The story of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and how we can compare that to how Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection is our safety net from the Fall. Includes a simple yet mind-boggling object lesson on how Christ sets us free from our sins and broke the bands of death.

 

THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

In the early 1900s when the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed, bridge construction was very dangerous. You can only imagine the high winds, churning currents, and towering heights. All of it challenging as you tried not to fall off and plummet to your death. In the early 1900s, they did not have the same equipment or safety precautions in place as they do today. At that time, there was an average of 1 fatality per million dollars spent on a construction project.

The Chief Engineer over the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge was Joseph Strauss. He insisted on a rigid safety code that included all of the latest safety innovations. For instance, the Golden Gate construction had all their workers wear hard hats and safety lines. They were not the first to supply hard hats and safety lines to their workers, but they were the first to enforce their use with the threat of being fired if they didn’t. They also provided things such as glare-free goggles to protect their eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off the water. They also had an on-site hospital staffed by doctors. But the most interesting safety feature that they had was a safety net.  

Strauss put a safety net under the bridge that suspended along the entire length of the bridge and extended out ten feet on both sides. It was above the water so if a worker fell, they wouldn’t die.  

This net cost $130,000, but because of the net, work progressed must faster than anticipated and they were able to finish the bridge ahead of schedule. They finished the bridge in record time because the workers were no longer afraid that they were going to die. It saved back all the money they spent on the net and more because the work was completed so quickly. 

The net did save 19 men and they were referred to as the “Halfway-to-Hell Club.” Which is fitting if you think of the analogy we can make here.

Jesus Christ’s atonement and resurrection are symbolic to the net that was placed under the bridge.  

The bridge is like life. We all spend time on the bridge and we all spend time working on the bridge. At times the bridge can be very scary and at some point and time, we all fall. We all fall because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. But thankfully, because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and resurrection, we have a safety net to catch us when we fall. There is never a need to worry. 

Image Agony in the Garden by Frans Schwartz from Wikimedia Commons

As Elder Holland once said:

“Because we were then born into that fallen world and because we too would transgress the laws of God, we also were sentenced to the same penalties that Adam and Eve faced.

What a plight! The entire human race in free fall—every man, woman, and child in it physically tumbling toward permanent death, spiritually plunging toward eternal anguish. Is that what life was meant to be? Is this the grand finale of the human experience?… The answer to those questions is an unequivocal and eternal no!” 

The human race is no longer in free fall because a safety net has been bought and paid for and is in place to catch us when we fall. Rescuing us from that awful fate of never being reunited with our bodies and our spirits being subject to Satan had Christ not done what He did. But because of Christ’s love for each and every one of us, because of His selfless act on our behalf, we never have to fear death.  

FREE FROM SIN OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

 

2 pieces of rope approximately 4-5 feet long

*The instructions for this object lesson calls for 2 volunteers. You can have as many volunteers as you would like as long as there is an even number of people and everyone has their own piece of rope. 

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

Call on 2 volunteers to come up to the front. Give each volunteer a piece of rope.

Tie each end of their rope around each of their wrists.

 

 

 

BEFORE tying the two ends onto their wrists, be sure the ropes are linked together. 

 

 

 

 

Challenge the volunteers to separate without removing the ropes.

Most volunteers will go through a lot of stepping through the loops and climbing over each other to no avail. 🙂 If they are able to figure out the secret to doing it, congratulate them. If not, show them how.

 

SECRET:

 

To separate the two volunteers, take the middle of one rope up through the loop that is around the other person’s wrist.

The rope should be on the front side of the wrist.

 

 

 

 

 

Pull the rope through the loop and then over the hand. If done correctly, the two volunteers will now be free. 

 

 

 

 

LESSON TAUGHT:

 

We all sin. It’s part of mortal life. Even when we want to do what’s right, we are not perfect and so we make mistakes.

When we sin, it can feel as if we are chained, unable to break free. It would be that way, had it not been for Jesus Christ who atoned for our sins and who rose again on the third day.

Jesus Christ made it possible to be set free from our sins if we repent. He also broke the bands of death so that we can one day be resurrected.

 

For a beautiful picture and quote on death and the Spirit World, click HERE

For an excellent book on the teachings of the Spirit World from church leaders that includes some near-death experiences that go along with those teachings, check out What’s on the Other Side? What the Gospel Teaches Us About the Spirit World by Brent L. Top. Also, be sure and check out some of these other great books on the Atonement and Resurrection. 

Yours Truly,

P.S. This story and object lesson are used in Episode 15 of my Teach Me to Walk in the Light podcast. To listen, click HERE

P.S.S. For more great gospel-related resources, be sure and sign up for my monthly Finding JOY Newsletter. Helping you be the most effective teacher you can be at home and in your calling. 

 

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