You Gotta Have Faith

I think it is important to note that Noah did not have blind faith.  He was a righteous man, he was blameless and he walked with God.  Noah knew God invariably.  He had a faith that was certain (keyword) God would do what he said.  When God revealed his plan he did not build the ark and hope that God was going to do what he said.  He built the ark and knew that God would follow through.  This reveals a lot about Noah’s faith. 

Vs 1:  Faith – The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  The word faith is not just a general have faith but is πίστις (Pisitis) which means a strong conviction of truth.  In particular biblical faith it is a strong conviction of belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things.  It is not wishful thinking.  DA Carson writes, “In a world where people dismiss faith as ‘wishful thinking’, or simply identify it with the beliefs and practices of a particular religion (e.g. ‘the Muslim faith’), it is good to have a comprehensive picture of the faith that actually pleases God. Hebrews shows the link between faith, hope, obedience and endurance, illustrating that it is more than intellectual assent to certain beliefs. God-honouring faith takes God at his word and lives expectantly and obediently in the present, waiting for him to fulfill his promises.” [1]  In short faith is the certainty that what God says will happen, will actually happen.  In this chapter the author notes that people of the Old Testament were commended by their faith. 

Vs 6:  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  The faith of the old patriarchs pleased God.  The faith of Enoch caused him to walk with God and eventually had him taken up to heaven to be with God.  The author of Hebrews states that belief in God is the foundation of faith.  In order to have any kind of relationship with God one must first believe that he exists and that he will keep his promises.

Vs 7:  By faith Noah built an ark and entered it so he and his family would be saved from the flood.  God fore warns Noah about the coming destruction.  Noah reacted in with a God-honoring fear and reverent submission.  It is evident that Noah in faith believed and trusted that God was going to do what he had told Noah. 

Life Application

For the past few weeks we have looked at the biblical account of the flood.  So what can we take with us concerning this account?  What can we ultimately learn about God, Noah and ourselves?

Here are a few thoughts …

God is always trustworthy and He knows what He is doing.  Often God invites us to be part of something big and we may not understand fully what he is up to (Henry Blackaby calls them God-sized assignments).  However when He invites us to join him faith is always required.  When God does speak to you/us He reveals what He is going to do.  Our response to him ultimately determines or reveals a lot about our faith.  Do you/we have confidence that what God promises will come to pass?  If I/we have faith in God I/we will obey him and He will bring to pass what he has determined.  Our obedience indicates our faith and trust in God.  My/Our faith helps us to confidently walk in obedience because I/we know that what he has purposed he will bring to pass.  When God initiates He will equip us to do the task we are set out to do.  He doesn’t assign us something and not give us the resources to accomplish it. Ultimately if God calls us to or initiates his work then He will complete it or make it come to pass.

[1] New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.) (1345). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.