No Air to Breathe

Theme: God’s gift of salvation, not our works, opens the way to heaven for us.

Bible Verse: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Materials Needed:

• Empty aquarium or large bowl

• Baking soda

• Vinegar

• Candle and match

Bible Lesson

Early on the morning of August 21, 1986, the people living near Lake Nios in Cameroon, West Africa, went about their chores. Cattle grazed on the hillsides while children played games. Suddenly, a vast cloud of invisible gas bubbled up from the lake bottom like an enormous fountain and spread outward across the land. The carbon dioxide gas had no taste or smell, but it was deadly. Wherever it flowed, animals and entire families quickly suffocated. In just minutes, 1,750 people and many thousands of cattle were killed without warning. The air, which appeared to be normal and healthy, had become poisonous. Scientists do not fully understand why the lake underwent this tragic and sudden change, nor can they predict when it may happen again.

The Scripture verse reminds us that we can be sadly mistaken about the important things in life. For example, people have many different ideas about salvation and gaining a home in heaven:

Some get baptized and attend church without fail.

Some hope their good deeds will outweigh the bad.

Some give gifts to church or charity to “pay their way.”

Some repeat special words or phrases thousands of times.

None of these methods is sufficient! As hard as one may try, it is simply impossible to earn a ticket to heaven. Motives and deeds may seem good enough, but by themselves they fall short. The morning air appeared pleasant to the people around Lake Nios, but it actually was deadly.

The Bible makes it clear that salvation is a gift given to those who place their faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9). Good deeds are fine but are not sufficient to gain eternal life. Christ has already paid the price for us—take him at his word!

Science Activity

This activity produces invisible carbon dioxide gas in the aquarium or other large, deep container. Add baking soda and vinegar to the tank, about ½ cup of each. The mixture will bubble and foam at the bottom. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and will remain in the tank for several minutes.

Now light a candle in front of the group. Slowly lower it into the tank and the fire should quickly go out; carbon dioxide will not support a flame. If this doesn’t work well, increase the amounts of baking soda and vinegar to make more carbon dioxide. Explain to the group that the air in the tank looks clear and breathable, but it actually suffocates the candle. Likewise, as our verse clearly states, some people’s choices on the path to heaven may look good, but they actually cause spiritual suffocation.

An aquarium containing vinegar mixed with baking soda shows the suffocating properties of carbon dioxide gas.

Science Explanation

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3. Vinegar is dilute acetic acid, HC2H3O2. Their reaction together can be written as:

NaHCO3 + HC2H3O2 → CO2 + H2O + NaC2H3O2

The bubbling gas is carbon dioxide, CO2. This gas is heavier than most other gases in the air. Here is a comparison table of the four most abundant gases in our atmosphere:

	Gas	Relative Weight	Percent Abundance in Air
	Argon, Ar	10	0.93
	Nitrogen, N2	14	78.0
	Oxygen, O2	32	21.0
	Carbon dioxide, CO2	38	0.03

The carbon dioxide will not remain permanently in the container because gases slowly diffuse or spread outward into the surrounding air. The small amount of carbon dioxide produced is not dangerous. After all, we exhale carbon dioxide continually.

For further exploration, blow soap bubbles and let them fall into the aquarium. They contain some nitrogen gas and should float on the invisible carbon dioxide layer, suspended midway in the tank. As an alternative to vinegar and baking soda, Alka Seltzer and water can also be used to release carbon dioxide.