Willingly Rescued
By Anthony Casperson
4-26-25

Kim saw that her friend Mark’s character, Cragnak the dwarf barbarian, was nearing the end of his hit points during an intense battle against the evil wizard Riftmalus. Once her turn came in the battle’s initiative, Kim moved the figure representing her gnome sorcerer, Sendee, next to the dwarf, and said, “Sendee casts Thunder Step and teleports with Cragnak over to here.”

But as Kim began to move the figures, Mark shook his head, “Cragnak refuses to go with. Thunder Step says that you can bring a willing creature. And Cragnak isn’t willing. His turn is next, and Riftmalus is almost dead. I’m sure I can get the killing blow.”

“And if you miss?” Kim asked.

“I won’t,” Mark smirked. “Besides, if you ready your Action to cast it after my turn, then you can save Cragnak in the highly unlikely event that I miss.”

At this, Game Master Steve spoke up, “It’s too late for that. She said that Sendee casts the spell, so she can’t take it back now. Sendee teleports and reappears without Cragnak. Oh, and Thunder Step causes damage within 10 feet of the point of the teleport’s origin. So, Kim, roll damage.”

Mark’s eyes darted to the single digit number representing his hit points. “But, I get a Constitution save to take half.” Steve nodded at Mark’s assertion as Kim’s three ten-sided dice tumbled across the table.

But the cringe she made caused the whole table to stare at the dice. “Twenty-three,” she said, regret obvious in her voice.

“Cragnak’s down.” Mark knocked his figure on it’s side, without rolling the now-unneeded saving throw.

However, Steve did make the same saving throw for the evil wizard, “Riftmalus takes the full amount and looks like a strong breeze will knock him over.” Steve then glanced at Mark, “Your turn. Make a death saving throw.”

The twenty-sided die landed. “Five.”

“One failure,” the Game Master said. After considering the evil wizard’s own low health total, Steve looked at Mark again, and said, “At the end of your turn, Riftmalus uses a Legendary Action to attack Cragnak’s downed form.”

“But, that’s two more failures,” Mark’s eyes went wide. “Cragnak’s dead.”

The party’s cleric piped in, “We can resurrect him.”

“About that,” Steve said with a wince that was also somehow resolute. “It’s now Riftmalus’s actual turn. And he casts Teleport, choosing to bring Cragnak’s body with him.”

“Cragnak’s not willing to go with that teleport either,” Mark challenged.

Steve shook his head, “A dead body is no longer considered a creature. It’s an object now. Which means Riftmalus can take it along.”

Mark looked at the rest of the table, “You gotta save me.”

“It’s a little late for that,” Kim shook her head.

Some of you reading this might be wondering what the point of all of this is. Why have this lengthy description of an imaginary table of role-players? And how can some teleportation spell mishap relate to the bible?

Well, a recent discussion about salvation and submission caused me to consider how we must be willing to go along with the one who saves us. In order to be saved from any situation, we must surrender to the savior’s path. Follow them. Be carried by them. Continue on with their plan for escape. Because if we’re not willing to submit to the rescue, then salvation slips from our grasp.

Salvation requires submission.

Much as how Cragnak’s unwillingness to be teleported left him from being rescued, an unwillingness to submit to a savior causes salvation to slip from one’s grasp. And far too often, the realization comes too late of how we should’ve been willing to submit to the rescue, because the situation got out of hand.

Many followers of Jesus look to him as our Savior, desiring to be saved from both the long-term effects of sin as well as the occasional problem in this life. But when we think that we can handle things, we refuse his plan. We become unwilling to do things our Savior’s way. And what should’ve been a rescue from disaster becomes something far worse than we ever expected.

The truth is that we followers of Jesus should submit ourselves to our Savior’s commands every day. At all times. In a perpetual submission to the ways of our Savior as he leads us through this life.

In Luke 9:22-25, Jesus says that if anyone seeks to come after him, they must pick up their cross daily and follow him. The salvation that he brought us through his suffering and death on the cross requires us to submit to his way of self-sacrifice. We must pick up our cross, like he did. Submit each and every day to the path he leads us on. Be willing to be rescued from even the daily sins that tempt us to go our own way.

Salvation requires submission.

Jesus’ words in verse 24 spell it out in a strangely clear paradox. If anyone tries to save their own life, they will lose it. But anyone who loses their life for Jesus’ sake will save it. In order to be saved, we must give up the right to lead. We must submit to the ways of Jesus. Follow the path he lays out before us.

This isn’t to say that a single moment of unwillingness will leave us totally unable to be saved. But it should remind us that disaster awaits us when we’re unwilling to be rescued. Consequences will always come for our sins.

So, to my fellow followers of Jesus, let’s stop acting like one moment of submission is all that we need be saved. Jesus didn’t die just to give us a ticket to heaven. He died so that we can live a rescued life, freed from the chains of sin.

Submit to his salvation. Every day. At every moment.

You never know when an enemy’s Legendary Action can interrupt our turn in initiative.