a major boiler accident when one of the valves gave way to the massive pressures that build up in the ship’s propulsion system. Instead of using the prescribed stainless steel bolts, nuts and studs to assemble the valve, a shipyard worker found some hardware made of brass and completed his job. This substitution, although never authorized, was allowed to pass through final inspections and quality assurance procedures and the work accepted by the customer without question.

After the maintenance period the ship returned to duty, but it wasn’t long before the failure occurred. Whether it happened because of an innocent lack of knowledge, a complacent attitude about the details or a flagrant negligence, ten sailors died because of the explosion that day. In addition, an entire naval vessel was crippled which in turn would have reduced the effectiveness of the battle group it was participating in.

This extreme example of what can happen when a standard procedure is ignored should give us pause when it comes to the instructions we need to follow from day to day. I’d like to suggest some consideration be given to what we are risking if we are making minute changes in God’s word. Revelation 22:18-19 warns us of the outcome of adding to or removing from God’s Word but so many are doing just that from day to day.

What are some examples we can cite? Baptism is not required. Social drinking is ok. Jesus is not God. Instrumental music is ok in worship. Salvation cannot be lost. The list goes on and on, but any one of these things if introduced into our lives or our worship is the equivalent of the brass fastener. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us how we avoid the “brass fastener” mistake. Study your Bible – it is the ultimate “how to” manual.

Published by Butch  Email This Post  Print This Post
Filed under: Butch Adams, Devotional on August 12th, 2008