By Faith: Saved
Scripture Reading — Genesis 6; Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen … built an ark to save his family.
Hebrews 11:7
A warning can spare you a lot of grief. For example, a warning light on your car dashboard can alert you that your engine is about to overheat or that your oil level is low. Paying attention to the warning can save you lots of trouble if you act quickly. But if you don’t believe the warning, you might let things go till it’s too late.
Noah got a warning about a coming flood. God saw that human wickedness had become so great that all that people did was evil. The flood would take the world back to a time of beginning. Sin had undone God’s good creation (Genesis 1:31). Unless some way of escape was provided, death by drowning would be the inevitable result. “Build an ark,” said God. Noah believed God’s warning and did as he was told. That’s how he and his family were saved.
No doubt Noah’s neighbors had lots of laughs as he built the ark. A flood so big that it would cover all the dry land around? Never! Impossible! Noah’s faith and his ark-building probably seemed ridiculous.
But the flood came. And in the ark Noah and his family were saved. All others were lost. The Bible says that the next time God will cleanse the world of sin and sinners, it will be with fire (Revelation 8). Faith in God’s Son, Jesus, will be the only “ark” by which people can be saved. Make sure you are on board!
Father, thank you for your warning. Thank you for the ark. May people everywhere heed your warning and, with us, believe in Jesus and be saved. In his name, Amen.
About the author — Gordon Pols
Rev. Gordon Pols and his wife, Ann, have two married children and two grandchildren. After serving four congregations in Western and Central Canada, Rev. Pols retired from active ministry in 2007. He is currently doing parttime pastoral work with West End Christian Reformed Church, Edmonton, Alberta. He also works parttime for Crossroad Bible Institute, promoting a Bible study correspondence course for prison inmates.
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